The Fulani are a nomadic people from West Africa.
As a test of bravery and an initiation into manhood, two young boys from neighboring tribes are pitted against one another in a violent whipping match.
With help from their fathers, each boy chooses and sharpens a long, thin branch that they think will inflict the most pain on t
heir opponent. When the time for the match arrives, people from all around gather to watch and decide the winner. After each combatant takes three strikes from his opponent, the crowd chooses the victor based on how well they handled their respective beatings.
The Fulani Whip Match is a very important part in Fulani culture. It evolved into importance when the elders wanted to find a way to prove when boys turned into men in a way that shows the persons bravery and strength.
During the initiation the men surround the boy that has been beaten with gold coins and powder to congratulate him on staying strong. Some non-verbal methods of communication would be when you become victor and they lift y
ou up and cheer for you.
There are no key words to initialize the change, the only thing that is heard is the crowd cheering the victor, which is now a man. The cheering shows that the boy has won the battle and that he has earned the right to be called a man. There aren’t any dresses, there is only whips and no shirts.
The victor has scars that express the journey to becoming a man, its proof that you have been in the match and are now a man. The participants see the ritual as a dream because if you are not a man you cannot be involved in any adult activities. Through the initiation one is considered a man. It is a hi
gher status of respect because if you haven’t done the initiation you are not considered a member of the community.
