Lebollo la banna

Male Initiation of the Basotho Men is known as Lebollo la banna in Sesotho.

Lebollo is a cultural and traditional practice that the basotho society follows to construct the manhood identity. It is a rite of passage in a sense that boys or ‘bashemane’(dzwiya)pass the puberty stage and enter the adulthood stage to become men or ‘monna’. Part of the rite of the rite of passage includes a traditional circumcision which is the removal of the foreskin covering the glans of the penis. This practice is commonly found within the Basotho men in the Free State Province of South Africa as well as Lesotho. The prevalence of traditional male circumcision among the Sotho people, who mostly reside in the Free State, is at 57,3%.

Despite much criticism directed towards Lebollo, there is an increase in the number of boys attending traditional initiation schools in post-Apartheid South Africa. This is argued to be due to the resurgence of young men's respect for traditional authority as well as governments support of research reporting a reduced risk of HIV infection when circumcised. There are many government based organisations who provide clinical circumcision however, many Basotho still opt for circumcision at traditional initiation schools due to the cultural beliefs.[1]

A Sotho man wearing a blanket showing proof that he has reached the manhood stage

Description

Traditional initiation schools of the Basotho are conducted over a period of time (varying from a few weeks to 6 months) in secluded areas away from settlements.[2] These areas are often referred to as 'the bush' or 'the mountain’. The traditional initiation teachers, known as basuwe in Sesotho, are commonly elderly men with substantial economic, political and social standing within Basotho communities. The 'initiators' (basuwe) perform rituals and also teach the initiates about cultural and health issues. A “monga lebollo” is the one who establishes lebollo in a particular area and owns the particular initiation school. The ‘monga lebollo’ of an area is sometimes given a position in formal education school governing bodies in order to assist and advise schools on the behaviours and needs of the new initiates.

History of Lebollo

Initiation rites among the South Sotho had by the 19th century become central to both the homestead and the chieftainship. It was the chief who periodically called upon all boys of a certain age (usually those between 16 and 20 years of age) to undergo this ritual.

With basotho societies being colonised by the settlers in the 1800s, the new colonial government set laws to regulate and restrict the time and location of the practice. The government also sent dispatches to different basotho chiefs from 1944 and 1945 to evaluate whether the laws were obeyed by the basotho communities. Basotho Chiefs such as Kgama, Sebele, Lentswe and Bathoeng were praised for having been loyal to the laws of the colonial governments administrative High Commissioner on Initiation. Chief Lentshwe had been successfully practicing male initiation since his reign began in 1874, and was able to name eight mophato (regiments). Eighteen years later, Chief Lentshwe was converted to Western Christianity which prohibited him from supporting traditional Sotho practices such as Lebollo. He declared that there would be no initiation practice by his people, however, people continued to prepare themselves for initiation.

In 1902 Chief Lentshwe authorised an initiation school after much persuasion from his people. The Basotho Initiation ritual did not occur again until 1975 when other chiefs took over and reintroduced the practice. Before 1975, parents who took their children to the ‘bush school’, were excommunicated from the Christian church community, along with their children. In order to be accepted back into the community, the rebellious families had to undergo church rituals of repentance and cleansing. Currently, not all community members practice initiation. However certain families uphold this practice.[3]

Age and Time

The age of initiation has changed as initiators did not initiate school learners in the past, or any child under the age of 24 years. Males who were over the age of 24 were referred to as ‘Batlankana’ as they had passed their adolescent stage and were ready to uphold their family social responsibilities as per customs and traditions. Currently, most of the initiates from the Free State and Lesotho attend initiation between the ages of 12 and 15 with only a few initiated above the age of 15. The boys usually attend the initiation school during the holiday break between primary school and high school. Changes to the age of initiates is influenced by migration patterns of adult males leaving their homestead to work in cities or mines, and South African laws which require children to attend school. Generally speaking, an initiation school is open to young pubescent males, but in some cases adults, married or unmarried, with or without children, can also attend such a school in cases where the particular individual could not attend such a school while still young.

Phases of Lebollo

The initiate practice can be classified into 3 stages namely the Separation Stage, the Transitional Stage and the Incorporation Stage. The Psychosocial Theory by Erik Erikson provides a basic tool of analysis to examine the phases of initiation for the Basotho boys.

