REVISITING INITIATION RITE OF PASSAGE: LOOKING FOR BETTER INCULTURATED PRIEST FOR AFRICA

Abstract

In the traditional African society, a Rite of Passage was a strong educational means of inculcating morals and passing on the societal values. It is only when someone has successfully undergone it that one can legitimately and confidently move to the next stage of life. The contemporary African society seems to be allowing people to move up the echelon of life without equipping them with the appropriate kits of that stage of life. In my opinion, the kit that is most lacking in the formation of African people is the kit of affective life, i.e. how to turn living together (geographical proximity) into community life (affective proximity). My intuition is that if we go back to the values and methods of traditional rites of passage, we will pick up those tools of life and share them with those making transitions.