Bojale

It must be universal- being initiated into a group involves staying up all nights and listening to long speeches from your elders (whether those “elders” are one year ahead of you in school, outrank you by a pay grade in the military, or are the cultural leaders of your community). This eventful week ended with the privilege of observing the coming of age ceremony for young women in the village of Mochudi. The Bojale commences with the young women, who have spent the previous weeks learning lessons about what it means to be a woman in the community and the previous night preparing down by the river, entering the Kgotla (village meeting area) around 0800. Here, the entire community, along with a few Anglo guests, await their arrival. All of the women cover their heads and wear skirts and the men who have been initiated wear impala skins on their backs (sometimes over modern sweat-suits or jeans). There are speeches by leaders including the Kgosi (Chief) and village leaders. After the ceremony, the new initiates file off to their respective wards singing chants lead by the elder women.
I did not attend the entire Bojale, but arrived to see the finale procession and enjoy a post- Bojale luncheon that our group had been invited to in one of the wards. The picture above represents these festivities.