Zulu culture, language & traditions

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Zulu culture, language & traditions

Mountain Metaphor & Ritual in African Leadership

storytelling — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 02:55:10 -0700

By : Ralf Sibande with Steve & Eugenie Banhegyi

Note: this article is written using the perspective of Zulu leadership and knowledge systems.

The western business leadership education model provides comprehensive and detailed information in myriad specialist fields but fails to emphasise a holistic and integrative approach to human development in the context of working life. This lack of a holistic approach causes a problematic discontinuity between the experience of home/community life and the world of work where the all-important ‘soft skills’ of interpersonal behaviour are rarely reflected upon.

The mountain metaphor offers the opportunity of looking at leadership from a uniquely African perspective. The experience of a rite of passage underlines the idea of on-going change and movement away from an old role and into a new one. In the rite of passage, the initiate experiences a new, expansive and different world; one where they are expected to be and do more. The rite also helps them release the ‘old self’ - the set of old role expectations, attitudes and behaviours.

In sub-saharan African cultures, the social process of leading young adults into adulthood is known as going to the mountain. It is done for both young men and women. Going to the mountain is a prerequisite rite of passage before taking one’s place as an adult in a community of peers. The initiates are not only introduced to the secrets of the tribe and clan, but are guided to assume proactive leadership roles in their communities. They are helped to undergo accelerated physical, mental and attitudinal changes that have profound implications for the individual and the culture’s continuity. The most important lessons taught at the mountain are:

The initiate is led to discover his/her sense of individuality by revealing their unique qualities. These qualities are captured in the poetry of the individual’s praise song and the praise song of his clan or family. If an initiate excels in some personal quality, for example courage in the face of danger, this quality will be reflected in his personal praise song. This individuality is harnessed and expressed within the group.
Learning experiences reflecting the harsh realities of the African environment : hunger, danger, war, strife, inter-tribal rivalry, drastic changes in the weather conditions, political uncertainty etc. are simulated for the initiates to enhance their survival skills and to internalise of their cosmology. Tests are created in which their individuality is given a chance to expose itself and grow. Personal qualities such as public deportment and speaking, patience, courage and bravery, moral rectitude are cultivated within the moral-ethical constructs of the tribe.
The importance of the rites of initiation lies in storytelling, action and feedback as a vehicle for accelerated group learning, team building and transference of values. The African teaching-learning/knowledge management paradigm is rooted in practice and story-telling by seasoned elders lead the initiates into a journey of self-discovery and personal development. Initiates are engaged holistically in terms of their thinking with the aim of impacting their entire being and changing them from fearful children into fully fledged, morally accountable adults happy and eager to assume their roles in their community and tribe. The African learning experience engages the entire human being. By contrast, the western paradigm tends to emphasise cognitive development at the expense of other aspects of the human being – an emphasis that may lead to disproportionate and dysfunctional development.

The leaders on the mountain peak earn their status through a proven practical record of successes. Not only do they embody their culture and mythology, they are actively engaged in an on-going interpretation and creation of reality and ‘telling the living story’ to the levels of leadership below them.

The formulation of a global vision is influenced by the spiritual roots of the mountain peak leaders. Values such as loyalty, selfless and inspired dedication and personal sacrifice are impossible without the belief in shared spiritual myths. In a secular and hedonistic modern world, there is a need to revisit the African leadership model because it has so much that is original to teach us and offers another fresh perspective to look at leadership issues.

Mountain peak leadership has the task of creating a unifying culture. In Africa, there is often a tremendous sense of community and the real and metaphorical spaces between people are much narrower and closer than in the West. In the pre-colonial past, a circular geometry in the construction of private dwellings, eating from the same dishes, communal washing in the river, shared parenthood of children, membership in age-group cadres, and the inculcation of the values today described as representing ‘ubuntu’ were all symbols of interdependence.

The Zulu word umholi has the root stem hola which stands for the verb to receive one’s reward and indeed leadership is perceived as a rewarding experience. In the modern capitalist society umholo is one’s salary or stipend. A leader within this context is the one who receives not only the material reward but the more important intrinsic reward of self-esteem and self-actualisation by virtue of his/her selfless dedication to the task and well-being of his/her followers. The leader also receives the revelation from the mountain top. African leaders deserve their reward because they earn it through the general good that they share with the rest of the community. This is in contrast with many western corporate leaders who maximise personal gain regardless of the surrounding sea of material poverty in their midst. Without a solid base, the apex of the mountain is inconceivable. Hence the African expression “umuntu ngabanye abantu” (One’s humanity is impossible without acknowledging the humanity of others.)

In contrast to the western hierarchical-military-pyramid chain of command, mountain peak leadership describes an interdependent system in which everything – no matter how insignificant - is seen as a vitally important part of the whole. An African leader who loses sight of this fact is generally referred to as “akanabuntu”’ (“He/she is devoid of human content.”) He/she is perceived as being alienated from the balance of the mountain, becoming a self-destructive force until acted upon by equal and countervailing forces of restoration. Another African proverb underlines the idea of unbalanced leadership; ‘if you are not living the dream, then you are living the nightmare’ shows how the way the leader thinks can move the organisations.

