The Journey Kwantu
The Journey Kwantu explores questions around African beliefs and identity, delving into cultural and spiritual topics. Hosted by vusumzi, the podcast aims to provide insights and discussions on African heritage and contemporary issues.
Episodes
EP51: THE VERY FIRST ISITHUNYWA
In this episode, I wanted to trace the origins of what kept coming up in the last series, isithunywa
EP50: WHY DO HEALERS START CHURCHES | Part 3
In Part 3 of this topic we spend time with the founders and congregants of the Seven Days Adventist Zion Church
EP49: WHEN HEALERS START CHURCHES PART2
In this episode, we spend time with Gogo Simenjalo and Gogo Zanemvula, a mother and daughter duo who use components of the Christian church and the bible as part of their healing practice
EP48: WHEN HEALERS START CHURCHES PART1
In this series we are exploring how healers balance African spirituality and Christianity. We will be attending different African Indigenous churches to try to get deeper understanding of this topic
EP47: HOW THE TOWNSHIP DESTROYED SPIRITUALITY Pt3
This 3-part series is an in-depth exploration of the realities of the relationship between alcohol and spirituality in the practice of African culture
EP46: THE TRUTH ABOUT ALCOHOL AND SPIRITUALITY PT2
This 3-part series is an in-depth exploration of the realities of the relationship between alcohol and spirituality in the practice of African culture
EP45: THE TRUTH ABOUT ALCOHOL AND SPIRITUALITY PT1
This 3-part series is an in-depth exploration of the realities of the relationship between alcohol and spirituality in the practice of African culture
EP44: HOW THE TOWNSHIP DESTROYED SPIRITUALITY Pt2
So this is part 2 of the topic of how the township destroyed African spirituality. It’s a conversation that I have been having with Bongisa Msuthu and Lerato Motshabi who are practitioners and academics within the architecture space.
In the previous episode we explored the historical context of African architecture and how it informed how people struc
EP43: HOW THE TOWNSHIP DESTROYED SPIRITUALITY | Part 1
How did the physical structure of the township affect how black people navigated spirituality? Did it help to cultivate a better understanding of our connection to God or did it enforce a detrimental mindset?
EP42: SPIRITUAL BURNOUT
I think spiritual burnout has led many people to make drastic decisions or to misinterpret their experiences. Some people left church because of spiritual burnout. Some people cut their beads, burnt their cloths and called ancestors demons because of spiritual burnout. In some cases the severity can lead to something that resembles a mental illness. […]
EP41: When You Doubt Your Spiritual Journey
The vast majority of us will eventually find ourselves in some form of a crossroads in our spiritual journey. When we get to this point the decisions that we are faced with can sometimes make us doubt everything that we hold as not only true but also important about our beliefs. Can you think of a time in your life when you got to this point?
I s
EP40: SPIRITUALITY IN A WORLD FALLING APART
EP39: THE JOURNEY KWANTU LIVE
EP38: Into The Ancestral Realm
Special Announcement!
ep37: Spirituality In The Corporate World Part 2
But the topic of spirituality in the workplace is still a very broad one in terms of individual experiences and I was curious as to how others have navigated their encounters with spirit and spirituality as well as the complexities of spiritual purpose.
So I spoke to Gogo Jebhu who spent years in the corporate space and has since transitioned from be
EP36: Spirituality In The Corporate World
The nature of African spirituality is such that it involves not just the acknowledgment of the existence of the spiritual realm but also the existence of amadlozi and spiritual forces and the individualized encounters that we have with them in our daily lives. What is strange though is that as African spirituality continues to grow […]
EP35 | When Feminism Meets African Spirituality
EP34: DOES CHANGING COUNTRIES AFFECT YOUR SENSE OF IDENTITY PART 2
This episode is a continuation of the topic asking Does changing countries affect your identity? It is part of a series that deals with the question of whether or not our identity affects our spirituality.
I encourage you to make time to listen to the previous 3 episodes to get a better understanding of how this topic has evolved. In this episode, I
EP33: DOES CHANGING COUNTRIES AFFECT YOUR SENSE OF IDENTITY
What happens to your identity as a black South African when you no longer live within the socioeconomic or political or even the cultural norms and criminal violence that defines so much of who we believe we are?
If you are a black South African who is or has been living abroad for some time how do you define who you are?
To get some perspective
EP32: How Does Our Identity Affect Spirituality?
So I want to know how does our identity, how does our sense of self affect how we navigate our beliefs and how we respond to the world in general. I want understand specifically how does the way that we perceive ourselves manifest the lives and socioeconomic challenges that we face today.
I spoke to Banele Rewo who is an entrepreneur, author and con
EP31: HOW DOES LANGUAGE AFFECT SPIRITUALITY?
In the process of the change and evolution of our societies, how does language affect our relationship with spirituality?
I spoke to Gogo Khanyakude who is a healer, a gobela, and someone that I believe is one of the most important voices in our generation when it comes to the modern interpretation of African spirituality.