The Separation Stage

During the Separation Stage, the boys(dzwiya) are separated from all social activities and kept in a secluded place where their transition from adolescence into adulthood or from boyhood into manhood takes place.

This small house is used by the boys to sleep in during their time in initiation school

The Transitional Stage

During the Transitional Stage the initiates are educated on the social concepts of their identities. After the physical circumcision, the boys’ open wound is dressed with a special plant which aids healing. For about 8 days after the surgical procedure, a traditional nurse or “ikhankatha” provides nursing care and performs daily dressing of wounds and takes care of the young men. Traditional bandages are used for dressing the wounds of the initiates. The initiates are housed in lodges called “mophato”.

The initiates rise early each day to perform a variety of tasks, and thereafter undergo a harsh physical regimen. Skills, such as warfare and cattle-raiding are taught and improved. Initiates are also taught to compose praises and songs to their chiefs and to themselves, the proper expression or articulation of which constitutes the important adult (male) quality of eloquence or “bokheleke. The initiates are tutored on the knowledge of family life, including sexuality which is dealt with extensively. The texts of praise poems (lithoko) refer to a wide range of phenomena, including historical occurrences where former basotho chiefs featured, and significant experiences in the life of the initiates. Initiates often receive beatings when they fail to grasp these skills with ease.

After completion of the training period, the initiates leave all their clothing behind in the lodge, which is then set alight by the instructors. The young men then run ahead without looking back at their childhood, which has symbolically ended with the burning of the lodge. The initiates arrive at their villages smeared with red ochre and covered in their traditional basotho blankets while surrounded by men and elders, where they are given a new set of clothes. A large feast commences shortly thereafter and each new initiate is given an opportunity to verbalise his own self-composed praise.

The Incorporation Stage

The Incorporation Stage occurs when the newly initiated Basotho men are incorporated into society. They are given new names, which are selected for each individual and confirms the 'man’s existence,' as well as blankets to wear as a proof that they have reached the manhood stage. Sometimes the names given after initiation become more popular than the names given at birth. One well known example of this is that of Lepoqo, who later became Letlama after initiation and later still Moshoeshoe, the founder of the South Sotho nation.

Initiates are then allowed to participate in social and economic activities. It is considered taboo for newly initiated men to share details of Lebollo with females and males who have not been to initiation school. Men who are working, married and initiated see those that are not circumcised, as inferior. The un-initiated are often ridiculed for not practicing their cultures, and are sometimes seen as “weak” men.The initiates are now known as mrhwana and mfanyana

Effects on behavior

There are varying opinions on whether traditional initiation schools make a positive or negative contribution to the behaviour of initiated basotho boys and men. Proponents of lebolla believe that lebolla produces good moral values in boys and men and contributes to society by creating responsible law abiding citizens. The newly initiated, who are seen as 'men' by the larger traditional society, are still seen as boys by the formal education system which means that the 'manhood status' granted by the ritual is situational.

Opponents of the initiation schools believe that lebolla has little effect to the actions and behaviour of the initiated boys and men. Many formal school teachers struggle to deal with boys returning from initiation schools due to deviant behaviour such as a refusal to participate in class, acting with disdain towards female teachers and uninitiated male teachers as well as involvement in gangster activities.

The traditional responsibilities after initiation include taking care of their fathers’ homesteads, working hard to support themselves and their families, upholding their clan name and being present at all family and ritual ceremony gatherings. Additionally the initiate is expected to be brave, prove to be a responsible male adult, respect other people, have self-respect and self-disciple and be independent, as well as law abiding. However, the responsibilities of an initiate have changed throughout time to meet modern societal needs including not abusing alcohol, avoiding imprisonment or criminal activities, avoiding multiple sexual partners, avoiding contracting HIV/AIDS and attaining an education in order to become a financial provider. Privileges after initiation include receiving respect from women and those who have not yet attended initiation schools, sitting and eating with initiated men during rituals and ceremonies, as well as gaining general respect from all members of the community.[4][5]