Within this context, the African mountain peak leader is not judged by status or knowledge but rather by humanity or human content. In the African workplace, you don’t just work with people in order to achieve deadlines and goals; you are in a relationship with them and the larger whole/enterprise. And until you acknowledge their humanity – by acknowledging and revealing your own - you cannot inspire them to do their best. Acknowledging their humanity means showing genuine interest in them, sharing experiences and wisdom, participating in mundane matters such as common meals, bereavement, or joys and sorrows. Sharing a meal in the staff canteen does not subtract from an African leader but inspires respect, loyalty and love. Many of the most powerful stories about Nelson Mandela, for example, are never reported in the media but instead do their rounds as urban legends in Johannesburg households. For instance, his recent personal, private and unannounced visit to a community hall in Alexandra, Johannesburg to take part in a community meeting was widely spoken about.

In Africa people do not respect trappings of power such as cell phones, expensive cars, bigger homes, slender girl friends, imported designer Italian suits and perfumes. Whilst these might be envied, they are not respected. Rather, people respect the emotional intelligence to transcend these artificial badges of distinction and empathetically connect with the other, thus creating the possibility of mutual trust and the conditions necessary for collective synergy.

In Africa age is respected. The mountain peak leader may be young but must respect those older than him/herself. In the age of first names, casual open necked shirts and performance bonuses, it is easy to lose sight of this important aspect. The greatest social blunder in Africa is to ignore the humanity of the other person.

In this context, oppression and inhumanity to others become symptoms that suggest the dysfunctional performance of a leadership role. Crime is perceived not only as a personal transgression, but as a symptom of a community out of balance. The role of the Sangoma is then to restore community balance and harmony. Apart from punishing the offender, restoration involves healing the entire community. A communal feast is a spiritual experience in which everyone participates in an act of fellowship and unity. Participation demonstrates freedom from prejudice, animosity or any other personal impediment whereas non-participation may brand one as a ‘witch’ not because people believe in witches but because it strikes a dissonant chord to the melody and spiritual unity of the community.

The concepts of Mountain Peak Leadership are useful in designing future models of people-centred organisations and cultures. In these cultures, technology serves as an enabler of relationships and a mechanism to effectively store and transmit useful knowledge across generations. Technology, symbols and rituals are also consciously designed to create and support an environment necessary for peaceful coexistence, mutual love and empathy, community belongingness and the survival of the extended family of which the workplace is seen an integral part.

The persistent and endemic problems of fraud and corruption in the corporate and public sectors in South Africa may be worsened by lack of Leadership commitment and by the neglect of core leadership values. The leaders on the mountain peak have a wider, far-sighted, longer term and prophetic view of what they are doing. This view makes it vital for them to ‘tell the story’ of the future and foresee the consequences of their actions. They also know that they are role models whose every word and deed undergo minute analysis and reflection by their followers – the leader becomes increasingly aware because what the leader says and does becomes a precedent.

Fireside Chat

Zulu Proverb - Unyawu aluna mpumulo

Qhakijane — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 05:40:34 -0600

Unyawu aluna mpumulo - Literally: The foot does not have a nose.

Background.

This is said of a smart-aleck type of a guy, who eventually walks into a trap as a well deserved “serve him right” situation.

… because had he known, where his feet were taking him, they would have smelled the trouble and gave him due warning to keep off; as it were feet do not have olfactory faculties and through his own advice he walked into a sticky situation.

So it sometimes reads: The wise guy eventually walks into trouble of his own making.

Zulu culture, language & traditions

Zulu Proverb - Ukufihla induku emcubeni

Qhakijane — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 05:37:01 -0600

Ukufihla induku emcubeni - Literally: To hide a staff in the cow dung

Background:

In Zulu culture the cattle kraal is the main meeting place where ordinary, ceremonial and spiritual matters are discussed and enacted . It’s smells of urine, and cow dung are reassuring to the men folk because they mean life, wealth and continuity of the bloodline. It is alleged the first creatures to emerge with man from the primordial bed of reeds were cattle. Without cattle there can be no African. All important rituals involve the lowly cow.

Over the years the cattle kraal is covered by a thick warm layer of manure that traps heat during the day and offers a warm solar blanket in the evenings. Some clans bury their senior male members along the cattle kraal under the warm blanket of cattle dung. Its walls are made of stones and the gnarled poisonous branches of the umsimbithi tree to keep away the inevitable predators. Generally there is a designed area where women do not tread upon in the kraal.

The treacherous fellow is the one who on pretext invites you for a serious discussion in the kraal but with the intention of taking you by surprise by reaching a concealed weapon well hidden in the carpet of cattle dung.

