Brutal Initiation Rites

******* Please note the details in this entry may be disturbing to some readers ********

I recently received an urgent call from Kolpele requesting prayer for a troubling situation in southern Chad. There is a revival of an old Animist tradition that is affecting the southern village where he has a church (Fianga). Boys from the villages are being taken for brutal initiation ceremonies that often result in beatings or death. Several of the boys (8 so far) have refused to go to these ceremonies, claiming they are Christians and would die for their faiths. These boys have been severely beaten but fortunately none have been killed.

Kolpele quickly travelled to the south to intercede in the situation and was able to get the local authorities involved. This has temporarily halted the beatings but they may continue once the authorities are no longer present. As a result, there are now 8 young boys & men who have been outcast from their homes & are being housed by the church. We are looking at ways to provide a more permanent housing arrangement in the future.

These events occurred shortly before I travelled to Chad for my last official work rotation. Once the outcomes became clear & Kopele arrived at the camp, he and I sat down to understand the events. Details of the Animist initiation rites are provided below. Please beware that the initiation rites are disturbing & may offend some readers – do not proceed with this entry if you have trouble reading about violence.

Kolpele is working to setup accomodations for those displaced after refusing the ceremonies (shown below). Please continue to keep Kolpele & the southern villages in your thoughts & prayers.

---------- Initiation rites in Southern Chad ----------




Before African countries were formed and man-made lines were drawn in the dirt showing boundaries, tribes dominated the continent. The tribal mindset still has deep roots in the culture, and most Africans still identify first with a tribe and then a country. Kolpele comes from the Toupouri tribe which originates from the south of Chad, and has planted a church is in this area that supports the Toupouri community.

In the past, Animist tribes in Central Africa (in particular the Massa, Toupouri, Bongar & Kim tribes of Southern Chad, Cameroon & Sudan) performed initiatory rites with young boys to officially convert them to men. The rites were/are incredibly brutal and caused a certain psychosis, or brainwashing, to the initiates during the period. The following is an account of the initiation ceremonies, as relayed to me by Kolpele. He has been told these practices by family members who went through the rites before becoming Christians. Please be advised that the details are disturbing, but are presented to show African realities.

Over the last 35 years there has been a halt to initiation practices, but in spring 2010, the head of these tribes, named Wang-Dore, called for a revival of the practice. Initiations typically occur for 3 sequential years with a different group of initiates each year, then suspended for 7 years before restarting. Since the previous ceremony was 35 years ago, all men who have missed out on initiation are required to go this year. Each initiation lasts about 1-3 months.

Originally the initiation ceremony was mandated by certain African leaders to reject Christianity & Western influences in favor of traditional African mysticism & unity to be developed through difficult trials – similar to secret societies or other fraternal orders. In these initiations however, there is an emphasis on animalistic behavior & brutality that cause the initiates to “forget” their prior lives & take on new identities. This seems akin to gangs formed in the USA.

Initiates are all male and may be as young as 7 years old. The boys are taken into the “bush”, or wilderness, by a group of older boys, or “elders” who have previously been initiated. Occasionally the boys are unwilling to go and are forcefully removed from their homes. If they refuse, then their families may outcast them, they may be beaten, or both. In the worst case, refusal can mean a death sentence. This photo shows a boy in Kolpele's church who refused the inititation and is now living in the church having been kicked out of his family.

During the first night (around 10 pm) of the rite the boys are taken to the river, stripped naked, and made to lay down side by side on the ground. The must not raise their eyes during the entire initiation process – if they do, it is seen as disrespectful and they risk being killed. The only exception to the death punishment is that if an older family member is present, he may defend the offending boy. The older boys take turns jumping over the boys on the ground. Next, boys are forced to drink “milk of a demon” or “mystic water” which seems to be some sort of hallucinogen. According to Kolpele, the drink causes the boys to forget their native tongues and speak in a demon’s tongue. From these stories, it seems that the drink is used to brainwash the boys into submission.

During the next 3 months, the boys survive in the bush off food that is brought by their mothers, and from whatever can be killed – often rats. The families are never allowed to see the boys, and are required to drop food off at a neutral site 3 times a day in proportion to the number of boys they have in the bush. The elders gather the food and then distribute it to the initiates – gathering food is the only time any of the boys are allowed to wear clothing. If a mother happens to see her son during the initiation time, he will be killed.

Throughout the 3 months the boys cause trouble in nearby villages. Animals are killed or stolen, properties destroyed and sometimes villagers are killed. Christians are specifically targeted. The initiates travel in gangs and in this part of the country, wear red shirts when travelling into the villages – anybody caught wearing red that isn’t part of the initiation is beaten. Again a parallel can be drawn to gangs in the USA.

As the Animist name implies, the boys are supposed to live like animals – as such there is emphasis on being unclean. None of the boys/men are allowed to wash their hands during the 3 months or they are beaten. Food and water is mixed with mud and boys are beaten or killed for not eating or drinking.

You may have noticed that many of the punishments involved with initiation are generally beatings or death. Death is treated with little respect during the process. If a boy dies of natural causes he is placed in the fetal position, naked, in a shallow grave. The body is then burned and buried with no surface markings. If, however, someone is killed for being disrespectful, he is killed and his body is tragically eaten by the group. During any death it is forbidden to cry or beatings will follow. As for the family of the deceased, they are given the boy’s clothes on a stick but told no details about the death – this happens after the 3 month initiation, so families must continue to provide food throughout the process.

Part of the ritual includes changing the names of each boy by adding a suffix/prefix to their name (these include krio, sala, dandi, dou, sam, bili, ngar). Some examples include: Dawé to Dakréo, Dikwé to Diksala/Dikdandi, Kolwé to Kolbélé, Dikda to Diksala, Nagué to Nassandou, (note that Kolpele did not go through the rite, but his name would change Kolpélé to Kolandi). In some regions, the name change is coupled with scarring through cutting, typically on the forehead or face. The region of Sahr, for example, cuts vertical lines down the faces of boys. Kolpele’s tribe does not perform the cutting ceremony.

Upon completion of the initiation, the boys return home as “men”. The rituals change the boy’s identity, so that the time they return home, they must be escorted having forgot their families. They call their parents by their first names & are never allowed in their mother’s room or kitchen. They are new creatures, having lived as animals, and form a new brotherhood ready to initiate the newest clan.