The Lwiindi Gonde traditional Ceremony Organizing Committee Chairperson, Patrick Sikawala says some initiation ceremonies for girls should be discouraged as they contribute to early marriages and teenage pregnancies.
Mr. Sikawala says some initiation ceremonies such as ‘Nkolola’ of the Tonga people expose girls to issues of sexuality which in turn, put them at risk of getting pregnant.
Speaking in an interview, Mr. Sikawala said most initiation ceremonies compelled parents and guardians to shift the responsibility of counselling their children to traditional counsellors, when it was their duty to counsel them.
Mr. Sikawala said initiation ceremonies were not necessary, as parents and guardians could still guide their children in a home set-up, without subjecting them to rites practiced during the ceremonies.
“Parents should counsel children from their homes and should not rely so much on counsellors who specialize in initiation ceremonies, if they expect positive behavioral change,” he said.
Mr. Sikawala further said other than initiation ceremonies, large church meetings which involved young people also resulted in some of them getting pregnant.
“It is not just the initiation ceremonies. Even our church going youths are vulnerable when they go for meetings such as camp meetings, because they end up getting pregnant,” he said.
Mr. Sikawala noted that children’s upbringing in modern society has changed as young people enjoy more rights than the youths in previous generations.
He claimed that young people have the courage to challenge elders, parents and guardians since they are protected by human rights.
“Young people nowadays do not listen to their elders. They are able to challenge us because they are protected by human rights. These human rights have spoiled our children,” he said.
This ***** needs to shut up. The traditional culture is the only thing that served us well up to this point. It is the only thing that is represents anything about who we are. It is the strength that has sustained us through the ages. If this fool gets his way, all our culture will be wiped out, and by the time we open our eyes, all of us will be calling us by white names like him, and promoting the homosexual culture of foreigners. I am a Tonga, from Southern Province. I do not know where this Sikawala ***** comes from, but I have never heard a Tonga by that name. Personally, I think the ***** has outlived his usefulness and should be removed from his position if he has no respect for our culture.
you are contradicting yourself
You wish those where Zambians.
Look at their skin and beautiful bodies, they can’t be compared to your PF’s Iris or Mutale something. You keep trying, your ugliness.
Those should be Botswana women…
Initialization ceremonies should be replaced with what, if even animals do initiate their issues?1
The man doesn’t understand anything. In my tribe these are ceremonies where girls are taught on how to look after their homes not on how to go out have sex and get pregnant..in fact girls educated on the dangers of sex which could result in pregnancy out of wedlock.
It’s at schools that they’re now being taught and parts mentioned by their names in local languages. Our children in grade 4 know the body anatomy in local languages, so what’s better? This man is a lost soul and he’s not alone. There are many lost souls in this country
The man is devoid of understanding the importance of initiation ceremonies as the Nkolola he cites an example. Only when such ceremonies are held in cities does one find the business element of contracting “counsellors” something very different in village settings or ancestral homes! These are cultural and ethnic identity practices which should be upheld and since change is inevitable in all walks of life other than discouraging rather discourage those practices impinging on the sanctity surrounding the ceremony!
I’m sure he doesn’t even understand what the Lwiindi ceremony is all about.
@3 Deja Vu , You are spot on! In some traditions, when a girl reaches puberty they teach them that they have come of age and should avoid unnecessary contact with men/boys as the body has become susceptible to excitation which can lead to pre-marital sex. Traditionally, virginity is revered so girls are encouraged to avoid pre-marital sex, especially pre-marital pregnancies! May be in Tonga culture they teach them about sex but in some cultures they teach them how to behave maturely to become respected woman, not a common girl free for all. Issues of sex are reserved for the time they are doing marriage counselling, a few weeks or days before the wedding or official shifting of a woman to the matrimonial home!!
Trying to run away from the problem. Attributing pregnancies to initiation ceremonies and not to oversexed men. What kind of a society do we want to be? Everything negative must be blamed on our Africanness. And everything good on Europeans. The Europeans have really succeeded in making us hate ourselves. Read Steve Biko.
This guy is very confused, doesn’t know whether he’s going or coming