Understanding African Indigenous Spirituality

Welcome to Unpopular Opinion. We continue our conversation with Mr. Sam Langer. about African indigenous spirituality, African hidden voices, revelation home, spiritual home, and generally about the African spirituality itself. Yes. We were talking about spiritual guides. Can we go into maybe details as to... What are these African Indigenous spiritual guides? I know you've made mention of the likes of Mkulu Credo Motua. Quite interesting, there is a lady on TikTok who bashes African tradition and spirituality left and right. She's quite a chief, I call her the chief representative of the Christians on that platform. But then there's one part that she acknowledged that you are not going to defeat these people because in the spirit realm, they have um representing them or something like that um please uh let's engage around that yeah well remember the concept of spiritual guidance per se it's actually misunderstood it's not known simply because of the loss of our spiritual our spirituality when uh religions were introduced here in africa yeah so there's a gap between us today and who our ancestors were before colonization. And we must also understand that the major colonization that actually took place in Africa was a religious colonization. This was the major one because it ripped us off from our spiritual roots. and converted us into accepting the Western belief systems. So now it's hard today for people to embrace the spiritual guidance. Hence, we see the likes of Ubabu Credomuto, who was not acknowledged in his existence in Plabein, and whose work was bashed. Some of the people even thought or portrayed Ubabu Credomuto as umtagat. That's because of the concept of... Spiritual guidance is misunderstood. We can start by first understanding the concept of prophets according to Western religions. That there's a prophet who are God's representatives on earth. But no, these are God's representatives. They deliver the messages of the divine and they have a connection with God. the prophets. And remember, a prophet is a physical person. And now they're saying this physical person has a deep connection with God, their God. And now, according to African indigenous spirituality, and according to spiritual guidance, we are saying these spiritual guidance are physical, central, spiritual beings. By whom? By whom? This is who you are. Is it true, Nyoa Lezo, who are deities, who remind the authority to interact non-darkly in matters of the abode theory? Whom they deliver those messages through revelations to these spiritual beings, physical, spiritual, central beings. So now, if you can pay attention to some of the characteristics of these religious prophets. you'll realize these concepts were actually stolen here in Africa because we always had a spiritual guidance and one of the terms to tell our spiritual guidance was Imboni hence but now it's different to e-prophets hence there's no indigenous name you for profit. It truly shows that concept was actually Western. They are trying, most of the Christian people, they are trying to, what can I say? I mean, that is the whole thing with most of the words that we use. We tend to Africanize non-African words. We tend to even colonize ourselves in the process and putting it in our language. At one time, it was even fancy to say, I did see more of it than to say I saw Sangoma. Exactly. Because there was a time when African spirituality, African traditional healing system, African culture was banned. They were lost like the Witchcraft Suppression Act of 1895, Witchcraft Ordinance Act of 1927, 1828 by the British, and Act No. 7 of 1952, Witchcraft Suppression Act of South Africa. whereby it created this perception, this concept now that our people are having of Istunyo, whereby our healers or imbonizetu went into the church, into the Christian church. And then they come up with this modern concept of Istunyo, whereby we see that people are talking about Ispiga, Isambato. But when in reality is that... when these African spiritual practices were prohibited, people going into the church, they then get to replace the beads that they have with indomitable, blue and white and whatever. They go to replace the divination bones or other method that they use to divine or to see or the revelation. They'll then replace it with the Bible. They had that thing of... They just open everywhere in the Bible and start to say, they are telling you your thing. They then replace imiti and other prescription with isuashu. They replaced amapai with those pig and so forth. So you touched up, and they call it istunyo. But you touched about istunyo. Let's talk about istunyo. Because... From the Nguni cosmology, I'll take one. The cosmology of Umensi, where we talk about the Nguni word for mudi, mukimensi. Umensi, wonky, right? And then Umensi owns seven, what they call the seven universal guardian spirits, or its two years gamens, which is ma, which is umvelingangi, which is sotume. which is Nom Kobulwane, which is Nom Hoi, Umlen Zemunye. So those are the seven. It's Tunyo Zomoy. They are not necessarily related to anyone alive. They are not your family, ancestor. But it's Tunyo Zomoy, like you said, Izo Elemoya, in the world of spirits. In the Xhosa, we talk of Kamata. And then Okamata, also the Ados is Tunu. Most people don't understand that. When you say Kamaku, you talk about is Tunu, a spiritual guide. It's Tunu, so glung. Or clothes, or head, is Tunu this. And not just words to say, let it be, or amen, or replacement of amen, for those who try to interpret African indigenous spirituality through religious lenses. Right. So... And then you get them even in the Botswana. We talk about Din Divani. We talk about Toveha. We talk about Mubi. We talk about Lua. We talk about Mazie. So you get them all around. So now in the context of what you're saying now, in terms of East Tuna, can you explain it from African indigenous spirituality and the revelation home, spiritual home? Okay. Look, I'll touch on that. But let me... first finish that part of spiritual guides because it will lead us then to end up by his tool. Yes. And like we say, a spiritual guide in born again and one of a spiritual guide, a guide us again we through example, those in Koso Moe are spiritual kings. But now they differ because of their mandate, one, and their authority through a high right. So iimbouni are people in the physical world, abambe, to assist who you are, estize, that holds a certain hierarchy and authority in the spiritual dimension. which also can be identified as a deity, who then are given a role to become spiritual guide us in their era. Because of it is important that we also distinguish the importance of Wuti. They do not just come at any time or day, but they ascend on a spiritual purpose for a particular era. If for an example, if you can pay attention to Umanzuupa was born in the late 1700s. And if you can pay attention to her journey throughout the 1800s, you will come to learn that she was sent to become a spiritual guide. a traditional king called Mshueshwe. Yes. So through the spiritual guidance of Mshueshwe was able to win wars against white imperialists. And again, we learn again, throughout that period, we also learn she was able to pronounce a revelation about the coming of a pandemic. that came from India that will plague in Gorm. And again, in that space, there was famine during that era, whom Mansook was able to play a pivotal role to pray and ask for Indoni in Vula. So these spiritual figures have important roles to play in those spiritual, in those eras. Hence, Kosomoia revealed to Wotu those eras, they come for every hundred years to show Wotu Izo Lomoia has always been with black people. But the problem is that black people have lost their spiritual identity so much that they are spiritually bankrupt, that they can't identify who is sent in that particular era. Another important spiritual guide is Uyimboni Unzikan from the Xhosa side. And I did mention one of his unknown yet... most powerful revelation. This is what I want to say. Meaning that the physical being of Mdomyama is into ruins. And the only time we can see the resurrection of Mdomyama is through the return of one's identity, which is a spiritual identity. And then we have now who pronounced, in fact, gave revelations as powerful about known political figures. But they did not listen to him. Exactly. So now you then see who the existence is. Because of... They did not embrace Ubabu Kredo Mutesapi. And this is something that Nkosomoya always reveals, Uguti, when history is still present. People think, Uguti, they are aware of, they are making history, but they are not. But they only acknowledge history when it's in the past. So now, in Boni, Ubabu Kredo, we saw people starting to now post about what he has He has pronounced, he did this, he did that. But why didn't they acknowledge those revelations while they were appealing? So the function and purpose of spiritual guidance in Boni No. 1 is to guide Israel on matters of national importance. And now these spiritual guidance, they have what we call the 80s. And these spiritual deities, they have direct connection to Um Dali. So they carry messages of the spiritual world to the physical world through these spiritual guides. And then another office that is much different to Eyo Bumboni, because Bumboni is a spiritual guide. And again, we have a spiritual king who then has a higher authority, imagine, of a spiritual. of a spiritual leader, Imbuoni, who is a spiritual king. Then what is a spiritual king? A spiritual king is a physical, spiritual central figure who holds manje the highest position. Nkosi Omo. Nkosi Omo. Nkosi Omo is then given the authority to also anoint Amakosi Uenyama. And he's also given the, what's this? The role and responsibility to establish what we call a spiritual institution, Izuelo Moya. So basically what we saw during the coronation of Izuelo Samabad, the king of the Zulu, the role played by the bishops of the Anglican church, they actually adopted the role of Ingos Yomoya, which is to anoint Amakos according to Tradition. Because the king, I studied theology with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. I was given a scholarship by the late Abuna Paulos. I was given a four-year scholarship to study a degree in theology with the Orthodox Church. One of the things I learned in the Ethiopian creation story, the book of Jubilee, They make mention of creation in sequence. They