In view of the holiness of the place and the treachery involved, this idiom is used to express extreme displeasure against betrayal and treachery. Zulus enter the cattle kraal unarmed and not anticipating any danger or hostility.

Zulu culture, language & traditions

Zulu Proverb - Ukhamba lufuze imbiza

Qhakijane — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 05:33:37 -0600

Ukhamba lufuze imbiza - Literally: The calabash resembles the fire pot.

Background:

This is said of a child or offspring who takes after the parent. The obvious logic being that the same clay mined at the same mud hole, was used by the potter in making both the fire pot and the calabash. Therefore the contents may differ but the substantial matter of constitution is the same for both the fire pot and the calabash.

So this proverb actually says: Don’t you see, he actually takes after his father anyway!

There is agreement here with other ancient cultures in the Middle East and Egypt who actually saw the Creator as the Great Potter who fashioned men and women with his hands and in a way He sees fit. This metaphor was not lost to Zulus as well.

This proverb is not used for physical resemblance but for conduct, temperament and other behavioural attributes in a negative sense.

A well seasoned human being, is the one who spent most time in the Potter’s hands and in the oven, being able to withstand all problems that life throws in his or her way. But the bad human being is obviously fashioned from poor clay, and has spent little time in the oven of personal maturity and this carries even to his offspring.

Zulu culture, language & traditions

Zulu Proverb - Umendo awuthunyelwa gundane

storytelling — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 05:29:39 -0600

Umendo awuthunyelwa gundane - Literally: You can’t send a mouse to spy out your intended marriage.

Background:

This proverb is directed at a young maiden. The Zulu culture being patriarchal, the young maiden literally married into her husband’s family. There are many distinct cultural events associated with marriage in the Zulu culture.

E.g. Ijadu – is some kind of debut ball in which marriageable maidens were literally paraded and the prospective suitors had a field day preening themselves and trying to make a good impression of themselves.

Ukugcagca – the actual ceremony of marriage accompanied by all kinds of rituals.

Ukwenda – the actual journey and state of having joined a husband in matrimony.

Umendo being a state of being married. In other Southern African cultures like the Chewa , Shona, Nyanja , Sena the word kwenda still retains its original meaning of “undertaking a journey” hence ulendo is a safari or a journey while mlendo is the esteemed traveler who is culturally entitled to be well looked after and Africa not having Inns and B& B’s every family had a duty to look well after a traveler.

The young bride always found out after the event that her life at her new in-laws would be fraught with all kinds of relationship problems. This proverb was some kind of counseling offered to the young bride that had she known she would have sent a surreptious little mouse that would have spied the place for her and told her of the problems she was about to face, maybe she would have walked away..

A Zulu man may only build himself a family compound at a place designated to him by his father. He remained a minor until his father died. Generally these homesteads included extended family members of brothers, aunts, unmarried sisters, and all members of a polygamous marriage. This has enriched the Zulu culture with a refined culture full of diplomatic language and etiquette well calculated to avert the obvious clash of interests that the extended family members found themselves thrown it.

When an elderly woman tells a young Makoti (bride), that “umendo awuthunyelwa gundwane” it is a civilized way of saying I also acknowledge the problems that you experience but take it from me I am still around and surviving; it’s not the end of the world..

In a culture where divorce was unheard of and never easily countenanced, umendo is a form of a journey-of-no-return.; and quite often the new bride literally wailed and cried her eyes dry for leaving her maiden home.

However, something must be said of the resilience and strength of African women. While men may be the virile masculine bricks that create the family wall, African women are the mortar that bind and keep the bricks permanently together. It is not unusual for Zulu’s to ask each other in greetings with a total stranger: Uzalwa umma bani? (“Which mother gave birth to you?”/who is your mother?).

This affirms the sterling role which women play in creating clans and in enriching the clan gene pool and in strengthening the clan. Sometimes the mother may be Swazi, or Xhosa or Ndebele or Tsonga or Sotho, that never detracts or debases the Zulu culture. It is not far off to assume that some 40% of Zulu mothers come from outside the ZULU culture. If anything African women are true polyglots and in their own quiet way, help to improve the culture of the husband. Zulu as a culture and language has remained singularly intact.

Overtime this has contributed immensely to the virility of the Zulu language and culture. No wonder the Zulu language had a singular feat of having a vocabulary of over 20 000 pure Zulu words without the benefit of a schooling system, press media libraries and dictionaries. This was well documented by missionaries towards the turn of the 19th century.

