What are the most dangerous African rituals?

Horrible and the most DANGEROUS African rituals! What are they? Are you ready to see photos? You’ll find out everything you wanted to know about tribes’ culture here right now!

African rituals

African rituals are an integral part of culture. They are symbols of the different sides of life. A couple of them may represent a new social status; other symbols are moving into a new specific age group, when some welcome the new guest or a newborn baby to their community. Well, here is a list of the most dangerous African rituals and traditions.

WARNING: Some of the pictures of odd African rituals and ceremonies can be distressing.

Top dangerous African tribal rituals:

1. Sooth Saying - Puff Adder In mouth

 Sooth Saying

In South Africa in the community of the Zulu, traditional healer is basically known as ‘Sangoma’ relies on his trusty puff adder to make different predictions, as well as healing. At some time he may put it in his mouth or close to the person seeking some healing. And in the case of his trusty snake has a change of heart, no one would like to imagine what would happen.

2. Maasai Moran

Maasai Moran

The Maasai is one of the popular communities in Kenya, there to be respected and recognized as a person, you must first achieve the rank of ‘Moran’. And in order to do this, the young guy is expected to go into the deep jungle and hunt and kill the lion. This feat can only be achieved with the help of a spear, not any fancy guns.

3. Traditional healing 

Traditional healing 

Traditional health practitioners and not ‘medical’ doctors have a special place in a lot of African cultures. People prefer to search for medicinal and divine intervention from them, not from the hospital, ambulance, clinic or church. When you visit one, a person can be tasked to find the eggs of a dangerous snake or crocodile. Some healers even ask to find fangs, claws and teeth of different dangerous creatures.

4. African Bull Fighting

African Bull Fighting

Corrida or bull fighting is better known in countries such as Mexico orSpain, much more than in Africa. It's unknown to a lot people that some African communities have always had suchpractice. However, unlike their Western counterparts, there is no guarantee nor provided paramedics around. A lot of people were killed or maimed during the dangerous ceremony. This odd ritual is popular among numerous Luhya tribe in Kenya.

5. Wife Inheritance

Wife Inheritance

A lot of different African communities still practice the terrible wife inheritance. Brother of the deceased person is allowed 'to get' his sister-in-law. So this is done as a way to ensure that the clans are tightly bonded. But, unfortunately, this causes the spread of HIV and AIDS, as well as disregard for human rights.

6. Lip plate insertion

Lip plate insertion

It is a practice common with the Ethiopian Suri tribe. The process of inserting a lip plate began after puberty. It includes removing two bottom teeth of a girl during intense ritual, then a small hole being cut on the lower lip. After the hole is inserted, clay disc is placed into it, which stretches the lips. The plate increases in size each year for the value of large lip plates. The more it is, the more good cows girl's dad can claim from another person in exchange for her hand in marriage. The standard price is 40 cows per small plate and 60 cows for a larger size.

7. Ritual Killing

Ritual murders have always been practiced in African cultures. This may occur under the direction of a soothsayer or king. Nowadays some African communities still follow this special practice. They usually target a whole specific tribe or sometimes even a unique person. For example, in Tanzania, Albinos people are locally known as ‘zeruzeru’ and are often captured and murdered in order of seeking special material wealth.

8. Forced Marriages

Forced Marriages

This practice is very common in a lot of areas of Africa. Usually parents keep all the details of the future marriage hidden, because they are afraid that their daughter can run away when she finds out about the special deal her mom and dad have made. As an important part of this ritual, which lasts one day and night, when the village men select a special bull from the herd of cows that women will penetrate into submission before it is executed with a spear thrust to the heart. Many of the girls are very young, about 14 years old, and even besides illegal strict adherence tradition is considered more important than compliance with the law.

9. Blood Beverage

Blood Beverage

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Masai community in Tanzania and Kenya is one of the most welcoming communities. These people always look forward and wait any visitor. In addition to offering you grilled meat, you may need to drink fresh real  blood oozing from a living animal or mixed with milk. An arrow shot at close range to pierce the jugular vein of a cow and the blood is drawn into the pumpkin skin. Masai drink cow's blood, which they believe makes the body much stronger and warmer, and it is very good for kids and the elderly, it builds up their strength. It is a form of clinical vampirism, one would argue, but they would have to be careful of problems they could get if the animal is sick or possibly poisoned with iron.

