The Sunday News
Cultural Heritage with Pathisa Nyathi
AFTER some unavoidable detour, we are back on track. During the exploratory and research trip to Chipata in Zambia, numerous lessons were learned. As the team that travelled to Chipata, there was a lot to learn along the journey.
As will be narrated in a forthcoming book, there were numerous themes that our attention was brought to, ranging from variations in climate, architecture, vegetation and the people’s attire. What will never leave my mind are the uniforms worn by schoolchildren.
The girls’ dresses almost covered their legs. They presented a picture of elderly women. The same was true of boys. None of them wore short trousers. We never saw their legs. That was left to our fertile imagination. The children attending crèches were no exception. The long uniforms, just like their sisters and brothers at primary and secondary schools, burdened them.
I imagined the appearances of South African girls and to a lesser extent, the Zimbabwean girls who almost expose everything they have. I shall certainly show pictures of both, for contrast. For me, the question for which I had no answer was, why the practice of covering one’s entire body? I was thinking and guessing. Could it be a result of religious practices and beliefs?
While in Zambia last year in October, I observed a strong presence of adherents to Islam. The presence was exemplified by the ubiquitous mosques. Mozambique, Zambia and Malawi have a strong leaning towards Islamic faith and practices.
Then there were architectural curiosities that we sampled along the way. It was clear, the built environment along the way did not have English origins. The produce markets proliferated. These ranged from bananas to sugarcane. The maize crop was healthy. Their isitshwala tasted nicer than ours. Dr Ndiweni wished to buy and bring some mealie-meal. Unfortunately, she could not lay her hands on the tasty meal. The Malawian rice was equally delicious. I discovered that my stomach prefers isitshwala to all available exotic cuisines. In Harare, I tasted isitshwala prepared from rapoko/uphoko. That was very appetizing and had some velvety feel to the tongue.
However, the most interesting part of our trip were the messages that we received from WhatsApp chat groups.
The one that I will never forget, was from one who wished all of us could perish in a traffic accident. In his view, interestingly, males beamed with the chilly responses. Fortunately, we were expecting the crude and vulgar messages. So, we were steeled against the mind-blowing typhoons and tsunamis. To some people, living in the past provides them with comfort zones. Others are the type that make conclusions from within the precincts of their hearts. It is all fascinating and provides a scintillating kaleidoscope of human personalities. The rest will be left to the full-length book concerning our trip to Chipata, where readers will be entertained by a wide spectrum of the operations of human minds.
As we return to Ancient African Science, I am reminded of a less-than-mellow joke that we went to Chipata to exhume the bones of King Lobengula. Some minds are fertile, innovative and creative in a negative sense. In the fullness of time, some doubting Thomases will begin to see what we are hoping to achieve.
I still want to deal with symbolism as a concept, thought and facilitating phenomenon. Like produces like. This is an important principle that is applied in both witchcraft and traditional medical practices as peddled by traditional doctors. A negative condition or state can, through the application of manipulative forces, be produced elsewhere.
Let us give an example of the principle. When a puppy is produced, its eyes are closed. It takes some time for its eyes to open up. Africans wishing to see newly born puppies, will apply some ash to their faces when they view the puppies. It is assumed, Africans were aware of the effects that could result from watching puppies whose eyes are still closed.
Ash has a repelling effect. It neutralizes the negative effect that would otherwise result when unprotected eyes view a puppy that has not had its eyes open. Closed eyes are symbolic of a mind that is not alert. One’s mind is figuratively asleep just like a puppy to which the world is cut off.
Not so long ago, I made reference to the use of ash when it is used to protect sanctified beer against desecration by witches, who may hijack beer dedicated to ancestral spirits. White ash is painted as chevron designs on a beer vessel made from clay. The chevron design renders different purposes and meanings in different circumstances. At one level, it will symbolize eternity, perpetuity, endlessness and continuity. At another level, it will serve as a repellent to the machinations of those endowed with capacities to cause negative and harmful effects on other people.
This principle is applied in numerous situations with devastating and sometimes embarrassing effects. The learned in these principles will manipulate the likeness of a woman’s privates, in defence of themselves when they stand trial before a magistrate or judge. The legal person when looking at the face of the accused, will see the woman’s private right on the face of the accused. You can imagine the effects that this will have on the conduct of the judge/magistrate.
Evil, hatred and jealousy attend to the manipulation of conditions that seek to harm others. One could cause a smelly mouth odour. This may be done to a girl, so that potential lovers are repelled from her. A girl may wonder what is happening to her. Her mouth is repelling potential lovers. Many other intriguing manipulations may be done with a view to some girl never to be approached by men, seeking a marriage partner or just some girlfriend.
Imagine a capable witch or wizard, who reproduces symbolically the odour of a burst sewer pipe and transfer that to another person. The result is not a pleasant situation. That ability to symbolize a negative situation through manipulation of a like situation in a different situation, is a science that Africans have been practicing for ages and still do it to this day.
This important principle of like producing like, is different from where like will fight like. This will be more applicable in healing situations. Healing sometimes is about negating the application just referred to above. Like repels like. This is what we learn in Physics, when we learn about Magnetic Laws. Like poles repel. It takes Beelzebub to repulse or fight Beelzebub. This is a Biblical rendition of the same idea or principle.
Diagnosis establishes the cause of a condition of say illness, or other condition of negativity. It is not enough to observe the signs and symptoms. The more fundamental issue is what caused the condition. That which caused the state has to be reversed. This is to say the same condition that resulted in the situation has to be opposed or reversed, using the manipulation of the same agent.
Let us give an example of fighting. Where a snake bites one, the snake poison in a deadened form, is used to prepare the body to resist when a snake bites a person. Usually, the whole head of a snake may be burnt mildly, so that the active poison has its efficacy reduced, but is still able to excite the body to be on guard against snake poison. Those who work with snakes know they have to have their bodies producing toxins to fight active snake poisons. This principle applies in several situations, where like fights like. In the world of Africans, this is relied upon to counter the spells or manipulations of the witches and wizards who are familiar with the science of ancient times.
That same science of ancient times provides opposite manipulations to reverse the spells. What the evil individuals, the witches and wizards peddle at night; traditional doctors are capable of reversing during the day. This is taking the practice to another – the law of opposites.
Those who live in areas with large pools of water that are infested with crocodiles know how to protect themselves from crocodiles. A crocodile repels another crocodile. If one makes use of part of a crocodile, so that real crocodiles detect in them crocodile presence, they are protected as like repels.
When we say like produces like, what exactly is being reproduced? There is quite a wide range of attributes or traits that are made of us. One trait for example is colour. The chameleon is a master at changing colours. This chameleon trait is manipulated as a form of disguise and concealment.
Sometimes, the design of something may be sought after, to produce like elsewhere. Sound is another trait that has been replicated, as a measure to suppress antisocial behaviour in human beings. Thieves of livestock such as goats and cattle have been reported to produce sounds of the animals that they stole.
This applies to the statement I made not so long ago. Africa had no prisons. Africa had prisons. What prison is worse than a goat bleating in a man’s stomach? It is not just the individual culprit who is embarrassed, but his relatives too. These are spiritual measures that make use of symbolism that keep community members on the narrow and straight path.