talk about eight things we created on the first day. Actually, first when they say, in the beginning was the word. Yes. Yizh. In the beginning was the word. They're going to give you the language the word comes from, which is basically Ge'ez. Yes. Which they call it Ye'exabir Kwan Kwan, the language of God. Yes. So in there they said, this language originally is made up of 22 alphabets. Yes. So therefore. God used eight alphabets on Sunday, one on Monday, three on Tuesday, three on Wednesday, three on Thursday, four on Friday. All of them are 22, to create 22 creations. Now with the 22 creations being created there, the eight ones of the first day was the four elements, the light, the darkness, the seven heavens, and the angels. And then I want to zoom into one part of it, which is the angels. Now with the angels, then they talk about that there are four classes of angels. The cherubim, the seraphim, the archangels and the angels. Now they say these four classes, they then have nine orders, which is principalities, powers, kings, priests, prophets. These are all heavenly or angelic orders. I'm taking what you're saying to explain it. to those who are still stuck up in Christology or in Judeo-Christianity, to give them a grounding and understanding of what we are talking about in their own terms. The seven, these angels, I'm bringing to the concept of inborn, that is an angelic order. It's a spiritual order. It's the highest office in the spiritual world on earth. It's a... He's representing the highest mandate on earth, which is Omdali. So that is why they have the powers to anoint Amakos. Because Omkos is the spiritual kings. We have the powers to anoint the physical kings. Which kingship itself is a spiritual thing. Because the king must represent the spiritual culture of his people. And which is the problem we are having with our kings today, that they are either Christian or they are part of political parties. True. And in an African traditional system, the king cannot be a Christian or a Muslim or a member of any political party. He should represent the indigenous spirituality of his ancestors who established that kingship. And that is why Ingo's Yomoya, Mboni. is important in the anointment of the king. And then you had Ustai during Shagazul, during the days of Ushak, Ilembi. And then you had Mrenamutu, who was also advisor for King Ushak, Basutusai. And then you had Kimpavinta, when you're going up now, Angola, Congo, Sam Kimbangu, you know. Those were our imbuni, our spiritual guides. And to touch on that, look, in Kosyomoi, Babu Zilezi, recently in May, we saw a spiritual historical moment whereby a traditional king was anointed by a spiritual king. Inko Sabateto, Umelizo, was anointed by Inko Siyomoye. Lest we forget, he sought for refuge. So the history is repeating itself, showing us with reality, as you are in your age, in your age. And to show that really, really, African indigenous spirituality has always played a pivotal role in every facet of our lives. You also see, Uguti, we see some of the kings, known kings like South Africa, who were anointed by the Western religions. It truly shows, Uguti, really, really, that concept of a spiritual king and a traditional king. It's a concept that originates in Africa. And that has been achieved. And then there's Isponagali, so a revelation that was pronounced by Usamun Kimbangu. in his era in Congo. And I like to distinguish Lento Gakulu because of O Amathubi Bakam Gagupi, a Congo. And now Imboni from a Congo now gives Manje a pronouncement, there's going to be a spiritual king that will emerge. And that particular spiritual king, he will carry three powerful gifts, which is... the spiritual power, the scientific power, and the political power. And we'll recognize the spiritual king by writing the book. And now through validating magic, and we came to the evidence of what he was complimenting the coming of Babu Zilezo because of Amakoso Mwede complimented her. Today, the very first person who wrote about the original spirituality, which is African-Indigenous spirituality, and he carries these three gifts because he advises in terms of science, he advises in terms of, he guides in fact, in terms of spirituality and also politics. Because remember, politics, it's something that also stems from our traditions. We had our own politics. Our indigenous politics. Exactly. Again, to also add about amakosomo and Nimboni complimenting each other. Ubabu Mutua has met in his era wasangana no babu uzi lezwe. Passing now the peyton to say babu uzi lezwe. Mbiza manji gomwe zinda aba. Um techi wamakuni so to say. You are the one now in this era giving the bait to carry on Manje Kaidi Nyi Sisu. Because people are now spiritually bankrupt so much that they don't have the money to carry the load. Hence we see now the rise of depression and suicide. It's because people are spiritually bankrupt. And they are resorting to religion as an escape goal to find... to fill the void. So the role of spiritual kings in this era and also Mandulu was to guide this Izu through messages that come from Izu and they do so by the incarnation of Idaro which is a deities. Hence you spoke about the important role of Istunya. Istunya holds the highest office based on the hierarchy who carries messages from Umdadi. Hence Umabambule Lugutit the temple He must call Um Dali as Um Fihlagalo because of Um Dali, he continues to become a mystery to human beings. Agabono. So in spirituality, you can never know everything like religion says. Religion has answers to everything. But the spirituality can never know. In the language of the Bapedi, there is a saying that Exactly. What is unknown and unknowable. Yes. And of course, we go back to ancient Kemet. When you say Amen, which are the attributes of Amen, it means the hidden one. The hidden one. The unknown one. The mysterious one. The mysterious one. Hence, in Africa, we never fought over religion. We don't have any instance where they say Africans fought over God. Because we have always understood that when you come to God, you talk about divine wisdom. Mphishaka. Mphishaka. Mphishaka. Yes. Now, speaking in that context, some will be throwing questions around and be saying, Where was God, our African God, or God as we know him, in Fikakalo during colonialism and slavery? It's a very good question. Begegu upi ve. Because of now, the question stems, Manji, to say, did Africa start... a few years or few decades before the introduction of colonization? No. Colonialism and slavery is not our history. It interrupted our history. Exactly. Our history goes back to timeless immemorial. Exactly. So now people are asking Guti, remember I just given you one of them. I gave you Babu Mutwa during the apartheid era in South Africa. He was there. He was revealing himself. That says we're no more. But people paid less attention to. Namusadze we have in Koso Moe, Babu Zilezo. People are calling him a cult. And if you can pay attention to the concept of a cult, it comes from irreligion. You know, irreligion, it's one-sided. Anything that does not make sense to them, it's demonic. It's demonic. It's cult. It's cult. But now when it comes to African indigenous spirituality, everything goes in two ways. That is why I'm a pastor. Yes, I'm a pastor. I'm a pastor. I'm a pastor. I'm a pastor. Because of the moment you pass up, you're opening a channel of where the physicality is. Anyone can come. Because of the people who have passed on to the spiritual world, some of them were not pure. At the time they lived in their existence in Sabene. So the moment when you call everyone, everyone then comes to you. You don't have spiritual wisdom to understand. When you call upon in a form of fukpa, you only call upon the good side of spirituality. So it takes us back to say that question by which people always ask. He has always been there. I have always been sent. Because of the loss of our spiritual wisdom. We can't even identify even today those who are sent. We can't even identify those who are telling the truth. We can't even identify whether this one was actually sent. Because we lack even the criteria by which we need to use in order to distinguish the truth from the false. Our ancestors gave in to Crete. to religion. Some of them were forced. Some of them were better because it was something that was forced into us. Hence the conversion. In African indigenous spirituality, there's no such a thing as conversion. Remember conversion, it's something that we convert into your own. Something that is not yours, it's foreign. So if we had embraced our spiritual identities at the time these people came. And recognize our spiritual leaders. Remember, Nkosomoya always says that everyone who is part of politics, you know why politics is failing? Everyone wants to prove a point by leading. I can provide a better service than the others. And then we come running, supporting this one. Because no one wants to follow the proper channels. So, okay. And if you can pay attention, religion does not... allow people to do researches. Hence I embrace you to say you're doing a great job by researching. There's no research in religion. Religion tells you what you need to believe. Hence I said there's a difference between belief and knowing. You are told to believe and have faith on something you do not understand. But in African Indigenous spirituality you have to research. There's a research organization that Nkosomoia started, so that the world can see that he's not hiding anything here. You can even take what he says and go further and research to validate his authenticity. So people say, where was Umdaali? And again, they say, where was God? Again, they're using the religious term to identify the African day age. Sorry, Umdaali. So you see, we are even governed by a vocabulary. of irlichi nya peshe ya to try and understand our own self. And speaking in spelling, you're casting out spells. Exactly. So when you say God, you are bringing in another foreign entity, spiritual entity, because it exists. It does not necessarily exist in a good way, but it exists as something that comes from a particular cultural context. For instance, God comes from the Norse and the Scandinavian mythology. Yes. which is basically all witches, all wizards and all wikers when they are put together. It's called God, G-O-D. So you're invoking something foreign. But this is where also it becomes problematic that the colonizers, in translation, you can't translate the name, Ulanga, Ulanga, in