January 1-5. Camaraderie and mutual support are reinforced by life in a communal hut. Boys belonging to the Xhosa ethnic group in South Africa are expected to undergo a circumcision ritual to mark the transition to manhood. Thousands of young men from all over the country, many of them leaving their city lives, attend circumcision schools such as this one. They are circumcised soon after arrival, and spend the next three to four weeks in seclusion with fellow initiates, learning Xhosa history and what is expected of them as an adult member of the tribe. A boy's stoicism during the ritual is considered an important part of his passage into adulthood. The ceremony also aims to instill a sense of heritage and tribal tradition, and village elders give the boys daily lessons through song and spoken word. At the end of the ceremony the boys attend a ritual bathing and are welcomed back into the Xhosa tribe as men. The ceremony is a highly private affair. The photographer was granted special access to this one by the king of the Xhosa people.

January 1-5. Initiates spend much of the day in contemplation in the fields. Boys belonging to the Xhosa ethnic group in South Africa are expected to undergo a circumcision ritual to mark the transition to manhood. Thousands of young men from all over the country, many of them leaving their city lives, attend circumcision schools such as this one. They are circumcised soon after arrival, and spend the next three to four weeks in seclusion with fellow initiates, learning Xhosa history and what is expected of them as an adult member of the tribe. A boy's stoicism during the ritual is considered an important part of his passage into adulthood. The ceremony also aims to instill a sense of heritage and tribal tradition, and village elders give the boys daily lessons through song and spoken word. At the end of the ceremony the boys attend a ritual bathing and are welcomed back into the Xhosa tribe as men. The ceremony is a highly private affair. The photographer was granted special access to this one by the king of the Xhosa people.

January 1-5. Boys belonging to the Xhosa ethnic group in South Africa are expected to undergo a circumcision ritual to mark the transition to manhood. Thousands of young men from all over the country, many of them leaving their city lives, attend circumcision schools such as this one. They are circumcised soon after arrival, and spend the next three to four weeks in seclusion with fellow initiates, learning Xhosa history and what is expected of them as an adult member of the tribe. A boy's stoicism during the ritual is considered an important part of his passage into adulthood. The ceremony also aims to instill a sense of heritage and tribal tradition, and village elders give the boys daily lessons through song and spoken word. At the end of the ceremony the boys attend a ritual bathing and are welcomed back into the Xhosa tribe as men. The ceremony is a highly private affair. The photographer was granted special access to this one by the king of the Xhosa people.

January 1-5. Boys belonging to the Xhosa ethnic group in South Africa are expected to undergo a circumcision ritual to mark the transition to manhood. Thousands of young men from all over the country, many of them leaving their city lives, attend circumcision schools such as this one. They are circumcised soon after arrival, and spend the next three to four weeks in seclusion with fellow initiates, learning Xhosa history and what is expected of them as an adult member of the tribe. A boy's stoicism during the ritual is considered an important part of his passage into adulthood. The ceremony also aims to instill a sense of heritage and tribal tradition, and village elders give the boys daily lessons through song and spoken word. At the end of the ceremony the boys attend a ritual bathing and are welcomed back into the Xhosa tribe as men. The ceremony is a highly private affair. The photographer was granted special access to this one by the king of the Xhosa people.

January 1-5. Boys belonging to the Xhosa ethnic group in South Africa are expected to undergo a circumcision ritual to mark the transition to manhood. Thousands of young men from all over the country, many of them leaving their city lives, attend circumcision schools such as this one. They are circumcised soon after arrival, and spend the next three to four weeks in seclusion with fellow initiates, learning Xhosa history and what is expected of them as an adult member of the tribe. A boy's stoicism during the ritual is considered an important part of his passage into adulthood. The ceremony also aims to instill a sense of heritage and tribal tradition, and village elders give the boys daily lessons through song and spoken word. At the end of the ceremony the boys attend a ritual bathing and are welcomed back into the Xhosa tribe as men. The ceremony is a highly private affair. The photographer was granted special access to this one by the king of the Xhosa people.

January 1-5. Boys belonging to the Xhosa ethnic group in South Africa are expected to undergo a circumcision ritual to mark the transition to manhood. Thousands of young men from all over the country, many of them leaving their city lives, attend circumcision schools such as this one. They are circumcised soon after arrival, and spend the next three to four weeks in seclusion with fellow initiates, learning Xhosa history and what is expected of them as an adult member of the tribe. A boy's stoicism during the ritual is considered an important part of his passage into adulthood. The ceremony also aims to instill a sense of heritage and tribal tradition, and village elders give the boys daily lessons through song and spoken word. At the end of the ceremony the boys attend a ritual bathing and are welcomed back into the Xhosa tribe as men. The ceremony is a highly private affair. The photographer was granted special access to this one by the king of the Xhosa people.

