ABSTRACT
Rituals of transformation are useful in understanding adolescence. But they have also been among the guiding principles of all homogeneous societies which place social cohesion and restitution above control and punishment. And they are part of the tradition of Africa. According to the South African Police Service Gang Unit, the ‘Americans’ gang's use of symbols of the United States of America caused other gangs to appropriate flags of national territories. The reasons for adolescents embarking on traditional and gang rites of passage stem from similar needs and dreams. Life, van Gennep says, is made up of a succession of phases: rites of separation, rites of the threshold and rites of incorporation. Separation for youths on the street corner begins by constructing ‘us’ and ‘them'. Through a dual process of differentiation and alignment, the youths break their ties of childhood which bond them to their adult community by trying to gain acceptance into the adolescent group.
