Rural Impendle

So yesterday we got back from our rural homestays in Impendle, which is about a 2-hour drive from Durban, near Petermaritzburg. It’s a rural community and most of the homes do not have any running water. As soon as we arrived, we went to the local secondary school and got to do something which I thought was really interesting. Rather than observing the students as they are in a class, we got to actually take a Zulu/English language class in which the students were practicing their English and we were practicing our Zulu. We sat at desks and each had our own partners who were students at the school, and as we were getting a brush up lesson in Zulu, (and they’d help us out when we needed it), they were also brushing up on their English. We had to write responses to questions posed to us in Zulu and they had to do the same in English. It was a really cool way to learn and also to get to know the students better.

I think one of the biggest things I learned on this trip was not to associate the rural areas exclusively with poverty. I wouldn’t consider the family I stayed with to be poor, despite the fact that they had some limited resources (like running water) because of the location they lived in. We stayed in pairs for the two nights and my partner and I had our own round hut with two double beds in it. There were about 5 different homes on the property including one main house which had a TV and entertainment set, a washer and dryer, a full kitchen and every member of the family had their own bedroom. This family was definitely better off than my family in Cato Manor, even though they lived in a very rural area. The only asset that made me really feel “rural” was the long drop toilet we had to use, and even that wasn’t so bad because they treat all the waste with chemicals. The family spoke next to no English, which forced me to really use my Zulu skills (which are actually a lot better than I thought). Our family was very sweet and consisted of a mom, Phumzile, and I think her daughter Thandi (who I’m pretty sure is my age), and then Thandi’s 11 year old daughter Pamela, and a 10 year old girl Luyanda (whose parents are both dead but she is somehow related to the family too). We also had a crazy drunken grandma (or gogo as they call it). She started ranting off to us and the only thing we could understand in the conversation was "phuza utshwala" (meaning drink beer). The family dynamic was very confusing and definitely shaped by teenage pregnancy (which is very prevalent in rural communities) and HIV. There was a small family cemetery in the backyard. The people in Impendle were so warm and generous though, and it was a great stay.



The highlight of the trip for me was our visit to see a Sangoma, or a traditional Zulu healer. Basically, one goes to a Sangoma if they are sick, having some sort of problem, or if they believe that there has been a hex put on them by a witch doctor (which are also very prevalent in the area). We went to learn how Sangomas function with the people and the community as alternative healthcare providers. Not just anyone can be a Sangoma- you must be “called by the ancestors,” which includes an extended period of time when one gets sick almost to the point of death. Our Sangoma said she was sick for 5 years straight as her “calling.” Then you have to train to become an official Sangoma. The most interesting part to me is that the actual “Sangoma Certificate” is awarded to a Sangoma upon completion of the training course and is given by the Department of Health of South Africa, and also by the CDC and UNAIDS. At first it caught me by surprise… like why is the US funding Zulu traditional healer training courses but if you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. They are trained to send potential HIV positive patients to get tested, rather than giving them muthi (medicine) on their own without knowing their status. They are also trained to wear gloves for certain procedures. It’s a good idea to educate Sangomas about safe and sanitary healthcare practices, since so many people use them as their first sources of medical attention in rural areas.




The Sangoma could not dance for us since that’s a more involved procedure, but she was able to contact the ancestors while we were there. I’ll be honest, at first I really didn’t buy into the whole Sangoma thing at all, even though I kind of wanted to. But then she started praying and talking to the ancestors and all of a sudden this really weird gurgled man’s voice came out of her, and it definitely wasn’t her voice. It was kind of like a scene from an exorcism and despite what I may or may not believe, it freaked me out.

We actually had a little incident happen yesterday at Impendle, and one of our friends had her camera stolen by who we think was one of her family members. It happened when she wasn’t home but the door was locked to the room so someone needed a key to get in. This morning, they took her to the Sangoma to learn “the truth” about what really happened. The Sangoma called our friend’s ancestors for her. Apparently, she knows that it’s no longer in the house and that a family member stole it. She knows exactly where it is, but she can’t tell us who took it or where it is currently as to not incriminate anyone, because that’s beyond her limitations as a Sangoma. She said if it was still in the house she would go and get it, but since it’s not she can’t. We’ll see what happens, but our driver S’du is pretty confident that she’ll pull through and will be able to get it for us.

It’s really good to be back home in Cato, and I actually really missed it and I think my family actually missed me too. It’s going to be hard to say good-bye in a couple weeks, but I’m trying not to think about it yet. Other than that, we have a short week because it’s Heritage Day on Friday, and SIT is organizing a trip to the beach with our families for the day. So we will all meet up at the beach and braai (barbeque) on the beach, which my family has been looking forward to for weeks. Happy Heritage Day everyone!