South Africa Circumcision Ceremonies Kill 23 Youth

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SOUTH AFRICA CIRCUMCISION CEREMONIES KILL 23 YOUTH

A boy in South Africa takes part in rites of passage rituals. AP

By Staff
Associated Press & RYOT News
ryot.org
Saturday, May 18, 2013

Johannesburg - Twenty-three youths have died in the past
nine days at initiation ceremonies that include
circumcisions and survival tests, South African police
said Friday.

Police have opened 22 murder cases in the deaths in the
northeastern province of Mpumalanga, according to
spokesman Lt. Col. Leonard Hlathi. He said an inquest is
being held into the 23rd death, of a youth who complained
of stomach pains and vomited.

Initiation ceremonies are common in South Africa, where
youths partake in various activities as a rite of passage
into adulthood, usually over the course of three weeks.
Some 30,000 youths signed up for initiation this year.

In addition to being circumcised, the boys and young men
are put through a series of survival tests which
sometimes include exposure to South Africa�s chilly
winter conditions with skimpy clothing. Their faces are
painted with red clay and they also are given herbal
concoctions to drink.

Continues at:

http://www.ryot.org/south-africa-circumcision-ceremonies-kill-23-youth/165229

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