any language. But the colonizers come with a God here, called him Jesus. And then when he meet Batswana, he become Udimu. When he meet the Xhosa, he become Kamata. When he meet Matsonga, he become Shikwembo. But, you know. Now, it showed the mischievousness that what type of entity is this that is so chameleon-like? That is, it takes on the shape and images of the other. But it was purely to use something that is familiar with us to introduce something that is foreign, which was the foreign religion. Hence, you find that the missionaries, they were very clear. They targeted Amakoswit. They targeted our kings to convert the kings so that the kings can convert the nation. Because… If you have converted the king, the king will just give you a royal decree. From now on, everybody, like there is a story from the Kebra Negers, the Ethiopian holy book, about the conversation of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. And after Solomon converted the Queen of Sheba, Queen of Ethiopia, when she go back to her country, the first decree was like, from now on, you no more worship what you were worshiping. We're going to worship the God of Israel. And I always... point out that that was the beginning of the colonization of Africa through religion. That was 3,000 years ago, before the missionaries of 200 years ago. That they used the higher authority in your society to convert you. They used the higher authority in your spiritual world. The word mudimu, ramasedi, shikuembo, and say ramasedi, mudimu, shikuembo is Jesus. Now how can this one entity be all of that? And then because of they are throwing around monotheism and as if you subscribe to monotheism, you are a true believer. And therefore you have to say God is one. And then you are incorporating this one foreign God into your many different understanding of God, which is facilitation of colonialism. Yes. So now there is something that also came out of this question when you answering the question here. or clarifying this concept of where was umdal which is basically to say there's there's always been umdal and there's always been a is to yes there was always been a messenger some dad to keep the people in in their right path yes but then the people choose the other way yeah they they they just just on that point they they abandoned their spiritual guidance yes and now the consequences of that it's what unfolded yes so the more we don't listen to these spiritual guidance the worse we are going to and this is the part where most activists yes uh undermine the the the role played by foreign religions yes most whether they are pan-africanist african nationalists Black Consciousness undermined the role played by Judaism, Christianity and Islam in our colonization, in our enslavement, in giving expression to imperialism. Yes. That most of us, we don't understand that the first institution that was destroyed during colonization is the Institution of African Indigenous Spirituality. True. And today we're trying to regain our... through politics instead of through African indigenous spirituality, like re-clean our spirit back and then our African indigenous spirituality will then guide our politics, will then guide our economics, like we talk about economic freedom, but it was a point of gaining economic freedom if we're going to consume like Westerners, if we're going to engage in Western consumerism and Western class materialism and what we are seeing now with our... Politicians and advocates of this political freedom and economic freedom, in the absence of spiritual guidance, where is it leading again? So we need to look at the total liberation, the total freedom, and beginning with the fact that an African is a spiritual being. So he needs to center himself with his African indigenous spirituality. And on that point, Remember what happened in 1994 when we first got our political freedom? Our parents were so excited, we were ecstatic. Finally. Seskulu lekiile. Not so kulu leka. Seskulu lekiile. That was the perception. But 30 years later, the question begs, are we free? Free. And we find that we are not free. Yes. Because they nonsensify the freedom by giving us few things. Freedom means voting regularly. Freedom means going to the same toilet with the same people who used to refuse us to go to the same toilet with them. Freedom means now I can buy in the same shop. Freedom means we can marry the women that they did not allow us to marry under the Immorality Act. So they reduced freedom into, they nonsensify it, they reduce it into small something, and 30 years later we realize that we are not. Yes. And on that point, I also want to also put to light that the role... of the existence or acknowledging your spiritual identity which comes strongly by embracing the african indigenous spirituality it's for spiritual growth spiritual spiritual growth yes there's the growth of your spirit yes and that's something many people overlook that it's not enough to only practice spirituality on the basis of spiritual rituals and learning about the the past. It's also about gaining spiritual maturity in your spirit through the spiritual revelation teachings. That is why spiritual kings and also inborn spiritual guides are playing a huge spiritual role. That is why they deem spiritual institutions as kulayo, like in Revelation, spiritual home as a cult. But they don't understand the function of a spiritual institution of an individual. That is why black people, they resort today in politics as today's saviors. The great priests today are politicians. They are preaching in their pulpits to say, no, come to me. You don't need to do that. But they don't understand the very people who are voting are experiencing a spiritual bankrupt, a spiritual void. Because of their leaning into politics, thinking politics will give them what they need. And what is... important to highlight here is that what is physical is less important. Hence, Eli Fomuntu has a birth date and a death date. But now, in that space that you are given, are we here to fulfill our political interests? Are we here to fulfill our personal desires? There's more into such. And now through African indigenous spirituality we learn lay on. Lungu tisila also ukzo kulisa umuoya. Umuoya melukule through spiritual experiences of in fiko, zomoya. Because of in spirituality we understand the flesh is temporal while the spirit is infinite. It's permanent. So upuma from an infinite space which is a spiritual world. venturing into a physical world, giving an opportunity to establish yourself also spiritually. So imagine if... What type of spirit are you going to be? That is why many people are saying... It's because of man. Colonization. It disturbed our spiritual maturity. It disturbed our spirituality so much that... meaning now they are with indoctrinations coming from the western beliefs actually speaking on that in some of the studies where that is being thrown around when they speak of the world of the departed first let me touch the part you were talking about That is why the rites of burial are part of the process of helping the soul to transcend into the other world. True. Then there will be those rituals that are because they're making a clear distinction between it was L.A.B. and it was L.A.B. So, and then the second part of it is that there is the living and the living dead. Yes. Now, the living dead are... The most recently departed spirits. Now, these most recently departed spirits have not fully made transition. That is why they will come back with the confusion of Western religion and say, Funege sambat, Funege speak. But this is a spirit that has not fully transitioned and therefore it is still conflicted. It hasn't been completely Imbululu and Imbuele, Imandu, or Imbuele to the spirit world in its purest sense before it was corrupted by colonization and missionary religion. To touch on the part important that you just highlighted, Inklambulu'uko. Yeah. Yeah. Inklambulu'uko ishugiyile. Yeah. You see, there's Inklambulu'uko, a religion whereby they say you need to convert to be born again. Yeah. You see, now Leonto, it creates a perception of African indigenous spirituality. It's impure. Impure. Because of now you're converting to a certain religion. That says for you to be accepted as pure and holy and have the Holy Spirit, you need to be converted or undergo a conversion through baptism. But now, according to African indigenous spirituality, in Kambunuku, it's different. And this is why Ubonukuti, even in Kambunuku, I found in Kambunuku, yes, too. Hence, we need spiritual kings and guidance because they provide in Kambunuku. That is why you see, let me make a practical example. And I wish we can pursue that as a research. What happens to people who leave and what happens to people who depart from this world to the spiritual world, having to inherit a doctrine of the Western civilization, the Western religion. Those people are not the same. They take the form of how they used to live. So now, you see, you receive a religion from your parents or from the influence of your friends, or whatsoever. And then you leave this world having to become a Christian. As a normal, you become a Christian. But your original ancestors who did not undergo the conversion, because of where? We have spiritual experiences whereby people from the spirit world who undergone a conversionary religion, they come back through their children to say, But in his or her existence as a pillar, one was able to inherit a religion as a West. That person needs to also undergo Jambuluk. And then people will come and say, but I did dream. Therefore, because of Lito Ngoleli, then I deem it as authentic. It's not. We actually... if you worship the God of the enemy of your ancestors, you become your ancestors'enemy. Exactly. So we have a saying, this is within our Bandi Soul Society Institute, we have a saying which characterizes a stage, it's a psychological, spiritual state. Yes. But also when we were reasoning with Imboni yesterday, he also gave a complimentary statement to this, saying that there is a stage between... When you're moving from Christianity to Africanity, there is a stage we refer to as post-traumatic Christian syndrome. Now this post-traumatic Christian syndrome is one which most of our people are suffering from. Even when they're getting into these African spirituality spaces, they're still coming up with... The hangovers of that religious dogma and doctrine that came with colonization. And therefore, it created Africans to be schizophrenic. It creates spiritual psychosis, whereby we find our people are spiritually conflicted. They are double talking. They are suffering from double consciousness. You know, one leg is in Africa, the other leg is in Jerusalem. Exactly. You know, so... So it is very important that you mention the issue of Inka Mbuluko. Inka Mbuluko, yes. Because we need to purify as we're returning to our source in its purest sense. Yes, and we can take that process of Inka Mbuluko, the process of purification, of the restoration of an African indigenous spiritual identity, by claiming it as... The unlearning and relearning. So we are unlearning the Western belief systems and ideologies. And relearning, the knowledge of knowing that comes through the revelation teachings. Hence, I say it is important that not only should we embrace the past about African indigenous spirituality, but also in the present moment, we need to also embrace the existence of this. physical, spiritual, central figures who play a pivotal role in growing the spirit. Because once your spirit is growing, it's maturing through the spiritual foods, you are able to interact politically, you are able to interact economically, you are able to understand this in the context of in-faith. And this is where now you see, Uguchi, most people who are championing the growth of the spirit. They understand most of the things of Elendor. Even the concept of, there's this phrase, Jacob of all trades, master of none. Let me tell you, spiritually, we have Jacob of all trades. You know why? Because of spirit is light and when it grows, you are able to champion anything that which you need to master. Look at the concepts of these cartoons, like the Dragon Ball Z, those cartoons that are super, superhuman. This concept originates from us because we were superhuman. So the moment you embrace the spiritual growth, you undergo, you enter into a phase of reaching your fullest potential. If you say, I have reached my fullest potential as a human being, that means you have restored your spiritual identity. Nothing on this earth will defeat you. And I'm not talking about perfection here. There's no perfection in Kabe. But now we're talking about now understanding the key fundamentals of now having these spiritual revelations, growing your spirit. Because if you have an eternal life ahead of you, so if you don't engage in growing your spirit, How will you then engage spiritually in the spiritual life? Another important key to understand is when people we've seen people who commit suicide. Let me tell you. According to you are cutting short this cut have given you. And you will then remain in a certain spiritual dimension. So people who take impilos up, they are not welcome in the spiritual world. Hence, many come through their families to say, You see, there's the difference between Chambluko, Estu, and Eza. through spiritual guides and also in Lhambu Nukuyo Bungoma. Ngoba Neng Ngu Bungoma Melugu Lhambu Nuke. That is why we see now people can't even distinguish between Isangoma Isi Lhambu Nukile Nesngar Lhambu Luka. How can Isangoma Lhambu Nukile Sikanda I I Umuti Obulalayo. How can How can Utiwena U U U Nengu Ngu Bungoma U But yet, we are a humble, we are Tuwala. When we are Tuwala, it's like taking something that is foreign to your ancestors, and then we let it in. So we create a bango. So the Gathir religion, it's more or less, it's Tuwala good. Because of now we're taking something that is not ours, and make it ours. That is why there's conflict of interest. Again. Why there's so much tribalism and racism? It's because of black people have not understood that Aonando, that makes us one. It's our spiritual identity. It's not our cultures. It's not our languages. It's not our, it's our spiritual identity. And once you are spiritually inclined and you are growing spiritually, you will understand one thing here. That you and I are common first because of your spiritual beings. That is why Gose Moya says, spirit is thicker than blood. Yep. family members who can actually go to the meeting or the meeting. That is why spirit is thicker than blood. You and I, because of Singapore, that is why there is a huge division. Hence, we can't even fight our own battle against white colonization or land expropriation. Because of now we're saying no. We are South Africans. How do you identify yourself as a South African? How do you identify yourself as a Zimbabwean? It's because we have not reached our fullest potential as spiritual beings to say, we can only expropriate this land by first acknowledging that as African people, we are spiritually inclined and what makes us common is spirituality. So basically what we are saying here is that we share spiritual unity. Yes. When we took off. African spirituality, we're talking about that African spiritual unity that we share in peace. What has been able to be established in this conversation is one that is to do away with the misconception that once people are getting out of colonial religion and are making claims of African spirituality, they start to tell you that nobody teaches African spirituality. You don't need anybody to show you African spirituality. And I always say this is a... rebelliousness that is born out of, you are rebelling from this colonial control system. And then you are getting into some nihilism of some sort. And therefore you don't understand and recognize that even in this realm, there are spiritual guides. Yes, it takes us back to the most important point you've raised. Although people are trying so much to accept African indigenous spirituality, but they are still trapped mentally. You see, because they have not undergone fully the transformation of returning back. Because it's not enough to only practice rituals of the spirit, but it is important to grow the spirit, to also get rid of the ill-end, the religion, and go and win in the mind. Because of that is why we have people who say, no, but it's because of mental slavery again. Because colonization also played a role again in mental slavery. So we must stop using colonial religious concepts in order to define African spiritual phenomena. And we must also accept that African indigenous spirituality does have spiritual guiders. We have guiders. We must accept that. There's always a teacher in a classroom. It's not a free for all. It's not a free for all. And more especially that we are coming from a condition of colonization and enslavement. Whereby institutions were established to suppress this African indigenous spiritual knowledge. So you have to be guided. But anyway, it is in. it is african that is every um everything in the society have a guiding hand yes look again the history of our spirituality it's a knowledge that you can take in mentally but what about your spirit you see that is why i'm saying spiritual knowledge through revelation teachings yeah it grows your spirit to even enhance our history yeah But it's not enough only to know the history of what our spirituality was. Hence people come with the notion that anyone can be spiritual. So you can't be spiritual with one element. You can't be spiritual by being You can't be spiritual by only saying It's not enough. What is to be fully What is to be spiritual? It's when you have restored your spiritual identity. And this is most, most important. Not only do spiritual guiders come to deliver a message of national importance for the nation, but they also form part of our day-to-day life, so that they can help us reach our fullest potential by embracing our spiritualities. So hence I say to you that people want to engage on spiritual matters mentally, and that's a huge problem. spirituality is reality if you don't deal with reality you don't deal with spirituality exactly because if we were to argue right now about one spiritual matter I would always ask you who is or what is the source of the information when you say you see that's the difference we need to reason as black people and critical thinking analytical thinking has always been what we used to be. But today, we no longer become analytical and critical. No, this person, he's running a spiritual institution and there's a lot of things he can't do. Yeah. Look, you talk like a person only called. You see how damaging belief is. You end up believing in something you yourself were born with. That's it. No, you can't do that. That's not true. Your friend buys a new car, gets married, has an established business. Because he knew him two years back. Where's proof? Mboni said in your research unit, which is quite good. There is a research that is taking place in the knowledge aspect of the spiritual expression. And then he said one of the research that has been established. by African hidden voices is that the religion damaged your prefrontal cortex. Prefrontal cortex. And now it has become a program, a mindset program. Because of now we also need to decolonize the mind. And why do we say that? It's because of the moment you convert into a religion, it turns you into what they term as scholars. And... a neurologist, a religious fundamentalist. Our funugus are next. When I say, Uchiesu, Uka, Uchiesu. Yeah, that's it. You don't want to engage in anything. No. Red, it ends there. No, you don't do that. Yeah. So that means your prefrontal cortex has been damaged. Yeah. You need to first listen to a person in order to engage. And now this program, your mindset, is able to assist you then to overcome such. and restoring your prefrontal cortex because this is where now your critical thinking takes place, your analytical thinking takes place. That is why the existence of two distinctive parts in our research organization where we have the qualitative research and analysis and the quantitative research and analysis where I now partake into now the critical part of using quantitative analysis to validate what is deemed as non-existent. And through facts, we are able to come up with effectual insights to support that. Thank you very much. This is an unpopular opinion. Yes. Conversation between Tautau Haramanuba and Mr. Semlanga. Yes. Post-traumatic Christian disorder is a serious problem. Yes. Prefrontal cortex. is damaged. So let us repair, let us reconstruct, let us decolonize and return to our African indigenous spirituality. Thank you so much for raising this platform with your presence and for sharing much needed knowledge. We have to decolonize. It's a must. You don't have any choice. Thank you. Thank you.

