Zulu Customs

I feel like I have quite a bit to get caught up on - we have been teaching Life Skills classes at a high school in one of the townships and I am being challenged daily. The past week has been full of important experiences and I'm not sure where I should even start.

So, instead, I'm going to tell a story.

The Zulu language book I'm using has a page of information on "Zulu Customs" - one of which is belief in witchcraft.

Belief in Witchcraft
This is firmly engrained... it should never be ridiculed.

Alright then.

A group of us visited one ot the townships yesterday and while we were waiting to catch the Minibus Taxi back into town, some goats walked by. The conversation went like this:

Me: Do those goats belong to someone or do they just wander around?
Mbuso: No, they belong to someone.
Me: Oh. Why isn't anyone watching them? Aren't they likely to run away?
Mbuso: They won't.
Me: Why not?
Mbuso: The owner put a spell on them.
Me: Hmm. A spell that prevents them from running away?
Mbuso: Yes.
Me: Well, what if someone steals them?
Mbuso: They won't.
Me: Why?
Mbuso: There's a spell for that, too.
Me: I see.
Mbuso: If someone steals one of those goats and cooks it then eats it, it will make goat noises from inside their
stomach.
Me: Got it. Makes sense.

He then went on to tell me that the reason people "go mad" - become mentally challenged - is that they have likely stolen something from someone and the owner of whatever was stolen went to the witch doctor to put a spell on them.

So it sounds like they have crime and runaway goats under control in the Zulu communities. We will all sleep better tonight, I'm sure.