Internet New Initiation School

Celebrating 'holi'.

Parents cannot freeze time to prolong the joy of adorable toddlers, as they mine all over the house, with tiny hands hoping to strike gold. They will grow up to be girls and boys.

In the few traditional societies left, boys undergo initiation that prepares them to be men, and it all depends on what sustains the society. For example, initiation for living in the desert is different from initiation for growing up in icy mountains.

There is formal and informal initiation. We won’t discuss formal initiation in this piece because it involves elaborate ceremonies. In the case of Africa, informal initiation is done by older boys out there on the hills tending cattle.

In hunting societies, boys learn to imitate birds, walk on twigs without making a sound and reading the air for possible rain. In countries along the sea, the initiation is swimming and fishing.

All that has been overtaken by the internet. Boys and girls go online to find  answers about growing up. The main reason they find it attractive is being parent-free.

This is what gives parents sleepless nights. They are aware that there is underground initiation going on because kids have three hands, the third one being the cellphone hand.

There are good and painful things online. All parents can hope for is that online initiation does not result in the death of a child.

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.