Can we go into maybe details as to... What are these African Indigenous spiritual guides? I know you've made mention of the likes of Mkulu Credo Motua.

Quite interesting, there is a lady on TikTok who bashes African tradition and spirituality left and right. She's quite a chief, I call her the chief representative of the Christians on that platform. But then there's one part that she acknowledged that you are not going to defeat these people because in the spirit realm, they have um representing them or something like that um please uh let's engage around that yeah well remember the concept of spiritual guidance per se it's actually misunderstood it's not known simply because of the loss of our spiritual our spirituality when uh religions were introduced here in africa yeah so there's a gap between us today and who our ancestors were before colonization.

And we must also understand that the major colonization that actually took place in Africa was a religious colonization. This was the major one because it ripped us off from our spiritual roots. and converted us into accepting the Western belief systems. So now it's hard today for people to embrace the spiritual guidance. Hence, we see the likes of Ubabu Credomuto, who was not acknowledged in his existence in Plabein, and whose work was bashed.

Some of the people even thought or portrayed Ubabu Credomuto as umtagat. That's because of the concept of... Spiritual guidance is misunderstood. We can start by first understanding the concept of prophets according to Western religions. That there's a prophet who are God's representatives on earth.

But no, these are God's representatives. They deliver the messages of the divine and they have a connection with God. the prophets.

And remember, a prophet is a physical person. And now they're saying this physical person has a deep connection with God, their God. And now, according to African indigenous spirituality, and according to spiritual guidance, we are saying these spiritual guidance are physical, central, spiritual beings. By whom?

By whom? This is who you are. Is it true, Nyoa Lezo, who are deities, who remind the authority to interact non-darkly in matters of the abode theory?

Whom they deliver those messages through revelations to these spiritual beings, physical, spiritual, central beings. So now, if you can pay attention to some of the characteristics of these religious prophets. you'll realize these concepts were actually stolen here in Africa because we always had a spiritual guidance and one of the terms to tell our spiritual guidance was Imboni hence but now it's different to e-prophets hence there's no indigenous name you for profit.

It truly shows that concept was actually Western. They are trying, most of the Christian people, they are trying to, what can I say? I mean, that is the whole thing with most of the words that we use. We tend to Africanize non-African words.

We tend to even colonize ourselves in the process and putting it in our language. At one time, it was even fancy to say, I did see more of it than to say I saw Sangoma. Exactly.

Because there was a time when African spirituality, African traditional healing system, African culture was banned. They were lost like the Witchcraft Suppression Act of 1895, Witchcraft Ordinance Act of 1927, 1828 by the British, and Act No. 7 of 1952, Witchcraft Suppression Act of South Africa. whereby it created this perception, this concept now that our people are having of Istunyo, whereby our healers or imbonizetu went into the church, into the Christian church.

And then they come up with this modern concept of Istunyo, whereby we see that people are talking about Ispiga, Isambato. But when in reality is that... when these African spiritual practices were prohibited, people going into the church, they then get to replace the beads that they have with indomitable, blue and white and whatever. They go to replace the divination bones or other method that they use to divine or to see or the revelation.

They'll then replace it with the Bible. They had that thing of... They just open everywhere in the Bible and start to say, they are telling you your thing. They then replace imiti and other prescription with isuashu. They replaced amapai with those pig and so forth.

So you touched up, and they call it istunyo. But you touched about istunyo. Let's talk about istunyo. Because...

From the Nguni cosmology, I'll take one. The cosmology of Umensi, where we talk about the Nguni word for mudi, mukimensi. Umensi, wonky, right? And then Umensi owns seven, what they call the seven universal guardian spirits, or its two years gamens, which is ma, which is umvelingangi, which is sotume. which is Nom Kobulwane, which is Nom Hoi, Umlen Zemunye.

So those are the seven. It's Tunyo Zomoy. They are not necessarily related to anyone alive.

They are not your family, ancestor. But it's Tunyo Zomoy, like you said, Izo Elemoya, in the world of spirits. In the Xhosa, we talk of Kamata. And then Okamata, also the Ados is Tunu.

Most people don't understand that. When you say Kamaku, you talk about is Tunu, a spiritual guide. It's Tunu, so glung.

Or clothes, or head, is Tunu this. And not just words to say, let it be, or amen, or replacement of amen, for those who try to interpret African indigenous spirituality through religious lenses. Right. So...

And then you get them even in the Botswana. We talk about Din Divani. We talk about Toveha.

We talk about Mubi. We talk about Lua. We talk about Mazie.

So you get them all around. So now in the context of what you're saying now, in terms of East Tuna, can you explain it from African indigenous spirituality and the revelation home, spiritual home? Okay. Look, I'll touch on that. But let me...

first finish that part of spiritual guides because it will lead us then to end up by his tool. Yes. And like we say, a spiritual guide in born again and one of a spiritual guide, a guide us again we through example, those in Koso Moe are spiritual kings.

But now they differ because of their mandate, one, and their authority through a high right. So iimbouni are people in the physical world, abambe, to assist who you are, estize, that holds a certain hierarchy and authority in the spiritual dimension. which also can be identified as a deity, who then are given a role to become spiritual guide us in their era. Because of it is important that we also distinguish the importance of Wuti.

They do not just come at any time or day, but they ascend on a spiritual purpose for a particular era. If for an example, if you can pay attention to Umanzuupa was born in the late 1700s. And if you can pay attention to her journey throughout the 1800s, you will come to learn that she was sent to become a spiritual guide.

a traditional king called Mshueshwe. Yes. So through the spiritual guidance of Mshueshwe was able to win wars against white imperialists.

And again, we learn again, throughout that period, we also learn she was able to pronounce a revelation about the coming of a pandemic. that came from India that will plague in Gorm. And again, in that space, there was famine during that era, whom Mansook was able to play a pivotal role to pray and ask for Indoni in Vula.

So these spiritual figures have important roles to play in those spiritual, in those eras. Hence, Kosomoia revealed to Wotu those eras, they come for every hundred years to show Wotu Izo Lomoia has always been with black people. But the problem is that black people have lost their spiritual identity so much that they are spiritually bankrupt, that they can't identify who is sent in that particular era.

Another important spiritual guide is Uyimboni Unzikan from the Xhosa side. And I did mention one of his unknown yet... most powerful revelation. This is what I want to say. Meaning that the physical being of Mdomyama is into ruins.

And the only time we can see the resurrection of Mdomyama is through the return of one's identity, which is a spiritual identity. And then we have now who pronounced, in fact, gave revelations as powerful about known political figures. But they did not listen to him.

Exactly. So now you then see who the existence is. Because of...

They did not embrace Ubabu Kredo Mutesapi. And this is something that Nkosomoya always reveals, Uguti, when history is still present. People think, Uguti, they are aware of, they are making history, but they are not.

But they only acknowledge history when it's in the past. So now, in Boni, Ubabu Kredo, we saw people starting to now post about what he has He has pronounced, he did this, he did that. But why didn't they acknowledge those revelations while they were appealing?

So the function and purpose of spiritual guidance in Boni No. 1 is to guide Israel on matters of national importance. And now these spiritual guidance, they have what we call the 80s. And these spiritual deities, they have direct connection to Um Dali.

So they carry messages of the spiritual world to the physical world through these spiritual guides. And then another office that is much different to Eyo Bumboni, because Bumboni is a spiritual guide. And again, we have a spiritual king who then has a higher authority, imagine, of a spiritual.

of a spiritual leader, Imbuoni, who is a spiritual king. Then what is a spiritual king? A spiritual king is a physical, spiritual central figure who holds manje the highest position.

Nkosi Omo. Nkosi Omo. Nkosi Omo is then given the authority to also anoint Amakosi Uenyama.

And he's also given the, what's this? The role and responsibility to establish what we call a spiritual institution, Izuelo Moya. So basically what we saw during the coronation of Izuelo Samabad, the king of the Zulu, the role played by the bishops of the Anglican church, they actually adopted the role of Ingos Yomoya, which is to anoint Amakos according to Tradition. Because the king, I studied theology with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

I was given a scholarship by the late Abuna Paulos. I was given a four-year scholarship to study a degree in theology with the Orthodox Church. One of the things I learned in the Ethiopian creation story, the book of Jubilee, They make mention of creation in sequence.

They talk about eight things we created on the first day. Actually, first when they say, in the beginning was the word. Yes. Yizh. In the beginning was the word.

They're going to give you the language the word comes from, which is basically Ge'ez. Yes. Which they call it Ye'exabir Kwan Kwan, the language of God. Yes.

So in there they said, this language originally is made up of 22 alphabets. Yes. So therefore.

God used eight alphabets on Sunday, one on Monday, three on Tuesday, three on Wednesday, three on Thursday, four on Friday. All of them are 22, to create 22 creations. Now with the 22 creations being created there, the eight ones of the first day was the four elements, the light, the darkness, the seven heavens, and the angels.

And then I want to zoom into one part of it, which is the angels. Now with the angels, then they talk about that there are four classes of angels. The cherubim, the seraphim, the archangels and the angels.

Now they say these four classes, they then have nine orders, which is principalities, powers, kings, priests, prophets. These are all heavenly or angelic orders. I'm taking what you're saying to explain it. to those who are still stuck up in Christology or in Judeo-Christianity, to give them a grounding and understanding of what we are talking about in their own terms. The seven, these angels, I'm bringing to the concept of inborn, that is an angelic order.

It's a spiritual order. It's the highest office in the spiritual world on earth. It's a... He's representing the highest mandate on earth, which is Omdali. So that is why they have the powers to anoint Amakos.

Because Omkos is the spiritual kings. We have the powers to anoint the physical kings. Which kingship itself is a spiritual thing.

Because the king must represent the spiritual culture of his people. And which is the problem we are having with our kings today, that they are either Christian or they are part of political parties. True.

And in an African traditional system, the king cannot be a Christian or a Muslim or a member of any political party. He should represent the indigenous spirituality of his ancestors who established that kingship. And that is why Ingo's Yomoya, Mboni. is important in the anointment of the king.

And then you had Ustai during Shagazul, during the days of Ushak, Ilembi. And then you had Mrenamutu, who was also advisor for King Ushak, Basutusai. And then you had Kimpavinta, when you're going up now, Angola, Congo, Sam Kimbangu, you know. Those were our imbuni, our spiritual guides.

And to touch on that, look, in Kosyomoi, Babu Zilezi, recently in May, we saw a spiritual historical moment whereby a traditional king was anointed by a spiritual king. Inko Sabateto, Umelizo, was anointed by Inko Siyomoye. Lest we forget, he sought for refuge.

So the history is repeating itself, showing us with reality, as you are in your age, in your age. And to show that really, really, African indigenous spirituality has always played a pivotal role in every facet of our lives. You also see, Uguti, we see some of the kings, known kings like South Africa, who were anointed by the Western religions.

It truly shows, Uguti, really, really, that concept of a spiritual king and a traditional king. It's a concept that originates in Africa. And that has been achieved.

And then there's Isponagali, so a revelation that was pronounced by Usamun Kimbangu. in his era in Congo. And I like to distinguish Lento Gakulu because of O Amathubi Bakam Gagupi, a Congo.

And now Imboni from a Congo now gives Manje a pronouncement, there's going to be a spiritual king that will emerge. And that particular spiritual king, he will carry three powerful gifts, which is... the spiritual power, the scientific power, and the political power. And we'll recognize the spiritual king by writing the book. And now through validating magic, and we came to the evidence of what he was complimenting the coming of Babu Zilezo because of Amakoso Mwede complimented her.

Today, the very first person who wrote about the original spirituality, which is African-Indigenous spirituality, and he carries these three gifts because he advises in terms of science, he advises in terms of, he guides in fact, in terms of spirituality and also politics. Because remember, politics, it's something that also stems from our traditions. We had our own politics.

Our indigenous politics. Exactly. Again, to also add about amakosomo and Nimboni complimenting each other. Ubabu Mutua has met in his era wasangana no babu uzi lezwe. Passing now the peyton to say babu uzi lezwe.

Mbiza manji gomwe zinda aba. Um techi wamakuni so to say. You are the one now in this era giving the bait to carry on Manje Kaidi Nyi Sisu. Because people are now spiritually bankrupt so much that they don't have the money to carry the load.

Hence we see now the rise of depression and suicide. It's because people are spiritually bankrupt. And they are resorting to religion as an escape goal to find...

to fill the void. So the role of spiritual kings in this era and also Mandulu was to guide this Izu through messages that come from Izu and they do so by the incarnation of Idaro which is a deities. Hence you spoke about the important role of Istunya.

Istunya holds the highest office based on the hierarchy who carries messages from Umdadi. Hence Umabambule Lugutit the temple He must call Um Dali as Um Fihlagalo because of Um Dali, he continues to become a mystery to human beings. Agabono.

So in spirituality, you can never know everything like religion says. Religion has answers to everything. But the spirituality can never know.

In the language of the Bapedi, there is a saying that Exactly. What is unknown and unknowable. Yes.

And of course, we go back to ancient Kemet. When you say Amen, which are the attributes of Amen, it means the hidden one. The hidden one.

The unknown one. The mysterious one. The mysterious one. Hence, in Africa, we never fought over religion.

We don't have any instance where they say Africans fought over God. Because we have always understood that when you come to God, you talk about divine wisdom. Mphishaka. Mphishaka. Mphishaka.

Yes. Now, speaking in that context, some will be throwing questions around and be saying, Where was God, our African God, or God as we know him, in Fikakalo during colonialism and slavery? It's a very good question.

Begegu upi ve. Because of now, the question stems, Manji, to say, did Africa start... a few years or few decades before the introduction of colonization?

No. Colonialism and slavery is not our history. It interrupted our history. Exactly. Our history goes back to timeless immemorial.

Exactly. So now people are asking Guti, remember I just given you one of them. I gave you Babu Mutwa during the apartheid era in South Africa. He was there.

He was revealing himself. That says we're no more. But people paid less attention to. Namusadze we have in Koso Moe, Babu Zilezo.

People are calling him a cult. And if you can pay attention to the concept of a cult, it comes from irreligion. You know, irreligion, it's one-sided.

Anything that does not make sense to them, it's demonic. It's demonic. It's cult.

It's cult. But now when it comes to African indigenous spirituality, everything goes in two ways. That is why I'm a pastor. Yes, I'm a pastor.

I'm a pastor. I'm a pastor. I'm a pastor.

Because of the moment you pass up, you're opening a channel of where the physicality is. Anyone can come. Because of the people who have passed on to the spiritual world, some of them were not pure.

At the time they lived in their existence in Sabene. So the moment when you call everyone, everyone then comes to you. You don't have spiritual wisdom to understand. When you call upon in a form of fukpa, you only call upon the good side of spirituality. So it takes us back to say that question by which people always ask.

He has always been there. I have always been sent. Because of the loss of our spiritual wisdom.

We can't even identify even today those who are sent. We can't even identify those who are telling the truth. We can't even identify whether this one was actually sent.

Because we lack even the criteria by which we need to use in order to distinguish the truth from the false. Our ancestors gave in to Crete. to religion.

Some of them were forced. Some of them were better because it was something that was forced into us. Hence the conversion.

In African indigenous spirituality, there's no such a thing as conversion. Remember conversion, it's something that we convert into your own. Something that is not yours, it's foreign. So if we had embraced our spiritual identities at the time these people came.

And recognize our spiritual leaders. Remember, Nkosomoya always says that everyone who is part of politics, you know why politics is failing? Everyone wants to prove a point by leading. I can provide a better service than the others. And then we come running, supporting this one.

Because no one wants to follow the proper channels. So, okay. And if you can pay attention, religion does not...

allow people to do researches. Hence I embrace you to say you're doing a great job by researching. There's no research in religion.

Religion tells you what you need to believe. Hence I said there's a difference between belief and knowing. You are told to believe and have faith on something you do not understand.

But in African Indigenous spirituality you have to research. There's a research organization that Nkosomoia started, so that the world can see that he's not hiding anything here. You can even take what he says and go further and research to validate his authenticity. So people say, where was Umdaali? And again, they say, where was God?

Again, they're using the religious term to identify the African day age. Sorry, Umdaali. So you see, we are even governed by a vocabulary.

of irlichi nya peshe ya to try and understand our own self. And speaking in spelling, you're casting out spells. Exactly. So when you say God, you are bringing in another foreign entity, spiritual entity, because it exists. It does not necessarily exist in a good way, but it exists as something that comes from a particular cultural context.

For instance, God comes from the Norse and the Scandinavian mythology. Yes. which is basically all witches, all wizards and all wikers when they are put together. It's called God, G-O-D.

