Sixteen villages have revived an initiation rite in which ethnic Diola men from Senegal's Casamance are sent into a 'sacred forest' to become responsible members of their community. While the ritual is still held in other parts of Casamance - a strip of Senegal separated from the rest of the country by the Gambia - these villages had not conducted the 'Bukut' (initiation in Diola) since 1968. Kaodioul, a 150-inhabitant village in northern Ziguinchor, was the first to send men into the forest for the one-week initiation on Saturday. 'It took the younger generation threatening to go elsewhere to be initiated for the wise men to decide to reactivate the 'sacred forest' ritual', said one inhabitant. And it was about time. In Diola culture 'an uninitiated adult does not have the right to participate in consultations when important decisions must be taken for the greater good of the village or the community,' said Bernard Badji, 63, one of the organisers of the Bukut. The process got underway with novices being cleansed in mystical baths prepared by village 'wisemen' in a sheltered hut. After a performance of invulnerability by initiated men from the village, the novice initiates appeared in a tight group, their heads shaved and torsos bare. Dressed in loincloths they moved towards the woods, dancing to the same rhythm as a crowd of Casamancais specially dressed in traditional clothing. Their mothers, sisters and aunts accompanied them to the edge of the forest. 'This social organisation prepares the initiates to become whole beings, ready to assume their responsibilities,' explains Abba Diatta, an elder and former politician from the capital Ziguinchor, who was himself initiated in 1951, at a time when the Bukut would last three months. 'We teach the young how to speak without speaking. How they must respect their parents and behave well with others,' added the octogenarian. In the old days circumcision was practiced in the woods. Now most Diola were circumcised in hospital beforehand. However in the forest, the secret rituals remain the same. In Kaodioul, among the 300 initiates are a mix of doctors, engineers, soldiers, and the unemployed. 'Whatever their social status, they will suffer the same physical tests to harden them, to acquire the same interpersonal skills: loyalty, honour, work ethic and sense of solidarity,' Badji told selfnews. 'In the Diola cosmogeny there are forces of good and forces of evil. The sacred wood tries to protect each Diola against the evil forces.' The youngest of the initiates is under five, while the oldest is in his sixties. 'My brother wanted to be initiated at the same time as four of his children. But we take care that the elders enter the wood first, so their children do not see them get bullied, for example,' said Badji. When the men leave the woods a week later, the whole village fetes them as heroes. 'They will have lost their indolence and the irresponsibility of children. They will be united...' said Badji. Seydou Coly, an elder from the village of Eugelaye born in 1920, recalls that 'the Bukut used to take place every 20 or 21 years. Now, because of economic difficulties and difficulties in procuring beef and rice, 40 years have passed.' However Badji attributes the delay to the growth of Christianity 'which tried to break animist or traditional rites.' 'We are not enemies of the church,' he said, 'but we are fighting to maintain our values, which are part of the Diola soul, and strengthen the cohesion of our society.' Out of respect for tradition, the simmering conflict in the Casamance between the army and separatist rebels which goes back to 1982 and has caused many deaths in recent months, has been momentarily forgotten. Rebel fighters themselves are reportedly taking part in the Bukut. 'We are confident that nobody will dare to disturb the ceremonies,' said Badji. 'Knowing the value of the sacred forest for all in Casamance.' 