Initiations

In the region of Kabiyé, you have to prove that you are ready for adulthood and marriage. This means that both men and women go through initiations as a sign of their maturity. Men have to go through 5 initiations while women only have one. As a sign of how this community has changed with the times, these initiations are completely voluntary.

Last Monday, right after I left the market in Kara, I went directly to an initiation ceremony. Like all "scheduled" meetings or events in Africa, this didn't start on time (more on the concept of African time later). The initiation was held in the homestead of the first chief of Conton (like a county) in the region. One of the grandsons of the family, Henri, is a director for the PeaceCorps in Togo, and he knows basically everyone who is anyone in Togo. Everyone who is even slightly related to the 4 initiates were invited to attend the ceremony.

As I waited with Madeline, Alex, and Jesper, Jesper explained about what these initiates had to do the night before the initiation. It turned out that each initiate had to do "kidnap" a child, half their age, whom they believe to resemble them. I am not all sure why they needed to kidnap the child, but I know that this is one way for the people here to build relationships with those who are younger than them. These young children become life-long friends with the initiates who chose them. The initiates take care of the kid like their own sibling.

After making our rounds of typical greetings, and photo taking, the initiation finally starts. First, we see a man leading the initiate and the young child to the center of the courtyard, all with their head ducked (not exactly sure why, but it could be for respect for something). They stop in the middle of the yard, and both the initiate and the child crouches in waiting for the initiation. Then, we see a woman of the initiate's family rubbing red palm oil on the initiate and the child. Afterwards, an uncle, or the father of the initiate makes a big speech to the entire town announcing that the boy has become a man. Now he is capable of building his household, and he is now ready to marry. Then, the same woman from the household offers the initiate a calabash of beer. But the initiate has to refuse because it is to show that he can resist something so good as a calabash of beer. Afterwards, the initiate runs away with the child behind him.

This repeated for each initiate. Later that week, I witnessed a traditional dance in the market by younger initiates. While the traditional music played, young men, shirtless, wore skins of dead animals around their necks stumped around the market. Unfortunately, I am running out of time and have to explain this later.