Posted on September 7, 2011
Omama. Photograph: Musa Hlatswayo
On the 24th of July 2011 I found myself amongst the pilgirms of the EBuhleni Nazareth Baptist Church, otherwise known as the Shembe Church, in their home village called eBuhleni situated in iNanda, South of Durban in KwaZulu Natal. My mission was to witness the moving annual celebration called Umgidi WeNkosi'a Shembe Dance experience dedicated to the current iNkosi Mduduzi Shembe of the Church who succeeded the late iNkosi Vimbeni Shembe who was buried on the 3rd of April 2011 at eBuhleni.
A car park is at the entrance of the village where patrons (including the memebrs of the church) are required leave their cars and remove their shoes as they step off onto the soil. The village is made up of tents, temples, leadership quarters. The road leads that uphill to the top of the mountain.I immeditately join in as an outsider clearly sold out by my jeans, t-shirt and my dark shades. Along the way there are lines of hundreds of men lining up for prayers or blessings at one of the chambers where iNkosi is supposedly stationed with His advisors. This is also where iNkosi prays for the famous vaseline that heals whatever ailments the members might have. There are also vendors selling 'traditional' garments, musical instruments, accessories and other handmade merchandise, DVDs and music CDs (only songs of the Shembe Church), pictures of the Shembe leadership and refreshments. No cigarretes, alcohol and other intoxicating subtances are sold on these stalls as the church has a ban on the use of such substances.The atmosphere is spiritualy liberating and yet so dignified and filled with sounds of Imbomu (the metal musical horn shaped like a Vuvuzela), drums, chanting, the planks (resembling symbals), dancing and occasional war trumpets inviting you towards the mountain. UMgidi has started as it was scheduled for 11am.
On reaching the top of the mountain I am immediately caught in the beauty of the hundreds of groups of Shembe followers dressed in their respective attires in neat straight lines all over the mountain and those that are not participating observing in admiration if not wandering around. They are neatly spaced in their 'stations' by temple, region, age group and gender, swaying to their own rhythm, their own movement quality with choreography and formations which all change according to the songs being sung. The married women are dressed in their izidwaba (cow skin skirts), inansuka (black collars) and coloured beaded accessories; men are in their amabheshu (skins) and colourful imiqhele (feathered headgear), beaded accessories in the form of necklaces and crafted belts. The younger ladies are also in black woollen skirts and beaded belts and necklaces while the younger girls are in red skirts and beaded accessories, all proudly bare breasted. Younger men are dressed in black skirts, white shirts and bow ties while the young boys are in pink and white checked skirts, white shirts and bow ties! I immediately notice that the young unmarried males are the only ones wearing black boots and long socks with white hats as part of their uniform. Those that are still to be initiated into the church are clothed in white robes while the young maidens wear scarves covering their faces, signinfying their innocence and purity. These traditions ' the uniforms, choreography and event ' might have shifted with passing down over generations, yet the grounded nature of the worshiplike drance routines, the atmosphere, the spritual depth and the mutual connection of all the parties involved with the earth still remain intense.
Women in the EBuhleni Nazareth Church
I set up an interview with Mrs Lindiwe (MaDube) Ntetha away from uMgido and asked her questions about the role of women in the church. Mrs Ntetha was born in Nseleni near Richards Bay where she attended Mbusweni Temple from early childhood. She is now married and lives in Melmorth where she attends Thulani Temple under Mshumayeli (an elderly male who is the preacher in the temple ) Shabangu. She credits her church leaders, Mshumayeli Qwabe, her Mkhokheli (an elderly woman or priestess who is responsible for the leadership and the welfare of the women of the temple ) MaMLaba Xulu and the current (acting Mkhokheli) Mam' MaBiyela for good teachings in her development as a woman. Apart from their Saturday services, the Nazareth Baptist Church arranges gatherings of different age and gender groups for lessons and oathing. Men meet on the 22nd for the sermorn scheduled for the 23rd while women and izingoduso (ladies who are engaged according to tradition) meet on the 13th for the sermon scheduled for the 14thof every month. Young girls meet on the 24th of every month for the sermon scheduled for the 25th. Ladies meet on the 24th for the sermon scheduled on the 25th.These groups are therefore otherwise referred to by the date on which their sermon is to take place, e.g. '14'Â (women), 25 (young women), etc. Attendants are dimissed the day after the actual day of the meeting as that is the official day of ending the gathering. These meetings are held at the temple or the home of the leader in charge if they have the necessary facilities. I was particularly interested in the impact and perhaps the motivation behind these meetings, mainly those of the women of the church and this is what Mrs Ntetha shared with me:
"These meetings are the way that we as women groom one another, not just spiritually, but also in our indiviudal roles in our households. It is also a platform where we strengthen our definition of womanhood: as women heading families and as women who are raising the nation. We sing together, read scriptures, share our problems and testimonies, groom and advice one another so that we can be strong in our faith and in life generally."
