July 25th 2010

After participating in a lively Mass in Freedom Park William, Brid and all the South African SERVE volunteers were treated to  a whole new ‘spiritual experience’.  Tsidi, who lives in Freedom Park and has become a friend to the visiting SERVE groups each year offered to introduce us to the local sangoma. The sangoma is what  some might refer to as ‘witch doctor’, however the preferred term is ‘traditional doctor’.  On arriving at the home of the sangoma, we initially saw no difference between this shack and the thousands of others we saw everyday along the roads and squatter camps of Rustenburg.  However it quickly became apparent that this was no ordinary home.  We were greeted by over twenty people who welcomed us into the yard which was surrounded by several little shacks and traditional African huts. We were then guided into a big round hut whilst being sternly directed to leave our shoes at the door.

Here we were introduced the resident sangoma, as we scattered ourselves at her feet in eager anticipation of what lay ahead of us. Tsidi explained how in order to become a sangoma one has to have inherited the gift from their ancestors and those ancestors are the one’s who make you aware of  the presence of  this gift. The sangoma sitting in front of us was the third generation of sangoma in her family. The length of time it takes to train and become one depends on each individual. This sangoma had several people being trained under her guidance.  Each pay reasonably high fees, approximately three thousand rand which is a substantial amount when you consider the average wage of a miner working approximately 72 hrs a week in one of the local platinium mines is four hundred rand.  The students all live together in this little community of shacks, some have their children living there with them also. It may take anywhere from six months to three years to qualify and if by that time the fees have not been payed the newly qualified sangoma must remain living with their ‘teacher’ until such debt is paid in full.

Through our obliging interpreter Tsidi, the sangoma explains what she is about to do. She inquires as to the surname of the  ‘customer’ , a  sum of payment (in this case fifty rand) is handed over and she rolls out a small mat in front of her.  On top of this she empties out of an old wicker purse, an array of shells, stones and some oddly shaped bones. Tsidi  tells us, these are the bones of goats who roamed the freedom park squatter camp along with those of goats that roamed the township of Soweto where the sangoma grew up. What came next is difficult to describe, (Video link 'the reading' to follow; It will give you an idea of what it was like to witness this sangoma calling on  the spirits of her ancestors and that of the person she is ‘reading’ the bones for. It may not however convey the eery feeling one gets from being a part of this strange and unfirmiliar practice.) Another volunteer also had the bones read and much to the amusement of her fellow volunteers it transpired that she is prone to bouts of flatulence!

We were directed back out to the yard where a number of people ranging from little children to elderly men and women were beating franticly on drums.  We took our seats on stools and benches as the next part of the ‘spiritual’ experience began. Four sangomas in training took to the ‘stage’ in a meeting of groans and chants to call forth the ancestors of all those present.  Following this each of the students introduced themselves and told us how they came to be there. One young girl had been sent to the sangoma as her family believed she was ‘mentally disturbed’ . She believed her ancestors had ‘healed’ her and then let her know that she possessed this gift to become one herself. Another girl came to see the sangoma in the hope of finding relief from some form of skin allergy which covered her whole body and caused her enormous pain. It was plain to see that was no longer afflicted by this skin allergy and as was the case with the first girl, she felt her ancestors made her aware of this gift allowing her to speak with those gone before us and so she remained with the samgoma and begun her studies to become one herself.

Before leaving we thanked the sangoma and her ‘family’ for allowing us to experience this amazing insight into African culture and tradition. On the way home we  discussed what we had just witnessed and pondered the positive and negative aspects of this form of healing.

Do people receive a correct diagnosis when they seek out the sangoma to explain their illness?

Do others question the ‘results’ of the bones, if they feel the reading does not relate to them in any way ?

Do people go on to see someone in the modern health care setting if they feel the sangoma has not rectified their health concerns?

AND

Do people visit the sangoma as her fees per reading are approximately one third the cost of a visit to see a modern doctor…. ?

Food for thought !