Xhosa Boys Go Through Manhood Rituals

MDANTSANE, SOUTH AFRICA - JULY 9: Young Xhosa boys dancing and singing traditional songs on the N2 highway on July 9, 2001 Mdantsane outside East London in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Every year, thousands of Xhosa men go to the bush for about 3-4 weeks to become men. They are circumcised the first day and are not allowed to eat or drink for the first seven days. It has become a lucrative business and many unskilled "doctors" put pressure on the boys and their families to do it at an early age. Some traditional nurses use a razor blade for several boys and the infection rate is high for HIV-Aids. One hundred and seventy boys from initiation school in Mount Ayliff ended up in hospital as their minders did a bad job. Some boys are damaged for life, as they can't have a normal sex life. (Photo by Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images)