Complications

According to the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities in South Africa, approximately 251 male youths died between 2014 and 2016 while attending initiation schools throughout South Africa. During a period of 36 weeks between 2014 and 2016 about 10 deaths occurred due to complications of traditional circumcision. There was a total of 22 documented deaths related to circumcision between June 2012 to January 2017.[6]

Complications arise in the traditional initiation schools when the traditional surgeons use blunt and unsterilized instruments which causes infection and sepsis. Further negative effects occur when the physical punishment for lapses, such as forgetting the words of a chant, becomes so severe that they result in some initiates being beaten to death.[7] [8]

Laws

The National House of Traditional Leaders, which has national authority over traditional initiations in South Africa, believes that it would be better able to control initiation rites if it was given real power to make laws. The traditional leaders of the national house rejected a proposal by the government suggesting boys being circumcised in hospitals instead of ‘the bush’. The House argued that the attendance of an initiation school is not only about the physical removal of the foreskin, but also about the promotion of cultural activities, although they acknowledge that beating the initiates is not a cultural activity.[9]

Many Traditional leaders accept that no initiation schools should run concurrently with academic schools. The Free State Initiation Schools Health Act of 2004 was promulgated with the specific purpose to provide for the adherence to health standards in traditional initiation schools as well as to provide for the granting of permission for the performance of circumcision operations. The act also makes provisions for the approval process by which initiation schools are to be established.[10][11]

See also

References
  1. Malisha, L., Maharaj, P. & Rogan, M. 2008. Rites of passage to adulthood: Traditional initiation schools in the context of HIV/AIDS in the Limpopo province, South Africa. Journal on Health, Risk & Society, 10(6), 585-598. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13698570802533713. Accessed 8 April 2018
  2. Sello M. B. Mohlaloka, Lynette Jacobs & Corene de Wet (2016) The Influence of Traditional Male Initiation (Lebollo) on School Discipline: Educators’ Perspectives, Deviant Behavior, 37:6, 709-721, DOI: 10.1080/01639625.2015.1071132 Accessed 8 April 2018
  3. Sello Martin Blase Mohlaloka, Lynette Jacobs and Nita Corene De Wet.Perspectives in Education - Insights from traditional initiation teachers (Basuwe) on the influence of male traditional initiation (lebollo) on the behaviour of schoolboys. https://dx.doi.org/10.18820/2519593X/pie.v34i2.2 Accessed 4 March 2018
  4. Ntsofa Clasper Monyela.THE EXPERIENCES OF NEWLY INITIATED BASOTHO MEN IN SELECTED BOTSHABELO HIGH SCHOOLS, FREE-STATE PROVINCE. full-dissertation for Masters Degree. African Studies in the Centre for Africa Studies, Faculty of Humanities at the University of the Free State
  5. Sello Martin Blase Mohlaloka, Lynette Jacobs and Nita Corene De Wet.Perspectives in Education - Insights from traditional initiation teachers (Basuwe) on the influence of male traditional initiation (lebollo) on the behaviour of schoolboys. https://dx.doi.org/10.18820/2519593X/pie.v34i2.2 Accessed 4 March 2018
  6. N K Momoti, Law and culture in the new constitutional dispensation with reference to the custom of circumcision as practiced in the Eastern Cape (MA Thesis, Rhodes University, 2004), p 33
  7. V.Abraham. CRL Commission reveals ‘shocking’ initiation death toll. The Citizen. https://citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/1450289/crl-commission-reveals-shocking-initiation-death-toll/ Accessed 20 March 2018
  8. S.P Smith. Rite of Passage Denied. ENCA. www.enca.com/south-africa/rite-of-passage-denied Published 18 January 2017. Accessed 20 March 2018
  9. https://www.enca.com/south-africa/the-act-and-a-national-policy-in-development Accessed 11 March 2018
  10. Chitja Twala. THE AFRICAN TRADITION OF INITIATION AND CIRCUMCISION: A CURSE OR CURE IN SOUTH AFRICA? Department of History, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, 9300
  11. Mohlaloka, S.M.B. 2014. Towards policy implementation: Exploring behaviour of male learners who underwent traditional initiation schooling. Unpublished Masters of Education dissertation. Bloemfontein: University of the Free State. Accessed 8 April 2018
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