User:Hambex/Olufuko Festival

olufuko Festive in the North

Olufuko is a female initiation, under which girls between the age of 16-20 have to go through in order to become mature and marriageable women. It is performed by a woman called Namunganga. The young girl wold be taught more than ten different traditional chores by women in homesteads like: pounding grain,cooking on open fire and so on. All this activities is just to prepare girls for womanhood. Olufuko was recently practiced in Outapi a town in Omusati Region and in Okalongo a village in Omusati region too and they are both in Namibia.

The ceremony is filled with traditional rhythms, dances, ululating and folk songs.In the meantime, Olufuku serves as an educational tool for younger girls as it encourages them to stay away from sexual activities until they too are celebrated, according to Lebeus. The official ceremony, which lasts about seven days, although pre-ritual preparations can take up to six months, is also a event to publically announce to the community that the girl has adopted the stature of a woman full of dignity and grace and is eligible for marriage.

Actually, when the girls are coming out of the ondjuwo(hurt), the ovafuko(young brides) passes through or between the omupitifi's legs and this is done in order for omupitifi's penis to touch their backs for fertility assurance. He called each girl by her name, then her mother came forward with a wooden cup of traditional brew into which the omupitifi dropped some powdered herbs with the purpose to ensure fertility and giving the girls endurance in the dancing.

They later given special beer in which some drugs were mixed, including semen obtained from the master of ceremony. After all that, the girls officially confirmed as a prospective brides. From there, different man start to show their interest in the prospective brides, by placing jewellery or bracelet on the wrists of the women of their choice. The women has the right to choose any of them or reject them all.

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