Some of the most elaborate ceremonies in South Africa were those that transformed a girl into a woman. The content of the initiation process was usually kept secret. However, some initiates have described the process to outsiders, and now some women are prepared to talk a little about it.

Initiation ceremonies varied between cultural groups, though it often involved the initiates being secluded from the outside world, sometimes for a month or more. During this time, the girls were instructed by senior women in skills such as cooking and weaving. They also learnt, through songs and stories, the secrets of happy marriages. The ‘waste of firewood’ story, told to Zambian Bemba initiates, warned of the consequences of having a jealous husband who sits at home all day burning firewood as he thinks about his wife.

Dolls were used to teach the girls about sex, and to symbolise fertility and beauty. Many were made specially, but Barbie dolls have been used in Southern Sotho and Ndebele graduation ceremonies at the end of the initiation period.

Missionaries tried to stop initiation ceremonies and many Christian Africans were not initiated. In the late 20th century, however, interest in the process increased, and some adults opted to undergo the initiation that they missed in their youth.