Rights of ‘passage’ and contested land use: Gendered conflict over urban space during ritual performance in South Africa

Abstract

Ritual male circumcision (ulwaluko), a rite of passage from boyhood to manhood among amaXhosa people, requires a period of seclusion away from human settlements. In urban areas of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, municipalities often allow use of sections of the commonage area on the outskirts of the townships for initiates to erect temporary shelters, heal from the surgery, and ‘learn’ how to be men. This cultural practice is protected by the country's Constitution. However, the cultural practice requires that women be forbidden from the spaces used for the ritual, thus restricting their Constitutional right to freedom of movement, and limiting their livelihood options. Urban sprawl has exacerbated these spatial tensions by placing increased pressure on the ritual spaces. Using the city of Grahamstown, we explore the tension between different constitutional rights that manifest during the ritual. GIS is used to map the pressure that population growth and subsequent urban sprawl is putting on these ritual sites. Semi-structured interviews are used with a sample of male and female participants who have vested interests in these spaces. Interviews reveal strong and entrenched opinions of men and women about which rights matter the most.