She then makes an example with the recent '14'Â gathering held on the 14th of August, and defines it as having been one of the most hard hitting as the topic was "what we individually have done in our families to make our stand as women and what the fruit of our womenhood have been in our households,"Â she explains. This was a direct question that each woman had to answer to expose those that need to be guided through an evident lack of knowledge, experience and positive self esteem. "We do feedback positively and encourage those that still need guidance. It is thereafter the role of uMkhokheli to guide those that are lacking on a step-by-step discussion followed by a practical mentoring", she explains. Also present in this gathering are the maidens, those that have had babies but are not married as well as the young girls who are accompanying their elders. This then ensures that the women grow together under the supervision of uMkhokheli. This is a platform where izingoduso or brides-to-be together with the little girls who are there to join their female elders also get lessons for the future.
I also spoke to Mrs Zandile Nxele who was born in Mthwalume, southern KwaZulu-Natal, and currently resides in KwaMakhutha. She attends Vukani Temple under Mshumayeli Chili. She also highly commends the discipline that the church instilled in grooming her as a woman. Like Mrs Ntetha, she grew through the different stages in the Church in preparation for the woman that she is today. I asked her what '14'Â (women's meeting) means to her and she noted that these are "gatherings of celebration of our womanhood, dialogue amongst women, worship and prayer".
Becoming a woman in the Church
According to the Shembe church a young girl is introduced to the church by her mother or grandmother when she tags along during '14'. On reaching puberty she is immediately taken into seclussion where she is mentored through teachings of how to cunduct and respect herself as a young lady. She stays in seclusion for a full week and on the 7th day she is then released to go and cleanse herself in the river accompanied by girls of her age. On their return they all celebrate in song and dance her new passage. She then attends virginity testing in Ntanda where she will get a blessing from iNkosi Shembe, if approved as a virgin, and thereafter join the other ladies or amaKhosazana. Should she not be approved as a virgin she still remains under the guidance of other women for close mentorship as the aim is not to cast her out.There are processes and ceremonies that are undergone in preparing young girls through this phase where practical mentoriship by the older women in the family and the church plays a vital role in helping young girls understand and embrace their development as young women. Ntetha then explained the Shembe religion as follows;
"Inkonzo yakwaShembe iyinkonzo yesiZulu, inkonzo yenhlonipho nokuzehlisa, yize abanye bengayifuni ngoba bethi inkonzo yamaqaba. Thina esingaphakathi ithina esizaziyo ukuthi sifunde kangakanani. Sinodokotela, sinabameli, sinamajaji sinayo yonke into. Manje ingakho noma siyenkonzweni usibona sihloniphekile sifuna ukukhombisa ukuthi sifundisiwe ngenhlonipho nokuziphatha, noma umuntu engumgcotshwa noma engasiye umgcotshwa"
The Shembe religion is based on Zulu traditions, it is a religion of respect and humility, although some do not like it because they say it is a religion of the uncivilised. We who are within the church know how educated we are. We have doctors, lawyers, judges, we have everything. So that is why even when we attend church you will see us presented respectably so that we can show that we are groomed in respect and general good behaviour whether you are an initiated member or not.
I then asked Ntetha if such teaching, mentorship and guidance from an early age then contribute to the secret behind the beauty and the humility of the Shembe women. She explained that the secret really lies within the leadership of the church and uMkhokheli: a woman who is also a woman through her doings and her experience, who wears a black collar similar to her dignity. Mrs Nxele also affirms this statement and claims these "the teachings from our religion and the leadership and the support of the church at large is the secret to our beauty...all the we have to do is listen, understand or ask if we are not clear and then embrace these teachings for our own good,"Â Nxele concluded.
I then asked both my interviwees what uMgidi meant to them and Mrs Nxele refered to it as "an opportunity for us to cleanse ourselves spiritually and be well kept, and that contributes to our womanhood - you can't take part in the uMgidi if you have not confessed and admitted your wrongs and humbeled yourself before the Lord and the church as a woman"Â Nxele explained. In agreement with Mrs Nxele, Mrs Ntetha explained that uMgidi is indeed a platform where they as women meet to pray, worship and strengthen their faith and their role as women. They pray to God for strength to anchor their families for their children who are being destroyed by worldy things, including drugs. She also stated that when they move they step on the devil's tail, who can sometimes hide under the clothing without their knowing. They also dance, sing and show their beauty as women who love themselves, their families and God. They also then network and create friendships as women of different temples and different regions.
The Ebuhleni Nazareth Baptist Church is indeed a church filled with liberated and educated women whose beauty oozes from the inside out. While some of the modern theories might see them as submissive towards the patriarchal reign in the church and the household, it is clealry evident that respect and love is a two-way mutual feeling between men and women. While the Shembe religion clearly states that women's rights, empowerment and independence are dependent on the orders of the father of the household, it is clear that the women of the Shembe religion are content, liberated and they know, understand and appreciate their self-worth. This is a vision clearly supported and encouraged by the patriachal governance of the church and their households, otherwise such women's gatherings and the role of Mkhokheli (in the church and in the household) would not exist. This would be the reason why they ooze pride and elegance.
Readers can find out more about the Nazareth Baptist Church on the following links.
AmaNazaretha's Webisite: www.amanazaretha.co.za
Face Book: http://www.facebook.com/pages/NAZARETH-BAPTIST-CHURCH-EBUHLENI/163957007001023
Blog: http://nazarethbaptistchurch.blogspot.com/
Musa Hlatswayo is an Archival Platform correspondent based in KwaZulu-Natal