in Benin West Africa the Besser rebe
tribe has lived the same way for
hundreds of years one key to the tribe
sense of identity is ritual
scarification in this arduous bloody
process the scars left by cuts form
intricate designs the Besser rebe scar
the face to mark the start of childhood
and the abdomen to signify adult here in
the village of tacky sare Nodame on GU
is preparing to leave his childhood
behind soon slices in the skin of his
stomach will officially initiate him
into adulthood no better than look we
don’t whenever my friends and I are
together always calls me cry-baby
now I went to show you that I tune
courageous and linear doubling up on the
bessarovia initiate young man into
adulthood every four years mangu missed
the last ceremony because he was in
Nigeria working on a farm no they need
to do not come the ones who are already
scarify when they see me huh they don’t
accept me to society Momo the village
blacksmith madoff elix will perform the
scarification using scrap metal and an
ancient bellows feelings will make a
knife to use on mangu its initiation day
mangu fortifies himself with millet
porridge and his mother offers a quick
sip of homemade alcohol
why should I lie down like this yes yeah
as his family was on mangu receives the
first cuts the process will take nearly
an hour
in a nearby village preparations are
underway for the facial scarification of
a child Najafi leap
according to Besser EB custom once a
child has been weaned from his mother he
is ready for scarification Philippe’s
mother coos Anka tenpai considers the
tradition a vital step she believes the
ritual will please our ancestors spirits
and protect Philippe from harm and away
madam I am happy and some time I hope
well done because the child will cry now
that will hurt me happy because it is a
dimension he is only going to cry I
remember after I know I can console him
Philippe’s head has been partially
shaved so the scarification can reach
the very top of his forehead by
tradition the ceremony must take place
on flat ground beneath the tree with the
child resting on a bed of fresh leaves
the blacksmith begins cutting with the
village elders looking on the blacksmith
spends some 30 minutes
edging designs into the boy’s face be
quiet be quiet when your father comes
you can tell it is almost finished soon
you can get the scarification is done
though coos Anka stayed with her son her
husband couldn’t take it I went away I
was afraid to see my child leading to
fight infection
coos Anka covers Philippe’s wounds with
a salve made from the leaves of the
shade tree Philippe scars have initiated
him as a child of the best Arriba in the
other village Mongoose ordeal is nearly
over his scarified peers arrived to hail
his Kurt ba-ba-ba-ba the boys honor the
ancestral spirit singing to celebrate
their friend harder man
legit I’m in a very very Hannah in the
woman I didn’t know if I was going to be
able to make it through been blood and
Amon I showed the blacksmith exactly
what these lines I wanted I told him to
give me the same answer
on his chest milk Milvian bring Nana del
modo peridot Moony I told him better he
went the regulars and lines you are
saying to me knowing Lanigan with you
then do not but by enduring the pain of
scarification mangu has proved his
manhood and cemented his bond with the
community
tribe has lived the same way for
hundreds of years one key to the tribe
sense of identity is ritual
scarification in this arduous bloody
process the scars left by cuts form
intricate designs the Besser rebe scar
the face to mark the start of childhood
and the abdomen to signify adult here in
the village of tacky sare Nodame on GU
is preparing to leave his childhood
behind soon slices in the skin of his
stomach will officially initiate him
into adulthood no better than look we
don’t whenever my friends and I are
together always calls me cry-baby
now I went to show you that I tune
courageous and linear doubling up on the
bessarovia initiate young man into
adulthood every four years mangu missed
the last ceremony because he was in
Nigeria working on a farm no they need
to do not come the ones who are already
scarify when they see me huh they don’t
accept me to society Momo the village
blacksmith madoff elix will perform the
scarification using scrap metal and an
ancient bellows feelings will make a
knife to use on mangu its initiation day
mangu fortifies himself with millet
porridge and his mother offers a quick
sip of homemade alcohol
why should I lie down like this yes yeah
as his family was on mangu receives the
first cuts the process will take nearly
an hour
in a nearby village preparations are
underway for the facial scarification of
a child Najafi leap
according to Besser EB custom once a
child has been weaned from his mother he
is ready for scarification Philippe’s
mother coos Anka tenpai considers the
tradition a vital step she believes the
ritual will please our ancestors spirits
and protect Philippe from harm and away
madam I am happy and some time I hope
well done because the child will cry now
that will hurt me happy because it is a
dimension he is only going to cry I
remember after I know I can console him
Philippe’s head has been partially
shaved so the scarification can reach
the very top of his forehead by
tradition the ceremony must take place
on flat ground beneath the tree with the
child resting on a bed of fresh leaves
the blacksmith begins cutting with the
village elders looking on the blacksmith
spends some 30 minutes
edging designs into the boy’s face be
quiet be quiet when your father comes
you can tell it is almost finished soon
you can get the scarification is done
though coos Anka stayed with her son her
husband couldn’t take it I went away I
was afraid to see my child leading to
fight infection
coos Anka covers Philippe’s wounds with
a salve made from the leaves of the
shade tree Philippe scars have initiated
him as a child of the best Arriba in the
other village Mongoose ordeal is nearly
over his scarified peers arrived to hail
his Kurt ba-ba-ba-ba the boys honor the
ancestral spirit singing to celebrate
their friend harder man
legit I’m in a very very Hannah in the
woman I didn’t know if I was going to be
able to make it through been blood and
Amon I showed the blacksmith exactly
what these lines I wanted I told him to
give me the same answer
on his chest milk Milvian bring Nana del
modo peridot Moony I told him better he
went the regulars and lines you are
saying to me knowing Lanigan with you
then do not but by enduring the pain of
scarification mangu has proved his
manhood and cemented his bond with the
community
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