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How do masked dances prepare some boys for membership in adult societies?

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rock painting of a dance performance — African dance Rock painting of a dance performance, Tassili-n-Ajjer, Alg., attributed to the Saharan period of Neolithic hunters (c. 6000–4000 bc).

In many African cultures, dance serves as a vital educational tool that prepares young people for their future roles within the community. Specifically, in parts of West Africa, boys participate in their own masked dances as a form of training for membership in adult societies.1

These masked performances are often integrated into initiation rites, which are periods of instruction where young people learn the rules, responsibilities, and behaviors necessary for social stability. During these rites, elders may don spiritual or totem masks to instruct initiates, and the masquerade can serve as a device to introduce a youth to the community as a new adult. For example, after undergoing teaching and initiation, a Pende youth may appear in a distinctive mask that signifies his new status as an adult.2

By participating in these dances, boys not only gain physical control and learn accepted standards of conduct but also engage in the transition from the world of children to the responsibilities of adult life.12