Tradition should adapt to the times
It has surfaced that, so far this season, 18 young lives have already been lost in the traditional initiation ritual. The same occurred in June 2019, December 2018 and so on. The only thing different this time is that drastic measures have been taken by the House of Traditional Leaders as far as raising awareness of this catastrophe in the media; 60 vehicles have been sent out to reach far-flung areas where there might be problems; and a prayer session held in Komani on November 17.
However, the death toll remains sky-high and we are not even halfway through the season. The question remains — why?
Some of those who survive this traditional rite will emerge having their manhood amputated, leading to a life of silence and seclusion, possibly even suicide.
With this in mind one can only look back at those who instigated the Nongqawuse tragedy of old.
If they were to wake from their graves and see what is happening in the present day, they would fall back into their graves giggling, saying to themselves: “We only mentioned cattle and crops, little did we know they would target their own breadwinners more than a century later”.
After all the effort to get [initiate deaths] to zero in 2019, it seems as if nothing was done. What are we doing wrong here? In attempting to answer these questions we have to look at the world around us. The world as it stands has transformed very fast around us. There are global concerns such as climate change which has been proven to result in extreme weather, be it hot in summer or cold in winter, drought and floods. Mix that with a lack of water in the human body (summer) and one gets dehydration, leading to death.
Secondary to this, many who are in the medical fraternity will inform us that the many diseases that are rife today were next to nonexistent back in, say, the 1970s and early 1980s.
The stigma of bringing medical treatment to an initiation school is still high. The law stipulates it, yes, but things still do get out of control due to chronic illnesses being left unattended.
Lastly, there is now a worldwide problem of drug addiction. An initiate can come into a school looking fine and drug withdrawal kicks in within two days, which leads to convulsions and [possibly] death. There is little a traditional nurse can do to counter the latter two on his own, except to call for help before it is too late.
This is where our brothers in the initiation forums and medical fraternity come in. The presence of these two entities is spot on and can never be emphasised enough, though they need reinforcement in terms of communication strategies and the like.
To expect medical doctors to comb the mountains during initiation season looking for patients may be too much to ask.
The best suggestion would be to remove the youth, either by family members, the Initiation Forum or neighbours (volunteers) straight to a medical facility, for them to receive treatment before it is too late.
Rather let the young man live with the stigma of having to go to hospital for treatment than the inevitable happening to him.
The Eastern Cape is not alone in these challenges — we need to respond by evolving towards the changes the rest of the world has embraced.
Nations worldwide accept much-needed assistance from the medical fraternity, be it from local medical facilities, Doctors without Borders, the Red Cross, nonprofit organisations and others in various fields.
Remember in times of old, certain children were according to culture or tradition, supposed to be born only at home and not in a hospital. That tradition has long evolved. Perhaps it is time for us to switch our way of life to accept the move to medical help in times of need without shame.
Surely we, as OoTata in this time and era where these calamities occur, do not enjoy leaving a legacy of death, tragedy and destruction to our families, our sons and future leaders for generations to come?
The reverence and respect for our province arises from the many great achievements accomplished by Eastern Cape leaders, past and present, young and old, in various fields, which cannot be written in one volume.
It is time for the province to revolutionise this one aspect that taints our image to the world.
the death toll remains sky-high and we are not even halfway through the season. The question remains — why?