Old timer recalls stick-fighting

They sang and created their own music

AS JUNE draws near, marking the time when young Xhosa boys undergo the traditional male circumcision rite, Tsotsotso Kobese, 72, takes us back to the days when teenage Xhosa boys spent weekends perfecting the skill of stick-fighting.

He says the ancient game was of cultural significance among Xhosa males and one of the main skills a young boy worked on before becoming a man. “We used to do stick-fighting, that’s what we looked forward to during the weekends. I was not the champion of the stick fighting games, but I was among the best,” he laughs.

He says boys took pride in their heritage and would often travel to other villages to participate in the games. “We would walk all over and some would cycle to other villages just to go and participate in stick-fighting,” he says. They also attended a traditional party for young Xhosa people. “The night before the stick-fighting games, we would host

for the whole night and on the following day, we would have our stick fights.

was fun, we created and sang our own music with the girls, there were guys who played guitars and concertinas. “The only alcohol people drank at those events was

African beer.” The champion from each village would be elected to challenge other top stick-fighters from rival villages. A Xhosa boy would hone his skills until manhood, with the winner earning the respect of villagers resident in the area around Komani. “This was not done for money. The winner did not receive any prize,” Kobese says.

“Boys would hit each other till there was spilling of blood, but it was all done as a game. Unlike other sports, no one received a medal or certificate, it was simply a sport that we enjoyed, that is where real men were made,” he adds. Cultural celebrations were also a favourite.

“There would be a feast and lots of meat eaten,” he says.

Things changed when he turned 22. “I went to the Xhosa initiation school and I had to stop boyish behaviour when I entered into manhood. “In the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, parties started to happen where people listened to disco music and some started to carry knives and that is when a lot of fun things ended.”

Kobese says back in those days, Komani people were known for their eloquence speaking and understanding isiXhosa, and that many of the Xhosa men returning from the initiation camps found work on the farms. “I used to clean and feed the cows and horses.”

He says some of the best moments in Komani was when they used to have cattle judging at agricultural shows. “After winning in Komani the cow would go and enter into similar competitions around the country. I am grateful for having done the job for many years, it taught me a lot of things about farming. “Today I have my own cows, sheep and goats,” he said.

“I would like the municipality of this town to make this place beautiful again and also bring services to the people,” he said.