Reclaiming the Nhanga Tradition
A disturbing ritual once used to groom child brides for marriage is being transformed by young women in Zimbabwe.
The Nhanga, a guarded hut, was traditionally used to teach girls how to sexually please their husbands, with some girls as young as 14 being schooled in this way.
We were taught how to sexually please husbands as child brides aged just 14
According to Thomas F. Johnston, in The Secret Music of Nhanga Rites, the Nhanga was a female-only environment where "secret, musical rites of passage render young girls eligible for lobolo, bride-price negotiation."
However, young women in Zimbabwe are now reclaiming this tradition and rejecting the custom that schooled children in sexually satisfying their adult spouses.
Author's summary: Young Zimbabwean women reclaim the Nhanga tradition.