Secret lessons in the Bondo bush

After the opening ceremony, the girls are taken out of the village and into the so-called Bondo bush: a remote forest area where, under the supervision of the Soweis and isolated from the outside world, they undergo the next stages of the ritual over the course of several weeks. The exact details of what takes place there remain a secret – the access to the Bondo Bush is strictly forbidden to outsiders, and the Bondo Society places great importance on keeping the knowledge passed on during the ritual reserved to its members. For this reason, photo and video recordings are not permitted under any circumstances. All that is known is that the participants get prepared for their lives as adult women in Sierra Leonean society and are therefore taught about relevant topics such as sexuality and childbirth, family and married life and their own role in the village community, as well as traditional songs, dances and basic medical knowledge.