The Sunday News
WHEN one has spent a fair amount of time scrutinising African culture, in particular cosmological dimensions, one can’t help observing recurring themes across the broad spectrum of African culture. One recurring theme relates to sustainability or continuity of the human species. As pointed out before, Africans sought to replicate cosmic reality on their plane of existence.
Informed appreciation of African culture demands that one be fairly au fait with rudimentary science which improves understanding of the cosmos and indirectly, that of African culture-the earthly mirror image of the cosmos.
When we deal with food as an expression we do come across the same themes being reinforced. The one theme that we are already familiar with is circularity which is pervasive within the cosmos. The stars, planets and moons are all circular and are in constant motion that follows elliptical orbits. The circle has no beginning and no end and appropriately captures the idea of continuity, endlessness and perpetuity. From African artifacts to African architecture, the universal circular design is omnipresent.
Let us deal with vessels that are used as eating vessels or containers of food. One does not expect to come across inherent contradictions. The rectangular design which does not occur in nature is not to be expected within the broader African cultural context. Food vessels cannot thus be an exception and acquire an unAfrican and unnatural design. Starting with eating and dishing spoons, the design is circular which makes it in tandem with African cosmology.
The clay pots that are used for cooking and sometimes as food vessels also have circular designs. Some clay pots are used for cooking food and relish, be it meat or vegetables. Other clay pots are used as milk containers, inqayi-where milk thickens before it is transferred to gourd calabash containers with small holes, umunge to release whey, umlaza. It is interesting to observe that the gourd calabashes that are not cultural products also assume a circular design. This is a good example that dmonstrates how African culture seeks to mimic nature.
Gourd cups, inkezo used as drinking vessels are in the same vein, they are naturally designed to have a circular design. We can go on and on and we shall see the recurring theme to be all pervading. Let us look at the wooden plates that people use to eat out of. Men carve wooden plates mostly from marula, umganu, trees. Inevitably, the plates are circular and their brims are smoothened out, rounded, to ensure they do not come anywhere near the rectangular design. The marula tree has medicinal use and is not poisonous hence its broad use in plates, spoons, milk pails and other utensils household utensils that are used for food storage. Meat platters, imigwembe, though elongated were rounded off at the two ends. Even their handles were smoothened out so they assumed a circular design.
Beyond the design of the plates let us look at how people eating from the plate arrange themselves around the two plates-one with isitshwala and the other with relish, isitshebo. As expected, the people sit in a circle, around circular plates, containing food, isitshwala, shaped into a dome (circle). An Ndebele riddle, ilibho goes as follows, “Sitshiye bemgombolozele angazi kumbe uzasila!” We left him being circled; we do not know if he will survive.
Eating from two separate plates is itself rooted in African worldview. The condition or state of the food that we eat transfers to us consumers. We become what we eat. This applies to the various characteristics of food. It could be its chemical makeup.
Consuming GMO food makes us GMO. When what we eat is pierced, that translates to our bodies being pierced, ukuhlatshwa yisihlabo.
Now what is the problem when all food is piled in one plate, kuxubene? Issues become clouded when we cloud our food. This is particularly so among traditional healers who must untangle issues in their daily occupation. Traditional healers want to see what a patient or consulting person’s problem is. That becomes difficult when he eats tangled food-food in one plate. I have observed healers demanding that their food be served in separate plates. What may not be obvious to the unschooled is why this is so. Cultural practices have grounding in a community’s worldview. When we deal with an expecting woman and related food taboos this idea will be elaborated upon.
Last week we made reference to Ukuchinsa Ceremony and saw that it was used by the king to effect control and subordination over his subjects. At the same time, we can look at it as a way of ensuring good health among the populace. Some people may be in a hurry to consume unripened crops, amagobongo, especially sweet reeds, (imfe), and watermelons, (amakhabe).
Inyongo was a condition that Africans sought to avoid and, indeed, had remedies that sought to deal with it. Summer time was inyongo time.
What is being reinforced here is that the quality, state and status of the food we eat translate to a similar condition in our bodies. A body afflicted with inyongo does not perform at its best. This was certainly not a desirable condition among Ndebele soldiers. Long journeys were undertaken such as to the Tawana (Ndawana) people in present day Botswana and to the BaKgatla living near present day Pretoria. Raids on the latter were being undertaken from Matabeleland.
Inyongo weakens one’s knees brings a general sense of malaise. As a result, the soldiers going on raids first reported at the capital town, KoMkhulu, where medicines were administered to induce vomiting- ukuphalaza or ukugabha. This was done early in the morning before the soldiers had taken food. The yellowish green inyongo was gotten rid of together with udenda, the slimy substance. Each community of people understands how their bodies work and have, over the years, developed community-specific strategies to deal with the situation. Of course in today’s world there are arrogant and self-appointed masters of the global village who know it all and think only their remedies are the real remedies!
Stigma was used by the Ndebele to effect desired behaviour. In one instance, food was used to do just that. Maidens were not expected to get pregnant before getting married. When that happened, there were serious economic implications. The number of cattle demanded as amalobolo was inevitably reduced. Parents were thus not amused with their daughters who became amamitha, azalela egumeni. During ceremonies such as weddings, imithimba such disgraced daughters were served separately from the rest of the maidens; their food was served in leaking baskets, izixaxa ezigxagxazayo.
The aim was so that their status was brought to the full attention of younger girls in order for them to avoid falling into the same predicament (zintombi, emsamo hatshi!) For them nothing could be salvaged. For the young this public disgrace was to serve as a deterrent and put the young girls on the small and straight path. Food, once again, becomes an expression of anti-social behaviour and is used to instill desired social behaviour-all done with economic benefit in mind.