Zulu culture, language & traditions

4 steps to exploring social media

KMAadmin — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 00:09:05 -0600

If you are new to social media and are still exploring the area, here are 4 steps to help you get the best out of it:

Step 1: Explore - search & browse for content that interests you. Find out where your friends, colleagues and peers spend their time on the web. Particularly look for notable commentators and figures in the area in which you are interested, subscribe to their personal blogs and follow the comments and conversations.
Step 2: Understand the space. The social media space has its own set of informal rules often termed 'netiquette' (the etiquette of the 'net). The fundamental idea is to treat others in the way that you would like to be treated - be polite, firm, honour your commitments and be consistent across all the networks that you choose to belong to. Also, commit to prompt feedback-there is nothing stranger in an electronic world than people who takes weeks to respond to an email. Also remind yourself anything you do on the 'net that can be directly traced back to you will speak volumes about 'who you are'; this image will either attract of repel potential contacts.
Step 3: Ask intelligent knowledge creation questions and give prompt feedback - you can do this by voting on content and by adding your own comments or even feeding back on other comments thus further stimulating a conversation. Also, while you can explore ideas, never attack (or 'flame' in internet language) people or groups.
Step 4: Contribute - start creating, editing and enhancing the KMAfrica.com knowledgebase. All our content is fed to a variety of knowledge-related sites and newsfeeds and so it creates awareness and interest. Use your personal blog and the SIGS to highlight your projects and interests and get feedback from other members. Find ways to tell your own story in creative ways using diverse media.

Fireside Chat

Words of Knowledge - the Ukhamba (Calabash) Metaphor in Southern Africa

Qhakijane — Sun, 24 May 2009 09:07:09 -0600

The word ukhamba is a Zulu word for a huge clay pot. It is commonly used by all African cultures. In Zulu ukhamba consists of two words: ukukhama (which means to squeeze out or compress out as in milking a cow) + bamba (to hold in place so as to receive that which is squeezed out). This meaning clearly explains the metaphor of thinking hard (ukukhama) and receiving the treasures of thinking into human memory (ukubamba). Therefore ukhamba is a container, a reservoir, and a protector of that which is valuable and good for physical and spiritual nourishment. It is a central piece in the rite of social fellowship. The rite itself is treated with respect and studied deference.

As a spiritual concept ukhamba shares the same status as the female womb, which offers protection, sustenance and nurturing to the unborn child. Its contents have the potential of becoming something more greater than itself, like the unborn child who one day gets birthed and grows into an important leader. It may be likened to the eucharistic rite and those who share the contents of the ukhamba to others do so from a squatting or kneeling position.

In the strict Zulu ritual it is never placed on a table or coffee table. It is placed on the floor on a reed mat. The kneeling position symbolises its potency and strength and two messages are conveyed by the kneeling posture: first it is a sign of respect to the fellowship ritual taking place and secondly it is a sign of strength because kneeling symbolises humility in strength by not assuming a proud upright posture yet conserving one’s energy and reflexes to be used with deliberate control.

The place of the ukhamba is the centre. The gathering may sit is a semi-circle or full circle depending on the number of people present. People sit according to their sex and age group. It is then dispensed by a younger member of the gathering who approaches it kneeling and uses a smaller gourd umancitshana or udiyo (literally a stingy measure) and first tastes off a small amount before giving it over to the gathering. Quaffing and swallowing in one gulp are not encouraged. A simple small sip is preferable and the contents may only be finished by those who are wiser or older.

This tasting off is always done in a kneeling position and those who receive the gourd may drink from it from a kneeling or sitting position. The tasting off is euphemistically called ukukhipha ubuthi (the removal of poison) meaning that there is no malice or any hidden grudge in the ritual. More in the spirit of the participants of the holy eucharist making up with one another before partaking the Lord’s emblems.

It is a social offence to behave recklessly or disrespectfully during social drinking. Good public deportment and less talkativeness are the hallmarks of good breeding and manners. The young person must keep quite and speak only if addressed and listen attentively to the elders.

This ritual combines the four elements of Zulu mythology in a dynamic interactive process.

The reed is a very important emblem of Zulu myths. Zulus and many Africans believe that the first humans emerged from a primordial reed. This is not a literal fact but explains the mutual interdependence of human life and plant life. The hollow reed played a very pivotal role in the myths of Osiris, Moses and the Exodus of Jews from Egypt. The common thread to all myths is the emerging of all players in the stories into a better life. Hence Zulus emerge from the reeds. The Sotho’s do even better to validate this point, because when a child is born a reed is transfixed next the hut where the new born is kept. It is no wonder that Zulus eat from a reed mat (isithebe) , sleep on a reed mat, protect the Queen Mother’s hut with a stockade made of reeds; Swazi and Zulu maidens symbolise their virginity by carrying reeds to the Queen Mother’s hut in ceremony of First Fruits, and any gift is placed on a reed mat on the floor.

The clay pot is made out of earth. The earth symbolising the Eternal Mother and Womb from which all emerge and gets buried in order for others to emerge. The clay pot gives shape to its liquid contents and this means the shaping of all human knowledge by a lived life on earth. There is also another dimension of the earth which Zulus believe is necessary for human life: namely the earth is called umhlaba (literally that which stabs or brings about adversity). This resonates very well with Judeo-Christian concept of the Fallen Nature. Zulus conceive the earth as Umhlaba (the stabber) but are also mindful that healing and recovery is also brought about by herbs (therefore inhlaba (the Aloe plant) and man’s duty to strive against adversity and bring out the best of his ingenuity and creativity.

