THE HEARTACHE OF A GAY SANGOMA

[mrbaggins1]

Forget about the civil strife in Libya, the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and the fact that South Africa is playing in the quarters of the Cricket World Cup against New Zealand in Mirpur (Wherever the hell that is) - Please, please do not choke again boys.

None of that is worthy of headline news in South Africa's Daily Sun today

Comments

Zangoma/Sangoma

[mrbaggins1]

No, it the name of an African "witch" doctor, traditional healers or herbalist, the paper's got the spelling incorrect as far as I know. It should be Sangoma. They play a valuable role in African culture - and their craft is usually handed down the family line.

All of what they do are not bullshit as from times immemorial they've been using natural plants to cure/aid a number of illnesses. Sangomas are the ones that actulay throw the bones and they're understudies to the Nyati who are the real healers. Obviously, as their culture becomes diluted with moving away from the the traditional into the ambit of charlatans. Africans, even "westernized" ones still strongly believe in the power of traditional healing which is good up to a point. I had two staff members who passed away in recently years from Aids related diseases who preferred to consult sangomas rather that use anti-retrovirals.

African Studies 101, oh and a bit of trivia, as far as I know you are Christian, African Christianity has a strange custom - they do not pray directly to God or JC or the holy goat (sorry) but through their forefathers who are mediators on their behalf

Re: Zangoma/Sangoma

[k00kaburra]

I've heard of similar 'hybrid' Christian practices in other countries...I guess it's like praying to Catholic saints in a way. I think it's fascinating how different cultures take the same root religion and adapt it to their preexisting culture.

Thank you for explaining about Sangoma. I remember seeing a short documentary about African healers that talked about the effectiveness of some of the natural treatments, but at the end it did criticize the Africans who consulted shamans for AIDs treatment instead of medical doctors. But it's so easy to do that from the Western perspective, eh?