The boys under the age of sixteen are taken to a school when they are initiated to manhood. A traditional African culture practiced by many tribes in Southern Africa.

An initiation master, who has a crucial role in these rites of passage, oversees the ceremony, which takes about two weeks.

He is responsible for educating, disciplining and sometimes circumcising them.

The boys get a certain haircut when they commence initiation as a symbol of their transitional status.

Like initiates elsewhere who smear themselves with substance like fat or ochre at various stages, The Bantwane boys cover their hair with clay. This signifies the protection their ancestors afford them during this period.

Sticks play an important role in the male initiation rites. They are used to teach the boys fighting skills, marking their transition to manhood, these sticks are to remain with them for the rest of their life.

After coming out of the c