I am the Child of iNingizimu, the Southerly winds
That’s where I inherited the restlessness of my soul, of my mind
In search of a balanced spirit
Who Am I
I am a soul that emerged
From the stench and gutter of oppression, and
Breath hope in the atmosphere of despair
Child of Evangelist father and iSangoma uncle
I traverse the two worlds in search of that balance
I am an African
An Africa caress by African winds
Trade and Anti-trade
Wash by her many rivers
Pure and impure
Endurance tested by the raggare edges of Mount Kilimanjaro and uKhahlamba
Within the retina of my eye in the mist of sand storm
I carry a clear vision of our rebirth
I swear by every grain of sand
In the Sahel
In the Kgalagadi
I tasted the fragrance of dawn in Nyanga, Langa Guglethu, and in Soweto
In mother’s womb
I was a neighbor to a bullet
And, today I taste the fruits of freedom in my land
I am the one that hallucinates in forms
I hallucinate shapes
I hallucinate my sculptures
I tew bones
I grind stones
I melt metals
I walk through the dense forest of ugliness
In order to create the beauty of the universe
A universe of my soul
What am I
I am artist whose soul traverses
Unknown universes of form
Unknown universe of ideas
I am a poet that scalps dreams
That scalps desires
I am a desire seeking expression
Each and every piece of art that I create
Becomes, A universe of endless possibilities
- Pitika Ntuli
How can religions of this world coexist with my African spirituality?
No one chooses which family they are born from; some are born in what can be called traditionalist family, some are born in Christian family, or Muslims family background. There is growing number of people, especially young people who wants to explore how can their Christianity coexist with their African spirituality. There seem to be a double consciousness when it comes to spirituality in Africa.
In Pitka’s Poem, we see the same when he is referring to his experience and reality… “A child of evangelist father and iSangoma uncle, I traverse the two worlds in search of the balance”.
What is your take? Is this a double consciousness many Africans are face with on daily bases? If this is your reality and have managed to find a balance to the two worlds, what has been the experience thus far?
