I have lamented on the subject of this piece for a long time. Thina will tell you. Thanks for the patience, Makhosiš… Thereās so much I wanted to say, with passion and conviction. The reason for this delayed post is analysis, looking at the subject from different angles and avoiding writing a lot of hogwash about a subject too deep and wide and heavy to even know a fraction about. My lamentations lead me to conclude that I owe it to Thina and other Sangomas not to speak out of turn, and to anyone reading this not to go on on a tangent about my beliefs and opinions.
So Iāll present this just as is, a shared moment in the home coming of Thina Nondize. uMazulu. Thokoza gogo, we give thanks for your gift and hope that it brings light and comfort to the lives of those around you and yours, of course.
Ubungoma is a gift of spiritual divinity. It opens a channel of communication between the realm of the living and those who have passed into the realm of spirits, that is, our guides, our light bearers, our ancestors. As humans we all have a connectivity to those spirits that guide us, some call it intuition, a gut feeling, or sixth sense. It cannot be better described than just knowing, without knowing. Sometimes the result is what some may call coincidence. Sangomas, or diviners, or faith healers, psychics have a heightened connectivity to the spirit world, one they cannot shake or ignore. It is a destiny that higher powers (whether we believe them or not) have chosen for these gifted people, and often times it calls not only with the gift of āseeingā but also healing.
Modern day Sangomas have started using their divine gift of healing with conventional methods of healing, both medicinal and psychological. The impact of this is that it widens the scope of methodology of healing and also those that need the help get the help. And I am grateful, because how do you go to a western trained psychologist to try deal with the trauma of witchcraft, without being diagnosed as fuck up crazy?? Now it is possible, to deal with the external and internal scars.
Religion has also conditioned many people to abandon their indigenous faiths and submit to western religion, donāt get me started… However, in many intimate conversations, especially lately (I think itās due to that increasing state of enlightenment in the formerly colonised) people have admitted to visiting faith healers and using muti for healing, cleansing and good luck. Aināt no harm in it, I say. The world is rife with evil and darkness, seen and unseen. Self preservation makes a lot of sense.
I have engaged with some spiritual healer friends about subjects i battle a lot with, such as the concepts of hierarchy, race, religion and sexuality. I am desperate for clear concise answers. I want receipts. Dates and times!! But from my conversations Iāve learned only patience, with myself and others around me, seen and unseen. Initially I had hoped this article would unpack all these things, but they are not yet ready, perhaps nor am I.
Below are some more pictures from Mazuluās special day, on a beautifully warm day in May, where all her loved ones, fellow Sangomas included, came out to show loved to this wonder girl, Thina ā¤ā¤
Nozulu 