The African rite of passage is a stunning sight in the global 21st century. The Ndebele Nubility rite, Taneka initiation, the Swazi Reed dance, the Dogon Dama Funeral are all elaborate tribal customs marking passages from birth to maturity, courtship and marriage and finally into death.
Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher have spent ten years making a visual and musical record of a vanishing Africa. They’ve captured the coronation of the Kabaka, the king of the Baganda tribe; the initiation rites of young Massai boys hunting lions with spears; the seasonal cattle crossings by Fulani herdsmen across the Niger river; the bridal rituals of the Wodaabe brides who are covered with blankets and hidden in the bush throughout their wedding ceremony.
The art of it, the living history and craftsmanship make you wonder what the American prom night could aspire to.
(Hosted by Christopher Lydon)
Guests:
Photographers Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher.