Different religious leaders in and around Langa gathered at the Guga Sthebe Arts and Culture Centre on Saturday 19 February to promote unity among local congregants.
The event was organised by the centre. Event organiser Rashieda Mali said the aim was to promote common understanding between African culture and Christianity.
She added the idea was to remove perceptions promoting one over the other, and urged people to stop insulting or undervaluing other people’s beliefs.
“We’ve noticed many people are fighting each other trying to protect their culture or religion,” Mali said. “Some often think their religion or culture is better than the other’s. So we want them to understand one another and unite.” She says there is no need to insult one another.
Speaking on behalf of the Christian religion, leader of Zion Apostolic Church in Mfuleni Rev Melumzi Nowala described the event as a great initiative set to unite all the people.
“As traditional churches we are also insulted or undermined by other churches,” he said. “There are church leaders who think they are superior to others. All this does is give rise to platforms where we express our grievances.
“Christian people should not look down on traditional healers.”
Nowala pointed out that some church leaders also performed traditional rituals as an adjunct to their Christian worship.
Traditional healer Lumka Mbawuli, known as Gogo Malal’egqokile, stated she and others like her needed to be respected and recognised by society.
“Being a sangoma is not a fashion,” she pointed out. “It’s a gift one is given by one’s ancestors. One cannot go through ukuthwasa (the calling to become a sangoma) without invoking their help. There are things one’s forebears show or tell one before we go for sangoma training.”
Gogo Malal’egqokile hailed the Langa event as “enlightening”.