Water is the base substance which forms part of the contents of ukhamba. In Zulu water is amanzi (literally the heaviest substance in Zulu cosmology). If something is heavy or difficult in Zulu it is said inzima. Like all ancient languages Zulu is amenable to anagramatic analysis. Hence Nzima is the word manzi spelled backwards. This heaviness denoted by Manzi is not about weight but is about the magical cleansing properties of water in purification, preservation. While nzima makes heavy and difficult Manzi is the opposite but equal force which unmakes the heaviness by cleansing And restoring balance. This property of water resonates very well with the Hebraic concept of MEM (the water, the nursemaid, the cosmic mother). This has even prompted other researchers to conclude that Zulu is an ancient language because all ancient human languages denote water by the letter M and Zulu is the only surviving ancient language where the M-sound is preserved as a root sound to denote water.

The Fire is not explicitly seen here because it does not refer to physical Fire or the phlogiston but Fire is seen in the vivifying influence of the social gathering as seen in the sharing of beer and knowledge. This fire hides inside the watery beer but imparts a viva force to the drinkers of the beer. This living force stands for the pioneering spirit of all knowledge as a forward driven advancing and groundbreaking power that consolidates human knowledge and creates possibilities for knowing further and more.

The power of our knowledge systems lies within the power and original meaning of the words within our languages. I have demonstrated how the humble drinking of African beer within a Zulu culture can unlock the formidable latent power of African power. It is this power which resides within our subconscious that needs awakening so that it can help reserve the forgotten teachings of our Ancestors called Ubuntu. Ubuntu is more than humanity it is the sum total of all teachings and concepts that Unkulunkulu (not God), but Unkulunkulu, the first to emerge from the reed, as the First Human Prototype was entrusted with to teach those who follow.

Zulu culture, language & traditions

When the teachings were lost or forgotten - the function of the scapegoat

Qhakijane — Thu, 21 May 2009 06:32:25 -0600

When the Teachings were lost or forgotten, Zulus and many other Africans believe that recourse could be obtained by appealing directly to those who are on the other side of the Great Unknown particularly those with a stake in the continued well being of their descendants. This is a communication of last resort when all other avenues have been exhausted. The spirit of a goat is sent over to convey the S.O.S. message.

Why a goat? In every language in Africa a goat is called imbuzi. It is in Zulu, perhaps because of its ancient roots, that the meaning of this word has been preserved. Imbuzi means in Zulu “the one who goes to the spiritual realm to enquire on your behalf.”

In the book of Leviticus 16:20 -28 in the bible we are familiar with the concept of the scapegoat into whose ears the priest confesses the sins of the community and the other goat which according to the same scriptural verses, “videotapes” all the sins and good deeds of the sacrificing priest and sends it to the Unknown Beyond to God, in order to deliver the message of the community to God. By the way the scapegoat is released into the mountains, where the agility of the goat, climbs very high into the mountain mists where the evil spirit of AZAZEL resides.

The spirit of the goat does the same function that today is done by the ubiquitous SMS and email. It is specifically sent to enquire on behalf of those matters that our collective memory cannot resolve. Here are some hintful Zulu words:

buza- to ask
umbuzo – a question, a riddle
imbuzi – “the asker” the inquirer
-bu – a root word standing for crying aloud (ukububula), also for evil (ububi)
-zi – a root word for knowledge, wisdom, knowing (as in ukwazi to know) isazi (a wiseman)

Therefore imbuzi – one who is beset with evil or misfortune and whose condition makes him or her to wail aloud and who truly wants to know the reason thereof..

Needless to say, to see Africans as benighted ancestor worshippers is a great disservice to our spiritual heritage. In fact if we can place the time frame in which the goat sacrifices were done in Leviticus, we can immediately locate the time frame in which Africans including Zulus, were doing goat sacrifices. We are therefore dealing with an age that can safely be located into around 3000-2000 B.C.

Without sounding trite, there are practices and many of them that undermine the integrity of African and Zulu culture in particular. That a car is used for hijackings, for drunken driving, for committing crimes or for launching bomb, does not detract for the good moral reason why cars were invented (although the exploitation of fossil fuels has many serious negative consequences). African belief are no different; they are abused by both insiders and outsiders but that does not diminish their spiritual value. This article strives to expose that. Today, Christian beliefs are seen as being responsible for and justifying wars and torture around the world, it certainly does not detract from the fact that its founder stated unequivocally that “Love your enemies!” It is spiritual casuistry that interprets love as an act of smart bombs or false intelligence to destroy the other “enemy” people.

