First transwoman to undergo IsiXhosa initiation rite

First transwoman to undergo IsiXhosa initiation rite First transwoman Cwenga Titi is set to undergo the IsiXhosa initiation rite later this month, Here's what motivated HER:

by Siso Naile

13-11-2022 18:00

in Culture

Transwoman Cwenga Titi to undergo the passage of boyhood to manhood. Photo: Cwenga Titi/ Facebook.

An out-of-ordinary event has become the centre of attention as the first transwoman undergoes IsiXhosa initiation rite this summer.

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TRANSWOMAN BREAKING DOWN BOUNDARIES Born a boy, Cwenga Titi, a proud transwoman from Eastern Cape is set to go to the mountain to undergo circumcision and return as a graduate of the tradition.

This traditional rite of passage to manhood will take place later this month after the 18-year-old Grade 11 pupil from Thembalethu High School in Qonce has completed her exams.

ABOUT CWENGA'S DECISION TO GO TO INITIATION SCHOOL According to News24, Cwenga, who has been living as a girl since the age of four, will spend at least four weeks in the forest of her birthplace, Makhanda, being taught how to become an upstanding Xhosa man by stewards of the ritual.

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News24 reported that the decision was not a difficult one for the transwoman who claimed the procedure has to be done in order to be respected by her peers.

ALSO READ: Eastern Cape: Illegal initiation schools claim lives of 16 boys this winter

Homecoming traditional ceremony for transwoman Cwenga Titi making rounds online. Photo: Cwenga Titi/ Facebook. BIG ISIXHOSA CELEBRATION PLANNED FOR NEW MAN' Her homecoming, which has been publicised on social media, will be one-of-a-kind. The ceremony will take place on 17 December in Tanyi Location in Makhanda (Grahamstown).

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Meanwhile, the Provincial Initiation Coordinating Committee (PICC) on Ulwaluko endorsed 04 November 2022 as the official start date for the summer season to get underway.

The Chairperson of the PICC who also happens to Chair the EC House of Traditional and Khoi San Leaders (ECHTKHL), Nkosi Mpumalanga Gwadiso said the date is meant to benefit out-of-school youth only.

We plead with parents and guardians alike to discourage their school-going boys from undergoing the practice until they have finished writing their examinations.

Gwandiso Education first and Ulwaluko later hence we expect parents and guardians to observe directives from government in this regard, he advised.

Lastly, Cogta MEC Zolile Williams wished the young boys well as they transition from boyhood to manhood which comes with immense adult responsibilities.

ALSO READ: RULES set as 2022 summer traditional initiation season opens

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