THERE is need to intensify female initiation ceremonies if Zambian culture is to be upheld in the face of decaying moral values in Zambia.
This was the consensus among Lusaka’s Jack compound residents who felt that it was time for parents to start remembering tradition and go back to the times when young men and women were taught how to be responsible and cultured in all areas of one’s life.
Women say that modern culture was slowly overshadowing the old ways and destroying traditional culture and values on which the Zambian nation was built.
They said it was important that young people were educated in Zambian traditions, culture and customs so that they grew up as responsible citizens.
Rebecca Kaluba, a resident of Jack compound, said that there was need for parents to start supporting initiation ceremonies because they would help mould their children into responsible and cultured people.
Ms. Kaluba said that people were now losing touch with tradition in the name of the so-called civilisation where tradition was ignored.
She said that initiation ceremonies play a significant role in raising responsible young men and women.
‘‘The responsible old men and women we see today are a product of initiation ceremonies, when young men and women were taught a lot of things that not only benefit them but their societies as well where they come from,’’ she said.
She added that initiation ceremonies worked well in the old days and could still work out well even in the modern world.
‘’Today we see young men and women misbehaving anyhow, their dressing is indecsent, they are involved in immoral activities on a daily basis and not having initiation ceremonies to teach them how they are supposed to conduct themselves in society is one of the major contributors to the bad behaviour in our young men and women today,’’ Ms Kaluba said.
Ms Mpundu Chilufya also of Jack compound said the youth of nowadays have no sense of responsibility because they do not know how to differential between right and wrong.
‘’Initiation ceremonies are very important not just in the villages but also in urban areas because they stand to benefit a lot of people. Moreover it’s not just the people in the villages that need morals and responsibility but even those that are in urban areas and that is why it is important that the initiation ceremonies for young men and women are revived,’’ she said.
But some women have charged that times have changed and there was no need for young people to undergo ceremonies when they could just be taught for a few hours.
Rose Mambwe, another Jack compound resident, said that young people go to school while some are working and it would not be fair to seclude them for a long time attending initiation rituals. Ms. Mambwe said the behaviour of young people depended on how they have been brought up in their homes and it was not right to conclude that lack of parental training was responsible for their actions.
Oh yeah, this also reminds me of a culture where boys go to the mukanda and forcefully have the foreskins of their penises cut off ( example, Kakoma Kanganja’s d*ck). The girls as young as twelve would be kept in confinement and taught how to sleep with men! Zambia deserves better than that. Let’s move on!
The so called ceremonies only cause the girls to become prostitutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The so called “INITIATION ceremonies” only cause the girls to become prostitutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I support culture all the way. A people without culture is a people lost. Its a people open to all sorts of opinions and can be swayed in any which way. Culture is a moral principal upon which a society stand. We should do more of this.
..the way this article is titled is as if at one time the govt had banned the so called initiation ceremonies…this is a testimony that despite churches mushrooming every corner of the street they are not adding any value to e society…….these days you find a 13 yr old girl knows more than alangizi what lesson can alangizi inculcate in her..
So some UPND chap will now come up and promise to deliver initiation ceremonies in all districts IF elected in August ….
” K u k u n a I m i s h i n o/ M a l e p e. For those who do not know, it is a process whereby a girl who is in her puberty stage gently pulls her inner labia outwards (away from her body) by applying force on them using special herbs”
This makes the girls become s e x maniacs when they become women.
The feeling between their ntwenokane is always “NYELE YEKA YEKA” even when they walk, work, or just sitting the feeling is always there… one lousy husband cannot handle all the “NYENGALING” alone!!
It’s a pity how women are chewing their own words. I was very young when once upon a time a certain minister called Mr Chibanda, on telly or some other media (but,definitely tv- I stand to be corrected) was trying to propagate and encourage every Zambian about girl initiation ceremony. His argument and concern was the erosion of Zambia’s cultural values. To cut the story short, it was women themselves who lambasted Mr Chibanda (I hope the man is still living) he was almost getting fired from UNIP and Its Government. Women said he was too backward. For me it is a surprise that women don’t know what they are talking about. Africans have very comprehensively beautiful cultures which the forsake themselves. But, when they travel overseas and sees white people copying the same things they…
But, when they travel overseas and sees white people copying the same things they start re-copying the same things. Take for instance tattoos, hair-plaiting in different patterns, food, dressing (but, not complexion changing), including the cultural part of sex and love-making, etc. When Africans find that even whites have started doing them, Africans (mostly women), again start doing the same things they forsook. What does this mean. This means absolute lack of confidence and inferiority complex among African (men alike). Indians are different. I am not saying Indians are good and better than African- but different in that respect. They take with them all their cultural heritages wherever they go. They talk to their children in their own languages, dress and eat their own foods even…
They talk to their children in their own languages, dress and eat their own foods even teach other races to adopt their way of life. African stop eating their organic natural and healthy foods and eat fish and chips.