Colonialism and conquest brought foreign beliefs to us through the door of theft, deception, greed, racial oppression and exploitation. The western world is tired and is truly spiritually exhausted. It is time that Africans look deep into their own spiritual resources and save themselves. We are a nation of “leavers”, we leave our culture. we leave our countries, we leave our values, we leave our religions, and a person who leaves his or her Teachings becomes an Umloyi, umthakathi, a mfiti, a mrogi, unawares without consciously knowing to be doing so. We want to restore our humanity, our respect, our good behaviour, our good morals, because something in us has been distorted and destroyed. But we know it is not possible to go back, but it is possible to go forward and build on a solid foundation and build the Spiritual Kingdom of Anthu.

Until you understand the fundamental spiritual truths of why your people said they came down from Kapirimtiya, you must know that you are a being alienated against himself, a rebel and a true distortion of who you really are! Remember it is the lowly and simple numbering system from 1 to 10 that the marvels of modern science that you enjoy today are built upon. Until you also work hard at our most simple beliefs, who do you hope to attain the greatness that lies before you?

Zulu culture, language & traditions

The teachings of Unkulukulu

Qhakijane — Thu, 21 May 2009 06:21:10 -0600

The Teachings of Unkulunkulu became the oral wisdom of amaZulu and their system of elders were equipped with judgement in order to interpret this wisdom.

Unkulunkulu is not God. Missionaries in their zeal to plant a Christian cosmology into the African natives, took the word UNkulunkulu, and translated it into God. In Zulu cosmology nothing is as far from the truth. In modern South Africa, millions of black people regard UNkulunkulu as God. From a true and etymological point of view, Unkulunkulu is the Being who is created like ourselves who came out first. Another rendering of the name of this Being is umvelingqangi.

As a word umvelingqangi consists of the following concepts: vela – to appear qangi – for the very first time. Hence the One-who-appeared-for the–very-first-time. In Zulu cosmology Unkulunkulu came out first to prepare a living space for the human beings who are to follow him later. Unkulunkulu did not create the earth but he came out first to prepare a place for us. It is the same concept used by Jesus when He said He is going to heaven to prepare a place for His followers. The heaven was already created but in anticipation of his permanent guests he is going to prepare mansions (spiritual abodes not houses) so that the saints will have a living space.

So Unkulunkulu prepared the earth for human habitation. Unkulunkulu certainly was a very powerful being who had powers to subjugate and tame nature for human habitation. He later died, and went back to the Great Unknown Beyond our sensual perception.

In Zulu cosmology Unkulunkulu was the Great Teacher. Unkulunkulu taught people how to live in peace with the world and the earth. For this purpose the Teachings of Unkulunkulu were handed down as Traditions, they were an Oral Tradition and human beings (abantu) also continued with the work of handing down a Received Tradition to their descendants long after Unkulunkulu had left. These traditions covered many aspects of life: birth, puberty, marriage, death, war, illness, medicine, hunting, and many others. Some traditions were taught as Secret mysteries by those with specialized knowledge to those who were initiated especially medicine.

General teachings were the preserve of the elders. They presided on special cases and dealt with issues in the light of changed and new developments in the lives of the people. Over many years after the departure of Unkulunkulu, Zulus (read: Africans) always referred matters and cases of law to their elders for resolution and equitable handling.

Now over time the gist of these teachings came to be known as ubuntu. These were not book teachings residing in a library but these were practical livable teachings that were characterised by the spirit of Great Humanity. In any African language the hyperbole “he is not a muntu” means he/she is great distortionist of the behaviour expected of one who adheres to the teachings received from Unkulunkulu.

In any culture in sub-Saharan Africa if I am told that so-and-so is not a muntu, I immediately know that I am dealing with a perverse individual. They don’t need to spell out the details, and I will immediately know that here is a species of rebellious, defiant and immoral human being. Now ubuntu is the unwritten law, etched indelibly in the hearts of Africans. You cannot bribe me not to know that you don’t have ubuntu. This is the kind of knowledge that exist like a human conscience never controlled by men, to be used irresponsibly by men, but a TRUE knowledge of moral soundness a tribute to the Moral Pedagogic Expertise of Unkulunkulu.

There are many things that Africans must have done since the departure of Unkulunkulu and certainly one of them was that they were never ancestral worshippers. I don’t want to get entangled in dabates that will take away what I am trying to establish here. It is the Received Teachings from ancestors that Africans appeal to for personal or collective redemption in times of spiritual crisis.

Any act by an individual or group of people which undermined the Teachings of Ancestors as received from Unkulunkulu, that person was seen to be undermining the peace and prosperity of that individual, family or community. Therefore sin in an African sense was perceived to have an immediate adverse effect on the well being of the community. Such an act of subversion became known as ubuloyi, ukuthakatha, ifiti, and many other similar words which prove our communal ancestral descent.

Zulu culture, language & traditions

Stories of Creation

Qhakijane — Thu, 21 May 2009 06:12:16 -0600

From a philosophical point of view, Zulus see human beings as coming from another dimension of existence. Hence they suddenly appeared on earth.

