The ceremony surrounding male circumcision plays a very important role in traditional Xhosa culture. It is considered a rite of passage—a cause for communal celebration when the ancestors are evoked, and the community pays respect to the initiate’s family. Incarcerated on Robben Island during the Struggle, Sipho viewed the ritual both as an act of resistance (when circumcision was viewed as “damaging state property”) and as an ancient rite that had to be conducted in a haze of secrecy and brotherly support. Ten years after the Struggle succeeded, and with his son in mind, Sipho wants to commemorate his transition into manhood with an announcement ceremony. This extraordinarily intimate look at this ancient, and continuingly controversial, initiation into manhood shows how modern attitudes and family expectations often conflict with individual choice.

Volume 4 of Real Stories from a Free South Africa, a 5 video series developed and commissioned by SABC 1 and supported by South Africa’s National Film and Video Foundation:

• Volume 1: Hot Wax
• Volume 2: Cinderella of the Cape Flats
• Volume 3: Belonging
• Volume 4: Umgidi
• Volume 5: Nabantwa Bam’