The Balance and Connection of Manhood and Womanhood Training

SUMMARY

In this article, African cosmology was a foundation for the exploration of ancient, traditional and contemporary manhood and womanhood training, as well as the connection between them. Laws of nature and the interdependence of universal elements established an African centered or Optimal conceptualization system that eliminated dichotomies based on a Eurocentric (sub-optimal) cosmology. Examples from nature illustrated the complementarity of opposites, the balance of spiritual energies, and the connection of male and female forces. Socialization for females and men, using rites of passage was placed in a wider community context of respiritualization. Practices of transition and transformation, as well as significant familial roles throughout the life cycle in traditional African and contemporary African-American settings were discussed. A four-step model for current day reafrikanization was presented: rediscovery, redefinition, revitalization and restoration. These stages served as a guide to the strategies and practices needed to provide positive cultural identity and balanced interpersonal relationships for people of African descent.