Ceremonial procession through the village

For the ceremonial start of the initiation ritual, the young participants are led barefoot through the village, dressed in traditional clothes (everyday clothing is not allowed during the entire ritual) and painted with white powder. The entire village community is present – no one wants to miss out on such a festive occasion. The procession through the village and the entire ritual are guided by former FGM/C practitioners (“Soweis”) who have committed to conducting only Bondo rituals without FGM/C in the future. These women are easily identifiable by their blue-and-yellow headpieces, which distinguish them from the red-and-white headpieces worn by those Soweis who still adhere to FGM/C.