The earth is also seen as a created domain but the world used for creation is dala. Therefore God created (wadala) heaven (izulu) and earth (nomhlaba). This is how Genesis 1:1 is translated into Zulu.

But the Zulus had a smile on their face when this translation was rendered. The root word Dala in Zulu means ancient and hoary and ageless. Therefore creation from a Zulu conceptual point of view is conceived as a process which took place many years ago infact ageless, probably running in millions of years. Immediately from this we arrive at a scientifically validated fact that the earth is far older in age than its creatures including man who is a late comer who emerged from a Holy Spiritual place, with a clear Holy and Spiritual mandate. In the Zulu cosmology it is important to note where man emerges from. It is this place that gives a clue to the purpose and destiny of man.

For instance if you have a military mandate you clearly receive your orders from the Commander in Chief probably if you are an American General from the Pentagon. Therefore Zulus see themselves emerging from a highly regarded spiritual vantage point into the world. Other Bantu cultures see themselves emerging from a mountain top. This is not a childish guesswork but it clearly points to the fact that this particular tribe see itself descending from a point of intersection of heaven and earth and clearly unless you choose to be stubborn, it is a point of Spiritual genesis because where heaven and earth meet, it is a point of Devine Intervention and from thence they descend to the earth with clear divine instructions.

Now having emerged from the reed marsh, Zulus claim that the first humans were received by Unkulunkulu.

Unkulunkulu – is literally the Great-Great One (nkulu=great) hence His greatness being ascribed to Him due to His being the Foremost One, the First to Emerge and subjugate the created world. He therefore emerged from the Unknowable Greatness and established a crown, a kingdom, a domain, space for rulership, using a blueprint of spiritual principles, so that man could live in the world. These concepts are in total agreement with all knowledge of ancient religions about the first things that appeared from the unknown.

Zulu culture, language & traditions

The process of emergence - people of the reeds

Qhakijane — Thu, 21 May 2009 06:03:58 -0600

We are told that the word umuntu (plural abantu) spiritually means those who emerged from the reed in an ancient marsh.

The process of emerging is described as ukudabuka i.e. to forcefully tear a covering and emerge. From this we learn that from a Zulu point of view the process of human creation of first human existence entailed a period of gestation in the pre-world because it was when the first humans were sufficiently well developed that their physical womb was torn down and their emerged into the world. As in human birth, the umbilical detaches and the amniotic sac bursts open and the child emerges into the world.

It is important to realize that the reed should not be literally seen as the substance that encased the first humans. The reed should be understood in terms of its biological qualities as a hollow plant shoot, and the combination of water and earth for its existence, which three are necessary for life to thrive.

In Zulu when a person is asked “udabukaphi?” it means that where do you just come from? It may also mean from which world do you come from? Or from which country do you come from? Hence in the Zulu cosmological thinking the human beings have emerged from an unknown world. There is no attempt made to explain where they have emerged from prior to the reed and the marsh. The marsh and the reed therefore do not attempt to portray themselves as a literal place with specific geographic co-ordinates but should be understood from a spiritual point of view.

Osiris, Moses, and many ancient Gods have their emergence into the spiritual world via the reeds and marsh, a place of significant spiritual meaning. Even the children of Israel in their exodus to the Holy Land, crossed a marsh of reeds, generally wrongly translated into English as the Red Sea.

The reed provided the holy papyrus which ancient Egypt used to preserve her ancient Holy Writings. It is therefore immature to ridicule the Zulu cosmology as a childish invention because it points with unmistakable accuracy together with other ancient religions to the fact that water, reeds, and earth are an ancient Holy combination whose symbolism modern man has unfortunately forgotten.

The reed spiritually not literally, stands for the spiritual umbilicus that joins man as a not-yet-creature-in-creation-process to the Great Unknown Powers beyond. It means that there has been a protracted process of nurturing and feeding the uncreated man with powers and spiritual nourishment from the Great Beyond or Heaven if you prefer. The hollow reed symbolizes the conduit through which this transaction took place. Therefore we look for meaning not in the literal meanings and like St. Paul we see the unmistakable spiritual symbols that testify more eloquently of why Zulus located the uncreated man in marsh of reeds.

Chichewa is another ancient language spoken roughly around present day Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe with its various local variations. In Chichewa we unmistakenably see that the root word, nthu the same word used for umuntu (Zulu) or munthu (Chichewa) or Motho (Sotho) is used to denote a verb which means to appear suddenly. This verb is bunthuka. It is a remnant of the ancient meaning that validates the Zulu meaning that umuntu waduka ohlangeni (literally a human emerged from a reed). To bunthuka is to come into view suddenly and be seen.

It is therefore safe to assume that word umuntu means to appear or to emanate from the Great Unknown. When a man is from another racial group or culture the Zulus would refer to him or them as those who have emerged from another reed-place. Izinhlanga therefore refers to people of other racial groups.