The elongation of the labia minora is just as bad as female genital mutilation! Elongation of the Labia Minora Is A Violation of women’s bodily autonomy. If you are Christians an insult to your God who ” supposedly made you perfect”.
“They begin pulling the labia at 9 to 12 years. The problem with elongation of the labia is the talk, excitement and mysteries that go with it. Normally young girls’ expectations after elongating the muscles are high and they would like to experiment with men because it arouses their curiosity. They want to know how sex feels after pulling. This is the point that things may get out of hand and they may put themselves at risk of unintended pregnancies, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.”
That’s ‘faint hearted men’ in brackets.
It is just an old woman’s tale which spread like a wild fire. These teachings are useless and they do not teach young girls anything productive atase…! Move on…! other countries don’t teach this rubbish but they have survived and done well in the global society. Just silly culture….. Cutting this, or pulling that never improved anyone’s health
Initiation ceremonies literally teaches UNDERAGED girls how to grind their waist and moan in bed…………. etc
NO WONDER SO MANY DIE OF AIDS THAT SIDE
I support this as our culture is being assaulted by Western Influence. I would only add that Zambian men should also be forced to do male initiation ceremonies….you know like….sending them off in the forest without a campus and weapons. If they come out the other end after fighting Lions, etc. then we have men built with character! Hopefully politician types get stuck in quick sand along the way.
Seriously some young ladies educated Western way are exhibiting a copy cat behaviour of Western females in poor areas. For example some of the young female singers are celebrating single motherhood and that was taboo in our culture. These ceremonies give strong moral guide. No to genital mutilations…just for clarity. I support young girls grounded in the home for 3 months after…
. I support young girls grounded in the home for 3 months after their menstruation starts ( sorry faith earned men), but that tradition was good in teaching girls how to dress, behaviour in feminine way. We can ensure that docile obedient requirements to men are altered so girls have self worth.
Faint hearted men in brackets
I ve been abroad for 8 years and down here I ve found that there’s no woman who can beat a Zambian in bed. Why? Whatever they are taught in these ceremonies should continue forever. Some white women are even looking for Zambian women to teach them this because word has gone around that the Zambians can dance
Isn’t the message in this story confusing? They want young men and women to be responsible so FEMALE initiation ceremonies must be revived. Are the women responsible for the men’s bad behaviour? THERE is need to intensify female initiation ceremonies if Zambian culture is to be upheld in the face of decaying moral values in Zambia.
This was the consensus among Lusaka’s Jack compound residents who felt that it was time for parents to start remembering tradition and go back to the times when young men and women were taught how to be responsible and cultured in all areas of one’s life.
I cant help but note the misunderstanding of African culture which actually led to its being destroyed by European culture. Most of the posts above wrongly presume that initiation ceremonies are about SEX and SEX only. The ceremony is a preparation for a young woman to transit into adulthood so she is taught how to look after herself, her husband and her family when she gets married and of course SEX. The girls are not taught how to be promiscuous-No African culture is that stupid otherwise we wouldn’t be alive. The girls are taught how to perform sex properly because sex is an important part of life whether you like it or not. In initiation school you are taught sex by adults, responsible adults.
When sex is taught to you by your friends like we are doing nowadays, you end up with…
Kabiyeni uko banamalepe! Bana chimbusa’s are all prostitutes.
When sex is taught to you by your friends like we are doing nowadays, you end up with STDs. Sex is part of life so someone needs to be taught how to deal with it. This doesnt mean you must start having sex with all men. In fact in the Bemba initiation ceremony the nachimbusa warns you against having sex outside marriage. This is a school just like the Western schools you have gotten used to mwebantu
Thanks @ Zambian Woman who went through initiation,in fact in some Zambian cultures a girl when she reaches puberty at the first menses she is isolated and then taught how to look after herself at such particular times,how stay clean and healthy. She is also taught that she had then become a woman and must start conducting in a mature way and in such cases in old times even the dressing was changes at home,she could have a chitenge to wrap around her. She could hardly be seen hanging around with boys but stay with aunties etc to teach her good behavior. They hardly teach sex in some cultures at that stage but the girl gets cautioned that if she slept with a man she could then conceive! Sex is the taught during counseling for marriage!I believe it is a good culture to keep!!
Chi Virgin you brainwashed bastard. Leave us to practice our culture and stay with your carbon copy European culture. Iam taking all my 3 daughters to initiation school