Youth: A Concept Described by its End by Chidera Ukairo
Essay
The word “youth” has become an increasingly difficult word to define. Part of what makes it so difficult to define is the different markers and notions used to identify it, or more accurately, the markers and notions used to define the loss of it. Biology is one such indisputable marker used to highlight a person exiting their youth. Many use the physical changes that occur during puberty to determine when a person has transitioned from child to adult and has therefore “lost their youth.” Coupled with biology is the social construction of youth. This notion varies between societies and, for the most part, is a collection of cultural practices and responsibilities, such as the change in the societal roles we play that further signal the end of youth. Around the world there are different practices that mark transitioning from one phase of life to another. In many African communities, unique celebrations mark the end of youth and the beginning of adulthood. These celebrations are often referred to as “rites of passage.” Although a lot of these practices used to be more widespread in the past, some groups still celebrate these ceremonies today.
The Anlo-Ewe people are a group that lives in southern Togo, southern Benin, southwest Nigeria and south-eastern parts of the Volta Region of Ghana. Among this group, a custom known as Nugbeto marks the transition into puberty. Respected women in the community officiate the ceremony. It begins with the women passing on their wisdom, their life experiences. They teach the girls about sex, motherhood, and the responsibilities of a woman in society. When the ceremony is complete, the girls receive gifts and are ushered into their new stage in life.
In parts of Eastern Nigeria, Iwa Akwa, also known as cloth wearing is an age-old cultural tradition within Igboland that signals a boy’s transition into manhood. The ceremony occurs once every three years and spans two days. The boys are usually between the age of 21–26 when they are deemed ready to make the transition. Each boy has to buy a high-quality George wrapper before the first day of the ceremony. A George wrapper is a long piece of colorful garment widely worn in West Africa during formal events and ceremonies. On the first day, the boys complete tasks that symbolically show respect to the previous and older participants. An example of a task is cleaning the shoes of the older men. The second day is the main event. The George wrapper is laid in front of the homes and blessed by spiritual leaders. Then, the boys wear the wrappers and go on a parade through the streets as people watch and celebrate. Wearing the blessed George wrapper symbolizes manhood and indicates that they are ready to take on the responsibilities of being a man both at home and in the community.
The Batwa (Twa) people are a group that can be found in several African countries, including Cameroon, Congo-Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and Uganda. They have a rite of passage ceremony called Elima. This ceremony is particular to Twa girls and occurs when they start their first menstrual period. Once it begins, the girls are immediately taken to a house where they remain secluded for at least a month. In that time, the girls learn all about their history, motherhood, the roles of wives, and everything it takes to be a Twa woman. They learn this from an older Twa woman tasked with passing on the knowledge. Once the stay is over, celebration begins. The girls rejoin their community dancing and singing into their maturity. The Elima is a festive practice that calls for celebrations which can go on for days, sometimes weeks.
In Kenya and Tanzania, The Maasai have a few rites of passage that carry boys into manhood. The rites are carried out by boys between the ages of 10-20. They come together to be initiated as the new “warrior class” of the tribe and are placed in houses built for the occasion. The boys spend the night before the ceremony in the forest and return at dawn for a day of celebration. After the festivities, the boys are then circumcised, making the official transition into a manhood.
Although many still abide by the societal expectation that we must let go of our youth in order to become adults, research suggests that reconnecting with our younger selves or “inner child” has the potential to bring about many benefits. The concept of an inner child can be traced back to Carl Jung, the psychiatrist responsible for the “divine child” archetype. Jung described the “inner child” as the unconscious part of our mind that holds our childhood experiences and memories. Other experts have gone a step further to describe the “inner child” as not just the part of our mind holding our child self, but our experiences throughout all of life’s stages. It is in our youth or “inner child” that we find our innocence and playfulness. By reclaiming our youth, we give ourselves the opportunity to regain those youthful feelings of wonder and hope for the future. This connection to our inner child can aid in boosting creativity, confidence, and well-being. Research also advises that rekindling a relationship with our younger selves can be an empowering experience that leads to an increase in self-awareness and overall healing.
While the current research and conversations around reclaiming our youth is encouraging, I believe there is still a long way to go before it becomes commonplace for people to seek out their youth and reap its many benefits. There’s so much that can be said about this particular topic, but I would like to leave you, the reader, with this quote by Madeline L’Engle, author of A Wrinkle in Time: “Far too many people misunderstand what putting away childish things means and think that forgetting what it is like to think and feel and touch and smell and taste and see and hear like a three-year-old or a thirteen-year-old…means being grown-up. When I'm with these people I, like the kids, feel that if this is what it means to be a grown-up, then I don't ever want to be one. Instead of which, if I can retain a child’s awareness and joy, and be fifty-one, then I will really learn what it means to be grown-up.”
Chidera Ukairo is a writer, book lover and film enthusiast. Her essays, book and film reviews have appeared in the Globe and Mail, the Hamilton Review of Books, Trad Magazine and Shameless Magazine. You can find her on Twitter.