Initiation school graduation

Trip Start Jan 01, 2009

Trip End Ongoing

Loading Map

Map your own trip!

Map Options

Show trip route

Hide lines

Flag of Lesotho Menkhoaneng, Lesotho
Sunday, May 17, 2009

Like many other cultures, Basotho celebrate the rite of passage from boyhood to manhood with a big party. Also like other cultures, though perhaps not so many, before the boys become men they have to go through some training and pass certain tests to prove their manhood. And unlike any other culture I know of, the Basotho "coming of age" training for boys is conducted by sending groups of boys to secret locations in the mountains with a few "leaders" or teachers. The reasons behind having a secret location for the initiation school are pretty understandable. As a patriarchal society where traditionally women are expected to respect men at all times and men are the primary if not sole decision makers, it makes sense that the locations of the schools as well as the things learned, discussed and performed at these schools would be kept from the half of the population not able to attend. As an outsider I can sometimes get away with asking culturally inappropriate questions in the name of learning but everyone, even educated Peace Corps staff, are lock-lipped on this one. The part that really baffles me though is that they stay at this secret location with just a group of boys for weeks! During this time, they don't bathe. They wear only a red diaper like bottom and a blanket. They don't wear shoes and they cover themselves with a red dyed mud that is supposed to leave their skin healthier than it has ever been. I can't imagine what they could possibly be teaching them that would take so long (6 or more weeks!). As a fairly independent woman trying to chip away at the subservience of Basotho women/ dominance of Basotho men, the only comforting thought about this extended man-fest retreat is that they must be cooking for themselves because they couldn't possible last that long otherwise.
So at some point towards the end of initiation school, they all come down from hiding for a big feast where they sing songs (evidently one of the things they learned) in a big group while everyone watches. Now I wish my Sesotho was good enough that I could have understood what they were singing about but I do know they were very repetitive -singing the same phrase over and over- and that they sang about the community/nation a lot because I heard the word "sechaba" often. Everyone at the feast was in very good spirits except the boys who are not allowed to talk to anyone else and have to sit wrapped up in wool blankets no matter how hot it is. The whole time they are directed by their leaders and are allowed food breaks. Although people are blocked from entering the area the boys are singing in, they are allowed to walk up to the roped off entry and throw coins, cigarettes and matches into a bowl in appreciation of a good song. This goes on all day, from dawn until dusk at which point the boys head back to their secret location and everyone calls it a day (except of course the Bo-'M'e that stay to clean everything up.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this blog, having separate rites of passage for each sex is a tradition that pops up in many cultures and religions and does not in itself lead to gender inequalities or abuses. BUT, with the state of the gender norms in Lesotho, I would really like to know what goes on at the initiation schools. What exactly are they teaching them that only men can know? Are they actually taught that it is OK to beat your wife if she doesn't obey you or if you just feel like it? Do they tell them that as men they are expected to "be a pumpkin," spreading out all over the garden? Are they told how to recognize a girl that is "asking for sex" without ever saying those words?
This last question was the basis for a conversation that we had at a recent gender workshop. The Gender and Development committee from Peace Corps, has been providing the volunteers in each district with money to host an annual gender workshop for young adults and this year I took a role in organizing it. During one activity the participants were asked to move around the room towards posters that said "Strongly Agree", "Agree", "Disagree" and "Strongly Disagree" after a statement had been read. One of the statements was "Girls that wear revealing clothing are asking to be raped." Now I'm pretty sure that there was a misunderstanding of the word "rape" but either way, several boys and a girl moved to the "Agree" and "Strongly Agree" areas. The boys' arguments were that seeing a girl wearing a short skirt or tight pants would arouse them and after that there was nothing they could do. Also that the girl wanted to have sex if she was dressed that way. So many Basotho men share the mentality that as men they can have as many women as they want with no effort from them. In addition to the endless marriage proposals that female volunteers have to deal with, a common question that we are asked is "Well do you have any white female friends and can you give one to me?"
Like I said before, I don't know what boys in Lesotho are being taught in initiation school but it most certainly isn't self control or gender equality.