January 1-5. A qualified male nurse attends the boys throughout the ceremony. Both traditional and modern medicine is used in their care. Boys belonging to the Xhosa ethnic group in South Africa are expected to undergo a circumcision ritual to mark the transition to manhood. Thousands of young men from all over the country, many of them leaving their city lives, attend circumcision schools such as this one. They are circumcised soon after arrival, and spend the next three to four weeks in seclusion with fellow initiates, learning Xhosa history and what is expected of them as an adult member of the tribe. A boy's stoicism during the ritual is considered an important part of his passage into adulthood. The ceremony also aims to instill a sense of heritage and tribal tradition, and village elders give the boys daily lessons through song and spoken word. At the end of the ceremony the boys attend a ritual bathing and are welcomed back into the Xhosa tribe as men. The ceremony is a highly private affair. The photographer was granted special access to this one by the king of the Xhosa people.

January 1-5. Boys belonging to the Xhosa ethnic group in South Africa are expected to undergo a circumcision ritual to mark the transition to manhood. Thousands of young men from all over the country, many of them leaving their city lives, attend circumcision schools such as this one. They are circumcised soon after arrival, and spend the next three to four weeks in seclusion with fellow initiates, learning Xhosa history and what is expected of them as an adult member of the tribe. A boy's stoicism during the ritual is considered an important part of his passage into adulthood. The ceremony also aims to instill a sense of heritage and tribal tradition, and village elders give the boys daily lessons through song and spoken word. At the end of the ceremony the boys attend a ritual bathing and are welcomed back into the Xhosa tribe as men. The ceremony is a highly private affair. The photographer was granted special access to this one by the king of the Xhosa people.

January 1-5. Nelson Mandela's official praise poet, Zolani Mkiva, recites the history of the Xhosas to initiates. Boys belonging to the Xhosa ethnic group in South Africa are expected to undergo a circumcision ritual to mark the transition to manhood. Thousands of young men from all over the country, many of them leaving their city lives, attend circumcision schools such as this one. They are circumcised soon after arrival, and spend the next three to four weeks in seclusion with fellow initiates, learning Xhosa history and what is expected of them as an adult member of the tribe. A boy's stoicism during the ritual is considered an important part of his passage into adulthood. The ceremony also aims to instill a sense of heritage and tribal tradition, and village elders give the boys daily lessons through song and spoken word. At the end of the ceremony the boys attend a ritual bathing and are welcomed back into the Xhosa tribe as men. The ceremony is a highly private affair. The photographer was granted special access to this one by the king of the Xhosa people.

January 1-5. Boys belonging to the Xhosa ethnic group in South Africa are expected to undergo a circumcision ritual to mark the transition to manhood. Thousands of young men from all over the country, many of them leaving their city lives, attend circumcision schools such as this one. They are circumcised soon after arrival, and spend the next three to four weeks in seclusion with fellow initiates, learning Xhosa history and what is expected of them as an adult member of the tribe. A boy's stoicism during the ritual is considered an important part of his passage into adulthood. The ceremony also aims to instill a sense of heritage and tribal tradition, and village elders give the boys daily lessons through song and spoken word. At the end of the ceremony the boys attend a ritual bathing and are welcomed back into the Xhosa tribe as men. The ceremony is a highly private affair. The photographer was granted special access to this one by the king of the Xhosa people.

January 1-5. An initiate looks out from the communal hut. Boys belonging to the Xhosa ethnic group in South Africa are expected to undergo a circumcision ritual to mark the transition to manhood. Thousands of young men from all over the country, many of them leaving their city lives, attend circumcision schools such as this one. They are circumcised soon after arrival, and spend the next three to four weeks in seclusion with fellow initiates, learning Xhosa history and what is expected of them as an adult member of the tribe. A boy's stoicism during the ritual is considered an important part of his passage into adulthood. The ceremony also aims to instill a sense of heritage and tribal tradition, and village elders give the boys daily lessons through song and spoken word. At the end of the ceremony the boys attend a ritual bathing and are welcomed back into the Xhosa tribe as men. The ceremony is a highly private affair. The photographer was granted special access to this one by the king of the Xhosa people.

January 1-5. Boys belonging to the Xhosa ethnic group in South Africa are expected to undergo a circumcision ritual to mark the transition to manhood. Thousands of young men from all over the country, many of them leaving their city lives, attend circumcision schools such as this one. They are circumcised soon after arrival, and spend the next three to four weeks in seclusion with fellow initiates, learning Xhosa history and what is expected of them as an adult member of the tribe. A boy's stoicism during the ritual is considered an important part of his passage into adulthood. The ceremony also aims to instill a sense of heritage and tribal tradition, and village elders give the boys daily lessons through song and spoken word. At the end of the ceremony the boys attend a ritual bathing and are welcomed back into the Xhosa tribe as men. The ceremony is a highly private affair. The photographer was granted special access to this one by the king of the Xhosa people.

Portraits,3rd prize