EP30: DEALING WITH SPIRITUAL SETBACKS
Very often we find ourselves feeling like noh mahn, something somewhere isn't right. There's something that is simply not adding up about how life functions.
Right now the vast majority of us are going through a lot. Socially, our communities are a mess. Economical ku wow. Relationships...haai ke they are crying.So I spoke to Gogo Mahlodi to because
EP29: Exploring Tarot Card Reading
So in the last episode, we discussed whether or not it is possible to practice multiple spiritual beliefs at the same time and I personally concluded by saying that maybe it would help to get a better understanding of what exactly these multiple spiritual beliefs actually are. Maybe then we will be able to say if they are connected or if they totally g
EP28: CAN YOU PRACTICE MULTIPLE SPIRITUAL BELIEFS AT ONCE?
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The world that we live in today is increasingly global. Through the internet, there are virtually no boundaries stopping us from being influenced by many other beliefs and religions around the world.This ease of access to different beliefs has meant that we have, whether consciously or subconsciously, started incorporating aspects of other practic
EP26: UNDERSTANDING CONSULTING WITH A SANGOMA
For anyone who is still trying to figure out their way in African Spirituality, the prospect of having to consult with a Healer or Sangoma can be extremely daunting.
Part of the challenge with this process is that you are coming in with a lot of misconceptions, a lot of confusion and, to be quite honest, you are downright scared because you don't kn
EP27: When Your Life Falls Apart
Have you ever had that moment or that period where you wanted where you just wanted to pack up one day and just disappear? To just leave everything behind and head out into the night and go as far away as you possibly can? Let's do that. Tonight, let's just disappear.
EP25: UNDERSTANDING CLEANSINGS
In Part 4 of our series on Practicing African Spirituality for Beginners, uMkhulu Mahlalentabeni will be taking us through Understanding Cleansings in terms of what they are and what makes them necessary. I also share a personal story in relation to this topic
EP24: UNDERSTANDING UMUTHI
The idea of embracing African Spirituality in all its different facets has generally become something easy to talk about. We speak openly about ancestors and the relationship that we have with them. It's all fun and love and light until the topic of umuthi comes up.
For many of us, we grew up with a distinct aversion towards African Indigenous medic
EP23: UNDERSTANDING UMSAMO
Umsamo is one of those extremely vague yet still seemingly integral aspects of African Spirituality. The definitions and understandings of it vary greatly across cultures.
In Part 2 of "Practicing African Spirituality for Beginners" Gogo Jebhu takes us through a deeper understanding of what umsamo is as physical structure and what it represents spir
Ep22: UNDERSTANDING YOUR ANCESTRAL LINEAGE
So, here you are. You have developed an interest in African Spirituality or something in you is pulling you towards that direction. You have a basic understanding of ancestors and you are aware that they play a role in your life even though you are not entirely sure what that role is and you find yourself asking "what now?". What's the next step? How d
EP21: AFRICAN SPIRITUALITY IN THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 2
We continue the conversation with Gogo Aubrey Matshiqi as we dig deeper into the history of African Initiated Churches.
This episode also unpacks what happens historically when two conflicting beliefs crash into each other and we look into African Spiritual aspects such as Isithunywa came to be and what they actually say about Christianity.
EP20: AFRICAN SPIRITUALITY IN THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
African Spirituality and Christianity are seemingly two opposing ideologies. Yet, there are African Initiated Churches such as ZCC and Ibandla Lamanazaretha (Shembe) who are somehow able to situate the African identity whithin Christianity. Historically, how did these churches come about? Spiritually, how do they navigate the realities of the lives of
EP19: WHY DO WE BELIEVE
What is the nature of belief? Why do we, as human beings, have the capacity to believe and what purpose does it serve?
In this episode it is just me and you hanging out and exploring the mindboggling concepts that impact on how we engage with our beliefs.
EP18: SPIRITUALITY AND MODERN TECHNOLOGY II
The assumption that we often about technology is that it relates to things like automated electronic machinery and artificial intelligence. But each point of the evolution of human society was pushed forward by what was seen at that time as technological advancements. These advancements impacted not only on culture and how we understood ourselves but
EP17: SPIRITUALITY AND MODERN TECHNOLOGY
Most of us aware that social media does affect our psyche even though we not quite sure how or to what extent. But have you ever wondered how it affects your spirituality?For those of us using social media to help us understand African Spirituality better, it can be quite tricky to figure how real are our online experiences actually are and how to make
EP16: THE SPIRITUALITY OF LAND
As Africans, it is almost a given that the land is an integral part of our spiritual identity but I want to know how. I want look specifically at sacred sites and how they correlate with the cosmology of our beliefs.
