My induction into Zulu Culture

My colleague from the Dept of Education, Bheka Makhitini,  invited me to his home just outside Durban to spend the weekend with him and his beautiful family

 

He may of been tired of hearing me complain that based on my experience all South African culture and food revolved around the malls.  After meeting his family

 I was served Amasi and Pap.  Amasi is fermented milk that tastes like cottage cheese or plain yogurt. It is very popular in South Africa.  While the Amasi that I had was commercially produced Amasi is traditionally prepared by storing unpasteurized cow's milk in a container to allow it to ferment. This thick liquid is mostly poured over the maize flour porridge called pap, or drunk straight.  I was also told some people add honey or yogurt to sweeten it but I it was quite tasty for sour milk

One of Bheka's cousins had passed away.  Since the funeral can take up to seven hours it was decided the kids would go to a friends house.  Bheka's wife prepared a fabulous home cooked meal and then went to the home of the deceased to help prepare the meal for the next day.  Bheka and I dropped his kids off at a friend's house,

stopped by his cousins house in the Claremont Township and then stopped by at a club one his friends owns called the Velvet Lounge.  we got back to his house just passed midnight

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The next morning we headed out  to a church in an old industrial park.  Bheka's wife warned me Zulu funerals go on for 7 hours or so.  It was extremely interesting to see for the first hour or so but as I sat in the blistering heat sweating not understanding a word that was being said as the  pastor spoke about the after life in Zulu, and listening to the women singing.  I started to wonder if I could make it for 7 hours.



Fortunately I was not challenged as the service was only about 2 hours.  We proceeded  over to the cemetery.  I had never seen a cemetery on such a steep hill.  This picture does not do it justice.

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The pastor said a bit more and the woman continued to sing. recognized the tune of Amazing Grace but they sang alot of songs I did not recognize

Following the burial we went to the house of the deceased where everyone washed from a bucket filed with a grass called Isqonga.  This is to purify you after you have been exposed to death.

After paying our respects and eating Chicken, Rice,  Beet Salad and Cole slaw we went to Umlazi the largest township in KwaZulu Natal to the home Bheka grew up in to drop off his mother.










We then met up with a friend of Bheka's and visited a place called Max's Lifestyle in the Umlazi township.  Where we watched the Kaizer Chiefs play the Orlando Pirates in the largest soccer match of the year in South Africa

While there we ate Mogudo which is Tripe Soup with Indombolo which is bread that is cooked by boiling in the pot with the stew.  Then we ate Shinsanyama which is the Zulu word for burnt meat and I would call barbeque

The next morning Bheka took me for a run as we had eaten far too much the day before.  We then got prepared to go see the one of the phases of the Zulu Wedding ritual where, the groom’s family travels to the bride’s family’s household to partake in a traditional ceremony. Some of the folks put on thieir traditional  Zulu dress.

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The two separate families gather together and watch each one march and sing around the household property. This is the beginning of a friendly “competition” between the families. The families then will march to wherever the groom or bride is and sing for them to come out of the house and join them.

After about 30 minutes of dancing and singing, the bride’s family stops and the groom’s family begins. Once both sides have completed, they will do the gita – a traditional Zulu dance when one kicks his or her leg to the beat of a drum or song as high as they can in the air and maintain balance.

At this event a sheep was brought out and then slaughtered

About an hour or so later, the family gathered and to the  family compound to eat a traditional meal. The area is set up as it is at any American wedding reception – tables gathered around a long table for the groom, bride, bridesmaids and groomsmen amongst a backdrop of decorative cheetah fabric.What was different from any western wedding was the way they cooked the lamb



After congratulating the bride and groom I asked if I could take a picture with them.

I was grateful for the oppty to see another side of the Bheka who I have been working with all month and to see another side of South Africa