10. Ritual Sex Practices

Community Baganda is one of the biggest ethnic groups in Uganda. Among their numerous rituals, there is a special one that is classified as extremely risky especially nowadays. Sometimes a community makes dances and different rituals mark the entry into their adulthood. Young people have the right to engage in penetrative sex with many different girls. This was the main reason for the spread of HIV and AIDS in the area.

11. Male Circumcision

Male Circumcision

As a lot of the regions in the world, Africans also continue practicing male circumcision. Such ceremony is usually done to signify a young boy becoming a real mature adult man. Sometimes the young boys are circumcised with a sharp knife without any application of anesthetic and also are beaten hard whether they dare to cry during the terrible ordeal to ‘toughen’ them up. In addition, the newly circumcised men spend time in the woods, to test their mettle.

12. Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

Ladies also get terrible circumcised in some African cultures. Unlike the men's procedure, where the foreskin, which is chipped off, FGM is a little inhumane. This can lead to amputation of the clitoris and more. Such cases cause girls’ bleeding, death or dangerous permanent damage. It is the reason why this practice was banned in most African regions.

13. Beating the suitor

 Beating the suitor

Popular Fulani tribe lives in a lot of countries of West Africa. The tribe follows a tradition, which is called Sharo. It occurs when two young boys want to marry the same lady. To fight for her hand, they begin beating one another. Men need to suppress the symptoms of pain, and the guy who takes the beating, with no signs of pain can get a desirable wife.

14. Kidnapping your bride

In the major Sudanese Latuka tribe, when a guy wants to marry a lady, he can kidnap her. Older members of his family often go and ask the woman’s father for her hand, and if he agrees, he starts beating the suitor as the best sign of his acceptance of the new union. If her father disagrees, nonetheless, the man can forcefully marry the lady he likes anyway.

15. Bull jumping

To prove his manhood in Ethiopia Hamer tribe, young boy must jump, run and land on the bull’s back, then before trying to run across the backs of a few bulls. They do this several times and, as a rule, naked.

16. Wife Swapping

Wife Swapping

Among the nomadic tribes of Namibia the wife swapping has been practiced for numerous generations. This practicing happens with a men's agreement, when the friends can have sex with the wives of each other with nocertain  strings attached. Spouses have little word in this matter, according to those who keep practicing it as very risky and abusive and in the country with one of the highest HIV and AIDS rates in the world. Those who prefer practicing it keep saying that their ancient custom strengthens friendship and prevents promiscuity. 

Well-known in the local areas okujepisa omukazendu means in English ‘offering a wife to your guest’, it is the practice, which is little known outside the local reclusive communities, theirpopulation is about 86 000. They are situated in the north-western Kunene area near the Angolan border. These communities are very isolated from the rest parts of the country. They have resisted the whole modern life, live off the land, keep livestock and also practice unique ancestral worship.

17. The living with wild animals

The living with wild animals

In Kenya and Tanzania the Maasai people have very strict policies against murdering wild animals. They have cattle and livestock, but always leave wild animals untouched. And, in fact, each clan is often associated with a special wild species that they often keep very close to wild animals and even treat them as a real clan member.

18. Dancing With The Dead

You can believe it or not, the Madagascar Malagasy like taking out the dead people from their graves and then jive with them. The certain belief that stands behind this ritual, which is called Famadihana, is about the spirit of different deceased joins the ancestors after the body has already decomposed. This weird holiday often happens once every seven years, and for them it means time of joyful family reunions.

19. Fantasy Coffins

 Fantasy Coffins

The Teshi (Ghana) and Accran suburb residents bury their dead people in fantasy coffins. The coffin often shows a profession of the deceased. Giant copies of coke bottles, cars, fruits or gadgets displayed in numerous coffins showrooms.

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