If you have ever bothered to ask an amaXhosa man about his initiation, he’ll straight up tell you that he is not allowed to talk about it. What happens is between him, his fellow initiates and their ancestors. Yet in the Eastern Cape, there’s a problem with the traditions.

Leaders in the Eastern Cape have called for a ban on cellphones at initiation schools after a flood of selfies hit social media.

Although there were none that depicted any circumcision details, photos showed initiates sticking their tongues out, one initiate kissing a girl, and a group posing with a woman at the side of a road. OR Tambo deputy mayor Thandekile Sabisa, who heads the municipality’s traditional initiation programme, said:

That initiates who are meant to be in secluded areas post their photos on the internet shows the extent to which our culture has been lost [among] young people.

Oh, technology.

[source: timeslive]