Paper short abstract:

Initiation rites have been described as the step to adulthood, the ultimate loss of a child's innocence, the acquisition of gender, sexual and linguistic/ethnic identities. The paper shows that girls are empowered by their knowledge on sexuality.

Paper long abstract:

In Northern Mozambique most of the girls and boys are initiated when they are between 6 and 14 years of age and in the last few decade the age of initiation has been decreasing mainly due to the influence of Islam. The paper brings evidence on the role of female initiation rituals in the construction of girls' sexuality.

A total of 19 individual interviews and 26 focus groups discussion were carried out in December 2009 and 2010 in the provinces of Cabo Delgado and Niassa with men and women of different age groups to grasp the evolution of the practices. Participation in several phases of three initiation rituals allowed registering the messages transmitted.

Although female initiation rituals present variations according to the region, the linguistic group and the religious orientation, young initiated are prepared to engage in sexual intercourse after the rituals. They are familiarized with penetration, movements during coitus, cleaning of the penis and the vagina after sexual intercourse, massaging of their partner, avoiding sexual contact during menstruation and caring of menstrual fluids. They are also recommended to always accept having sexual intercourse at their partner' request. Girls are portrayed as the one provoking men who cannot resist. In exchange of their sexual favour they are taught that they should receive money in cash or in kind.

While significant transformations are registered including the decrease in the duration of initiation, the rituals represent a fundamental element in the construction of female sexual identity defining the onset of sexual debut.