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Article Title: 'Going under the Traditional Knife': Linking African Traditional Education and the Ethic of Identity through Shangani Culture, Zimbabwe
by Richard Shadreck Maposa

Abstract:
The paradigm of African traditional education, especially in the backdrop of some cultural practices, continues to attract interest in the contemporary discourses in African Studies. On one hand, the colonial quest was to exterminate African traditions which were perceived as 'primitive'. On the other, a fresh quest on the 'resurrection' of traditional African heritage continues to gather momentum. This study observes that the colonial quest was superficial because it was based, not on objective reality but rather on human prejudice. Despite the hard socio-economic challenges in Africa, largely as a result of the impact of globalisation, the study posits that the African traditional scheme of education endures on because it embodies the liveliness of a particular African existentiality. In this regard, the study tests the thesis by investigating the rite of circumcision (hoko) among the Shangani people in Zimbabwe. This ritual forms one of the key moments in the rhythmic life of the people and constitutes a vibrant mark of continuity in African traditional education and cultural identity. Accordingly, the main aim f the study is to expose and discover the vitality of the circumcision rite as part of the education in traditional Shangani society

Keywords: African traditional education, culture, hoko, identity, ritual, Shangani, Zimbabwe

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