Zulu culture, language & traditions

African Knowledge Paradigms

Qhakijane — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 03:53:39 -0600

Western knowledge paradigms have a pyramid shape: at the bottom is real experience but moving up are layers of surrogates that stand for original ideas. At the apex are ideals, or highly refined knowledge. E.g. at the top is an idea called constitutional democracy but later by layer going down we can unravel this idea in terms of judicial institutions, legislative institutions, executive institutions, under which are communities and constituencies right until we come to the level of individuals serving in the various organs of state.

The ideas of limited government, separation of powers, bill of rights making up internal formations that divide the pyramid in the inside if we were afforded the chance to view it from inside out.

However, this method of knowledge management calls for specialization and division of skills because no single individual can ever hope to access all the necessary knowledge alone. By contrast, pre-colonial African knowledge systems were concentric in the way they functioned and were organised in the following way:

At the centre of the circle are the traditions and ancestral teachings. There is horizontal free access to the knowledge. There is a link between the living and the dead much in the same sense of blueprints and intellectual knowledge being accessible to future generations. The common link between the living and the dead is the tried and tested knowledge of the ancestors.

This knowledge is mediated through song, dance, daily chores, rituals, play and mentoring by elders or senior age group members. It is not surrogate knowledge that deals with higher level concepts (being refined ideas standing for massive experiential data). It is immediate, available, concrete and practical and easily assimilated into one’s personal frame of reference.

Difficult concepts such as “where do we come from as a species” are dealt with by means of myths, songs and stories.

When a boy wakes up in the African village:

he learns from his peers how to milk a cow,
he learns hunting skills in the veld while herding cattle.
he learns to feed himself, and how to fight
he learns how to endure pain and hardship
he learns how to fish, swim, and climb trees,
he acquires a knowledge of medicinal plants.
he learns the names and habits of the different animals.
he learns about patience, responsibility and accountability and must make sure not a single cow gets lost or eaten by the wild animals

This no doubt is quite a major learning experience. In western taxonomical terms it covers a wide range of areas from the cognitive areas, affective areas and psychomotor areas of learning. This kind of knowledge is people-centred, it resides within the people themselves, if it were transferred into a pyramid structure it would need trained professionals, textbooks, teacher hours, exams, govt supervision and research.

There is a certain level of knowledge that in African due to the disruption of local culture results in disorientation and alienation of many young and old people. I certainly do not advocate for going back into tribal knowledge but the question is aren’t there certain skills, survival skills and life skills that could be better taught using the concentric African model. Issues of drug abuse, rape, unemployment, street begging, street living may be symptoms of disempowerment and given KM models that advance the social cooperative nature of knowledge would go a long way to address these social problems.

In the concentric African KM model that elders formed the inner circle but did not follow everyone else to police the system. There was much joy and pleasure and play in imparting knowledge. Songs, storytelling, drums, poems all worked within a concentric dispersal system where participants simply crossed barriers and learnt very useful knowledge and skills.

Therefore any dissonance occurring in the system, such as an individual committing a crime e.g. rape, the entire village was affected and restoring psychological balance required the culprit to sponsor the ritual cleansing of the entire village. The deterrent nature of the exercise justified the cost. Modern systems still grapple with issues of community crime, but the African model dealt decisively with such issues. When the colonialists and missionaries came into Africa, they were surprised at the level of civil order and peace. Yes, some despotic chiefs abused this system and subjected their people to abuse which they endured with stoic endurance and fatalistic tolerance which disturbed many missionaries. But retrieving the system and adapting it to the modern situation may pay huge dividends in terms of creating a crime free society.

Africans managed to create a stable system of knowledge management. It had definite spin offs in terms of creating peaceful and stable societies.

The African model poses serious questions: if you cant dance it, sing it and recite it how can it be your personal knowledge? Indeed even the mother church seem to have used the same KM model: can we speak of the early Catholic church without the icons, the liturgy, the recited prayers, and hymns? In dealing with problems of modern city life perhaps it is wise to look inside ourselves and model our knowledge systems using inexpensive, vibrant and enjoyable systems found in Africa.

The African model’s functioning resembles the Brownian molecular movement. Its success lay on two important pillars: the traditions at its centre and practical value.

Knowledge was valued for its corporate blessings and cooperative creation. Some things seemed meaningless in the African KM until one finds out the purpose behind the practices. Not pointing at a particular place e.g a mountain. These practices taught reverence, perseverance and self-control. In all higher level schooling systems which focus on leadership self-control and perseverance are still the virtues most sought after. It does not matter whether they are taught on the netball field or rugby field the end result seem not to have eluded the humble Africans.

It is a challenge today to integrate and adapt African KMS into the modern technologies. It is important to restore the spirituality of technology. Western technology is an end in itself, which is important for its distribution and development. But there is a great need to infuse social values into these technologies so that in the end we preserve our corporate identity as human beings and we ensure that they contribute towards giving mankind a more human face.