Becoming a man.

Warning! Warning! Warning! Renegade alert. It is once again time for good old Kash to give you the rundown on another hot topic. Today I am giving everybody the rundown of the Xhosa custom of Initiation, boys becoming men. While there have been many articles written on the subject I just thought it would not hurt for society’s favorite renegade to give his thoughts on the matter. (Awesome Alert)

 There comes a point in every Xhosa boy’s life when he must embark on a journey to become a man. He leaves the comfort of his home to head to the mountains to learn the age old ways of the bygone Xhosa society along enduring a circumcision ritual that affirms his new status as a man. He then returns to his village and people a man ready to take on the world. While this ceremony sounds like a great experience and worthy ritual it has been shrouded with curse and ridicule by some in society while the purists insist it is a huge part of our culture. Young boys today insist on rushing the process often initiating it when they are too young (The legal age is 18) and find themselves seriously injured by botched circumcisions, others even lose their lives.

This is not the only problem as many of the so called “men” that do come back often display strange behavior showcase their manhood. They often have to carry knives to protect themselves from one another, others return with serious drinking problems because of their perceived thoughts that a man should drink as much as he wants. They often demand respect from society rather than earning it like a real man is supposed to.

The Rundown: This Age old custom seems to have lost its purpose and significance and thus it has become obsolete and dispensable. The 21^st Century has no purpose for it.