So you're invoking something foreign. But this is where also it becomes problematic that the colonizers, in translation, you can't translate the name, Ulanga, Ulanga, in any language. But the colonizers come with a God here, called him Jesus. And then when he meet Batswana, he become Udimu. When he meet the Xhosa, he become Kamata.

When he meet Matsonga, he become Shikwembo. But, you know. Now, it showed the mischievousness that what type of entity is this that is so chameleon-like?

That is, it takes on the shape and images of the other. But it was purely to use something that is familiar with us to introduce something that is foreign, which was the foreign religion. Hence, you find that the missionaries, they were very clear. They targeted Amakoswit. They targeted our kings to convert the kings so that the kings can convert the nation.

Because… If you have converted the king, the king will just give you a royal decree. From now on, everybody, like there is a story from the Kebra Negers, the Ethiopian holy book, about the conversation of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. And after Solomon converted the Queen of Sheba, Queen of Ethiopia, when she go back to her country, the first decree was like, from now on, you no more worship what you were worshiping.

We're going to worship the God of Israel. And I always... point out that that was the beginning of the colonization of Africa through religion. That was 3,000 years ago, before the missionaries of 200 years ago. That they used the higher authority in your society to convert you.

They used the higher authority in your spiritual world. The word mudimu, ramasedi, shikuembo, and say ramasedi, mudimu, shikuembo is Jesus. Now how can this one entity be all of that? And then because of they are throwing around monotheism and as if you subscribe to monotheism, you are a true believer.

And therefore you have to say God is one. And then you are incorporating this one foreign God into your many different understanding of God, which is facilitation of colonialism. Yes. So now there is something that also came out of this question when you answering the question here.

or clarifying this concept of where was umdal which is basically to say there's there's always been umdal and there's always been a is to yes there was always been a messenger some dad to keep the people in in their right path yes but then the people choose the other way yeah they they they just just on that point they they abandoned their spiritual guidance yes and now the consequences of that it's what unfolded yes so the more we don't listen to these spiritual guidance the worse we are going to and this is the part where most activists yes uh undermine the the the role played by foreign religions yes most whether they are pan-africanist african nationalists Black Consciousness undermined the role played by Judaism, Christianity and Islam in our colonization, in our enslavement, in giving expression to imperialism. Yes. That most of us, we don't understand that the first institution that was destroyed during colonization is the Institution of African Indigenous Spirituality. True.

And today we're trying to regain our... through politics instead of through African indigenous spirituality, like re-clean our spirit back and then our African indigenous spirituality will then guide our politics, will then guide our economics, like we talk about economic freedom, but it was a point of gaining economic freedom if we're going to consume like Westerners, if we're going to engage in Western consumerism and Western class materialism and what we are seeing now with our... Politicians and advocates of this political freedom and economic freedom, in the absence of spiritual guidance, where is it leading again? So we need to look at the total liberation, the total freedom, and beginning with the fact that an African is a spiritual being.

So he needs to center himself with his African indigenous spirituality. And on that point, Remember what happened in 1994 when we first got our political freedom? Our parents were so excited, we were ecstatic.

Finally. Seskulu lekiile. Not so kulu leka. Seskulu lekiile. That was the perception.

But 30 years later, the question begs, are we free? Free. And we find that we are not free.

Yes. Because they nonsensify the freedom by giving us few things. Freedom means voting regularly.

Freedom means going to the same toilet with the same people who used to refuse us to go to the same toilet with them. Freedom means now I can buy in the same shop. Freedom means we can marry the women that they did not allow us to marry under the Immorality Act.

So they reduced freedom into, they nonsensify it, they reduce it into small something, and 30 years later we realize that we are not. Yes. And on that point, I also want to also put to light that the role...

of the existence or acknowledging your spiritual identity which comes strongly by embracing the african indigenous spirituality it's for spiritual growth spiritual spiritual growth yes there's the growth of your spirit yes and that's something many people overlook that it's not enough to only practice spirituality on the basis of spiritual rituals and learning about the the past. It's also about gaining spiritual maturity in your spirit through the spiritual revelation teachings. That is why spiritual kings and also inborn spiritual guides are playing a huge spiritual role. That is why they deem spiritual institutions as kulayo, like in Revelation, spiritual home as a cult. But they don't understand the function of a spiritual institution of an individual.

That is why black people, they resort today in politics as today's saviors. The great priests today are politicians. They are preaching in their pulpits to say, no, come to me.

You don't need to do that. But they don't understand the very people who are voting are experiencing a spiritual bankrupt, a spiritual void. Because of their leaning into politics, thinking politics will give them what they need. And what is... important to highlight here is that what is physical is less important.

Hence, Eli Fomuntu has a birth date and a death date. But now, in that space that you are given, are we here to fulfill our political interests? Are we here to fulfill our personal desires?

There's more into such. And now through African indigenous spirituality we learn lay on. Lungu tisila also ukzo kulisa umuoya.

Umuoya melukule through spiritual experiences of in fiko, zomoya. Because of in spirituality we understand the flesh is temporal while the spirit is infinite. It's permanent. So upuma from an infinite space which is a spiritual world. venturing into a physical world, giving an opportunity to establish yourself also spiritually.

So imagine if... What type of spirit are you going to be? That is why many people are saying...

It's because of man. Colonization. It disturbed our spiritual maturity.

It disturbed our spirituality so much that... meaning now they are with indoctrinations coming from the western beliefs actually speaking on that in some of the studies where that is being thrown around when they speak of the world of the departed first let me touch the part you were talking about That is why the rites of burial are part of the process of helping the soul to transcend into the other world. True. Then there will be those rituals that are because they're making a clear distinction between it was L.A.B. and it was L.A.B. So, and then the second part of it is that there is the living and the living dead. Yes.

Now, the living dead are... The most recently departed spirits. Now, these most recently departed spirits have not fully made transition. That is why they will come back with the confusion of Western religion and say, Funege sambat, Funege speak. But this is a spirit that has not fully transitioned and therefore it is still conflicted.

It hasn't been completely Imbululu and Imbuele, Imandu, or Imbuele to the spirit world in its purest sense before it was corrupted by colonization and missionary religion. To touch on the part important that you just highlighted, Inklambulu'uko. Yeah.

Yeah. Inklambulu'uko ishugiyile. Yeah. You see, there's Inklambulu'uko, a religion whereby they say you need to convert to be born again. Yeah.

You see, now Leonto, it creates a perception of African indigenous spirituality. It's impure. Impure. Because of now you're converting to a certain religion.

That says for you to be accepted as pure and holy and have the Holy Spirit, you need to be converted or undergo a conversion through baptism. But now, according to African indigenous spirituality, in Kambunuku, it's different. And this is why Ubonukuti, even in Kambunuku, I found in Kambunuku, yes, too.

Hence, we need spiritual kings and guidance because they provide in Kambunuku. That is why you see, let me make a practical example. And I wish we can pursue that as a research.

What happens to people who leave and what happens to people who depart from this world to the spiritual world, having to inherit a doctrine of the Western civilization, the Western religion. Those people are not the same. They take the form of how they used to live.

So now, you see, you receive a religion from your parents or from the influence of your friends, or whatsoever. And then you leave this world having to become a Christian. As a normal, you become a Christian. But your original ancestors who did not undergo the conversion, because of where?

We have spiritual experiences whereby people from the spirit world who undergone a conversionary religion, they come back through their children to say, But in his or her existence as a pillar, one was able to inherit a religion as a West. That person needs to also undergo Jambuluk. And then people will come and say, but I did dream. Therefore, because of Lito Ngoleli, then I deem it as authentic. It's not.

We actually... if you worship the God of the enemy of your ancestors, you become your ancestors'enemy. Exactly.

So we have a saying, this is within our Bandi Soul Society Institute, we have a saying which characterizes a stage, it's a psychological, spiritual state. Yes. But also when we were reasoning with Imboni yesterday, he also gave a complimentary statement to this, saying that there is a stage between... When you're moving from Christianity to Africanity, there is a stage we refer to as post-traumatic Christian syndrome.

Now this post-traumatic Christian syndrome is one which most of our people are suffering from. Even when they're getting into these African spirituality spaces, they're still coming up with... The hangovers of that religious dogma and doctrine that came with colonization. And therefore, it created Africans to be schizophrenic. It creates spiritual psychosis, whereby we find our people are spiritually conflicted.

