Page 17 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 32

Community
in the modern mask, I was able to
breathe and remember who I am,
umuNtu.
“AbaNtu baphila isiNtu.
Ngaphandle kwalokho akukho
ukuphila.”
(“An African person, lives an
African way of life. Apart from that,
there is no living.”)
“Umu-Ntu” is a person of African
descent. Our ancestors called fellow
African people (Black people) aba-
Ntu. People of different descents
such as Europeans were Abe-lungu
or Indians were ama-Ndiya and
so forth. Therefore, when we refer
to “abaNtu,” it means a person of
African descent, and our way of life
called isiNtu means the traditions,
customs, and spiritual beliefs lived
by people of African descent. Even
the widely used proverb of Ubuntu
that says, “UmuNtu ngumuNtu
ngabaNtu” means that Africans
become true Africans when they
unite and work together.
I once read a passage by Malidoma
Somè and he wrote, “When we
are born, we move away from the
centre. When we are adults we walk
further and further away from it.
Without the centre, we cannot tell
who we are, where we are or where
we are going. The centre is both
within and without.”
umuNtu
By: Fezeka Mkhabela,
South Africa
As spiritual beings, abaNtu we understand that we
are of spirit and soul before we are of flesh – the
human experience thus is a journey of reconnecting
to our soul through many different paths so we may
complete the work we have been called to do.
Our ancestors believed that we all are born with a life
purpose. This purpose is not to simply go to school,
work, pay taxes, and die as we have been programmed
to believe. This purpose is aligned with healing
yourself, your family, your lineage, clan, or nation.
In our ancient traditions, it was known from birth and
we spent our lives living according to our purpose.
Continuous practice of realignment with our centre
helps us to navigate this path and ultimately our lives
here on earth. However, the world of today misaligns
us with this truth. Instead, we spend a lifetime chasing
after things outside of our centre; outside of isi-Ntu to
find meaning.
I believe most people have a horrible misconception
of isiNtu (ancient African tradition). Many believe
that Africa was dark and barbaric before colonisation
including most Black people. I have never accepted
this message and as a result, I always questioned it
as a child and my soul was pleased to find out the
opposite was true:
ISSUE 32 | DECEMBER 2024 17