Light & Shadow: The Art of Matt Faulkner

Young Men and Fire.
In the Dagara tradition of Burkina Faso, W. Africa, young men are initiated into the community at the age of about 12 through a series of difficult experiences over a period of several months. Young men are thought to carry a kind of fiery spirit through their teen years which can lead to great growth- or great loss- for the community. These initiatory experiences are designed to introduce the young men to the concept that "while they are all very nice planets, they are not the Sun.". In other words, they are challenged to go beyond their own smaller interpretation of life and to see how their actions affect everyone else. In short, the initiation process is designed to open their young hearts to the greater good.
The ancient tenet of the tribe is:
"Any village that does not initiate it's young men will, in turn, be burned down by the young men they chose not to initiate."