The reality is also that many of us live in urban areas and cities, this creates a different dynamic to the relationship between land
EP15: THE SPECTRUM OF AFRICAN SPIRITUALITY
The subject of the evolution of African spirituality is a very complex one. Spirituality itself is a very broad topic especially if you want to approach it from a historical point of view. I would actually like to know where our understanding of spirituality evolved from and, more importantly what are the other aspects of this belief that we don't norm
EP14: IS OUR SPIRITUAL CULTURE EVEN RELEVANT?
We as black South Africans, are very keenly aware that our culture is slowly disappearing. Yet, at the same time, there has been a resurgence of interest in African Spirituality. The number of people who are becoming iisangoma has exploded and every other month there seems to be a new TV show that talks about ubungoma.
My question is, so what?
So
EP13: CAN WESTERN MEDICINE AND AFRICAN SPIRITUALITY COEXIST?
How far away are we from a time when we have a health system where western medicine is fully integrated with African Spiritual modalities in such a way that we trust that system not only with our physical health but also our spiritual healing?
I figured that the best person to speak to on this topic is Nkholo Seanego who is not only a medical doctor
EPISODE 12: CULTURE VS SPIRITUALITY
We've been raised to believe that culture and spirituality are synonyms. for the same thing. But as our collective understanding of spirituality grows and so many aspects of our cultural practices being questioned, is culture and spirituality really the same thing? Where do you draw the line?
I spoke to Gogo Aubrey Matshiqi to try to understand wher
EPISODE 11: THE SPIRITUALITY OF PARENTING
At times it happens that when we are busy navigating our spiritual journey we can get caught up in making it all about ourselves and the challenges that we face on the path. Parenting can be a jarring reminder that the world does not revolve around us and our problems because oftentimes it forces you to put aside your challenges and to focus on another
EPISODE 10: THE COST OF SPIRITUALITY ON MENTAL HEALTH
What we rarely talk about when it comes to African Spirituality is the toll that it takes on our mental health.
The belief system that we have inherited is rife with pervasive trauma and leads many people to want to avoid anything with African Spirituality in its entirety. I wanted to understand the impact of spirituality on our mental health and
EPISODE 09: HOW WE LOST THE BLACK MAN
How did we as black men get to such a state of brokeness? How did we end up being such a terrifying threat to the lives of black women? Is it possible to retrace our history from a spiritual point of view to figure out what actually went wrong?
In this episode Gogo Aubrey Matshiqi guides us through a journey back in time in order to gain a better un
EPISODE 08: THE CHALLENGES OF FINDING A SPIRITUAL MENTOR
Nowadays there's a tendency to believe that the journey through African Spirituality is only reserved for those who have a calling to become Healers. But the reality is that very few people are called to go through ukuthwasa. So what about everyone else? How do they get help and guidance in navigating their beliefs?
In this episode, I catch with my
EPISODE 07: IS IT SPIRITUALITY OR IS IT ESCAPISM
At some point, I think every one of us gets to a point where we doubt our beliefs. It is different for everyone but it is something that we all go through. It could be a nagging feeling of uncertainty that eventually goes away. But sometimes, life can hit you so hard that you not only doubt what you believe but, you doubt belief itself. At times, when
Episode 6: The Secret Life Of Surnames
When you are exploring African Spirituality you are inevitably dealing with different aspects of identity and when it comes to issues of identity, there's no other topic more contentious to black South Africans than the issue of Surnames. In fact, matters relating to surnames have seen entire families disintegrating into animosity, bitterness, and ang
Episode 5: Reflections
Covid-19 is here and it is forcing us to approach our entire lives differently. We are in week 5 of the lockdown and the restricted movements have impacted on how I put together the episodes. For one thing, I can't have interviews in person. I've been reluctant to do interviews over the phone on online because I strongly believe that there is such an
EPISODE 04: BEERS, MUSIC, SPIRITS & GODS
When we think of our spiritual history we tend to lean towards the idea of great Healers who come from a mythical time and possess mystical powers. But much of our reality is not as grandiose. So much more of our spiritual past was built by ordinary men and women who were simply doing their best to get by without losing themselves.
The story of the
Episode 03: Abomama Bomthandazo Namadlozi II
Reflecting on the time I spent in the village I started thinking about the transition that women, in particular, went through. The transition from emakhaya to the newly developing urban areas. Not just the geographic transition but the temporal transition, like the transition through time because they were not only moving to another place. They were a
Episode 02: Abomama Bomthandazo Namadlozi
They are the most iconic religious image in our townships for as far back as our memories care to take us. They meander through our streets, low heeled black shoes cracking little stones, black leather handbags carrying Vaseline, tissues, hope and prayers. They never walk alone. They are a world unto themselves. A distant world, yet a world whose radi
Episode 01: Origins
Welcome to the very first episode of my audio-series.
This is a journey through which I will be exploring questions around African Beliefs and Identity.
The idea behind this series is to peel back the layers of what we have come to call African Spirituality and to gain a deeper understanding of not only our beliefs but our place in it.
There
