Birth and rites of passage, with Papa Kédine

This week, we are still among the Akele people of Gabon to learn about the rules and practices related to marriage and married life in effect within this Bantu-speaking community.

After the marriage proposal, the dowry, polygamy and adultery, we come to a pivotal moment in life: childbirth.

In traditional societies, there was no such thing as a hospital or a gynecologist. And another important feature of childbirths in the modern-day West, which was absent from these traditional societies, was the presence of the father during childbirth. Instead, the process of childbirth was strictly limited to women: midwives duly respected as such, women related to the family according to specific blood and marriage ties… The birthing procedure, dangerous for both mother and child, often involved several of these women.

In many societies, biological birth is but a first step on the way to becoming an adult and a fully-fledged member of the community. Throughout the world, societies of all religions have developed ritual practices to celebrate the stages between birth and adulthood.

One of the most common rites of passage is that of circumcision, which represents, both ritually and symbolically, the social birth of the initiate. He dies at birth, and is separated from his mother and from female society once and for all, in order to finally access his virilty, his new social status, and his position within the male community.

There is no real female equivalent to circumcision. Female initiation often consists of learning the so-called essence of womanhood: sexuality and reproduction, earth and production, nourishment and cooking.

Papa Kédine touches on all of these themes. His thoughts on childbirth, reminiscent of the Bible verse « For you are dust, and to dust you shall return », are particularly evocative. And he certainly doesn’t sugarcoat his comments on the topic of circumcision : for those of you not too squeamish, you will discover the unknown yet essential antiseptic qualities of a well-known plant from the Solanaceae family…