“It’s actually a bridge for you to cross over into womanhood”: Ritual transformation and transportation in the Olufuko Cultural Festival in Northern Namibia

Abstract

The Owambo female initiation rite known as Olufuko in Northern Namibia has been at the centre of public debate since the launch of the Olufuko Cultural Festival in 2012. This is a largescale cultural festival where dozens of young women are initiated. The Namibian Lutheran Church and the local human rights organisation have strongly opposed the revalidation of the ritual. Although Olufuko has sparked a heated debate, scholars have paid little attention to what the ritual actually involves. This article focuses on the ritual that takes place at the Olufuko Cultural Festival, considering the multifaceted nature of the festival. The main question addressed in this article is what Olufuko does to the actors. Performance theory is used to analyse the ritual and to illuminate what happens in it. Due to the nature of the festival, the ritual is simultaneously efficacy and entertainment. The ritual transforms the status of the initiates permanently, making them women. It transports the other participants temporarily into their role in the ritual, after which they return to their original selves. This study showed that the liminal phase of Olufuko has two main characteristics: first, the transformation of girl into woman, and second, the preparation for motherhood and the enhancement of fertility.