ABSTRACT
Singing is vital to the initiation practices and wellbeing of cultures in southern Africa. Song is used to teach the new lifeways and expectations of adulthood, to confer status and identity, and to instill communal values through ritualized performance. Initiation songs are differentiated by gender and generation, and play an important role in sex education. A review of the ethnographic literature on initiation songs is followed by a report on original ethnographic research on umemulo initiation ceremonies in Zulu communities from South Africa.