They are double talking. They are suffering from double consciousness. You know, one leg is in Africa, the other leg is in Jerusalem.

Exactly. You know, so... So it is very important that you mention the issue of Inka Mbuluko.

Inka Mbuluko, yes. Because we need to purify as we're returning to our source in its purest sense. Yes, and we can take that process of Inka Mbuluko, the process of purification, of the restoration of an African indigenous spiritual identity, by claiming it as...

The unlearning and relearning. So we are unlearning the Western belief systems and ideologies. And relearning, the knowledge of knowing that comes through the revelation teachings. Hence, I say it is important that not only should we embrace the past about African indigenous spirituality, but also in the present moment, we need to also embrace the existence of this.

physical, spiritual, central figures who play a pivotal role in growing the spirit. Because once your spirit is growing, it's maturing through the spiritual foods, you are able to interact politically, you are able to interact economically, you are able to understand this in the context of in-faith. And this is where now you see, Uguchi, most people who are championing the growth of the spirit. They understand most of the things of Elendor.

Even the concept of, there's this phrase, Jacob of all trades, master of none. Let me tell you, spiritually, we have Jacob of all trades. You know why? Because of spirit is light and when it grows, you are able to champion anything that which you need to master.

Look at the concepts of these cartoons, like the Dragon Ball Z, those cartoons that are super, superhuman. This concept originates from us because we were superhuman. So the moment you embrace the spiritual growth, you undergo, you enter into a phase of reaching your fullest potential. If you say, I have reached my fullest potential as a human being, that means you have restored your spiritual identity.

Nothing on this earth will defeat you. And I'm not talking about perfection here. There's no perfection in Kabe. But now we're talking about now understanding the key fundamentals of now having these spiritual revelations, growing your spirit. Because if you have an eternal life ahead of you, so if you don't engage in growing your spirit, How will you then engage spiritually in the spiritual life?

Another important key to understand is when people we've seen people who commit suicide. Let me tell you. According to you are cutting short this cut have given you.

And you will then remain in a certain spiritual dimension. So people who take impilos up, they are not welcome in the spiritual world. Hence, many come through their families to say, You see, there's the difference between Chambluko, Estu, and Eza.

through spiritual guides and also in Lhambu Nukuyo Bungoma. Ngoba Neng Ngu Bungoma Melugu Lhambu Nuke. That is why we see now people can't even distinguish between Isangoma Isi Lhambu Nukile Nesngar Lhambu Luka. How can Isangoma Lhambu Nukile Sikanda I I Umuti Obulalayo.

How can How can Utiwena U U U Nengu Ngu Bungoma U But yet, we are a humble, we are Tuwala. When we are Tuwala, it's like taking something that is foreign to your ancestors, and then we let it in. So we create a bango.

So the Gathir religion, it's more or less, it's Tuwala good. Because of now we're taking something that is not ours, and make it ours. That is why there's conflict of interest. Again.

Why there's so much tribalism and racism? It's because of black people have not understood that Aonando, that makes us one. It's our spiritual identity.

It's not our cultures. It's not our languages. It's not our, it's our spiritual identity. And once you are spiritually inclined and you are growing spiritually, you will understand one thing here.

That you and I are common first because of your spiritual beings. That is why Gose Moya says, spirit is thicker than blood. Yep.

family members who can actually go to the meeting or the meeting. That is why spirit is thicker than blood. You and I, because of Singapore, that is why there is a huge division.

Hence, we can't even fight our own battle against white colonization or land expropriation. Because of now we're saying no. We are South Africans.

How do you identify yourself as a South African? How do you identify yourself as a Zimbabwean? It's because we have not reached our fullest potential as spiritual beings to say, we can only expropriate this land by first acknowledging that as African people, we are spiritually inclined and what makes us common is spirituality. So basically what we are saying here is that we share spiritual unity. Yes.

When we took off. African spirituality, we're talking about that African spiritual unity that we share in peace. What has been able to be established in this conversation is one that is to do away with the misconception that once people are getting out of colonial religion and are making claims of African spirituality, they start to tell you that nobody teaches African spirituality. You don't need anybody to show you African spirituality. And I always say this is a...

rebelliousness that is born out of, you are rebelling from this colonial control system. And then you are getting into some nihilism of some sort. And therefore you don't understand and recognize that even in this realm, there are spiritual guides.

Yes, it takes us back to the most important point you've raised. Although people are trying so much to accept African indigenous spirituality, but they are still trapped mentally. You see, because they have not undergone fully the transformation of returning back.

Because it's not enough to only practice rituals of the spirit, but it is important to grow the spirit, to also get rid of the ill-end, the religion, and go and win in the mind. Because of that is why we have people who say, no, but it's because of mental slavery again. Because colonization also played a role again in mental slavery.

So we must stop using colonial religious concepts in order to define African spiritual phenomena. And we must also accept that African indigenous spirituality does have spiritual guiders. We have guiders. We must accept that. There's always a teacher in a classroom.

It's not a free for all. It's not a free for all. And more especially that we are coming from a condition of colonization and enslavement.

Whereby institutions were established to suppress this African indigenous spiritual knowledge. So you have to be guided. But anyway, it is in.

it is african that is every um everything in the society have a guiding hand yes look again the history of our spirituality it's a knowledge that you can take in mentally but what about your spirit you see that is why i'm saying spiritual knowledge through revelation teachings yeah it grows your spirit to even enhance our history yeah But it's not enough only to know the history of what our spirituality was. Hence people come with the notion that anyone can be spiritual. So you can't be spiritual with one element. You can't be spiritual by being You can't be spiritual by only saying It's not enough. What is to be fully What is to be spiritual?

It's when you have restored your spiritual identity. And this is most, most important. Not only do spiritual guiders come to deliver a message of national importance for the nation, but they also form part of our day-to-day life, so that they can help us reach our fullest potential by embracing our spiritualities.

So hence I say to you that people want to engage on spiritual matters mentally, and that's a huge problem. spirituality is reality if you don't deal with reality you don't deal with spirituality exactly because if we were to argue right now about one spiritual matter I would always ask you who is or what is the source of the information when you say you see that's the difference we need to reason as black people and critical thinking analytical thinking has always been what we used to be. But today, we no longer become analytical and critical.

No, this person, he's running a spiritual institution and there's a lot of things he can't do. Yeah. Look, you talk like a person only called.

You see how damaging belief is. You end up believing in something you yourself were born with. That's it.

No, you can't do that. That's not true. Your friend buys a new car, gets married, has an established business.

Because he knew him two years back. Where's proof? Mboni said in your research unit, which is quite good. There is a research that is taking place in the knowledge aspect of the spiritual expression.

And then he said one of the research that has been established. by African hidden voices is that the religion damaged your prefrontal cortex. Prefrontal cortex. And now it has become a program, a mindset program. Because of now we also need to decolonize the mind.

And why do we say that? It's because of the moment you convert into a religion, it turns you into what they term as scholars. And...

a neurologist, a religious fundamentalist. Our funugus are next. When I say, Uchiesu, Uka, Uchiesu.

Yeah, that's it. You don't want to engage in anything. No. Red, it ends there.

No, you don't do that. Yeah. So that means your prefrontal cortex has been damaged. Yeah.

You need to first listen to a person in order to engage. And now this program, your mindset, is able to assist you then to overcome such. and restoring your prefrontal cortex because this is where now your critical thinking takes place, your analytical thinking takes place.

That is why the existence of two distinctive parts in our research organization where we have the qualitative research and analysis and the quantitative research and analysis where I now partake into now the critical part of using quantitative analysis to validate what is deemed as non-existent. And through facts, we are able to come up with effectual insights to support that. Thank you very much.

This is an unpopular opinion. Yes. Conversation between Tautau Haramanuba and Mr. Semlanga.

Yes. Post-traumatic Christian disorder is a serious problem. Yes. Prefrontal cortex. is damaged.

So let us repair, let us reconstruct, let us decolonize and return to our African indigenous spirituality. Thank you so much for raising this platform with your presence and for sharing much needed knowledge. We have to decolonize. It's a must.

You don't have any choice. Thank you. Thank you.

Transcript for:Understanding African Indigenous Spirituality

Transcript for:
Understanding African Indigenous Spirituality