This weekend I had the privilege to go and stay
with Mama Nomapondo at her house out in the rural areas of Mthatha. The village where she and her huge family
live is called Tyumbu. A few weeks back Nomapondo
told me that she was soon to be celebrating her nephews ‘coming of age’. She then asked if I would join her and the
rest of the family for the celebrations… I didn’t hesitate in saying yes!!
As the ceremony was happening in Comfimvaba – a
very small rural village in the mountains, 4 hours outside Mthatha – I had to
stay over on Friday night as we were set to leave at 5am Saturday morning. Arriving in Friday night, I was greeted by
Mama (the head of the house) and about 10 other family members; everyone was
tightly packed into a small 4 bedroom house.
I was desperate for a wee so I asked Nomapondo if I could go to the
toilet, to which she handed me a small bucket!! Thinking about it, I was being pretty
stupid to think they had a toilet when the house didn’t even have running
water! But it was an experience and I
think my nerves got the better of me, as I only used the bucket a handful of
times over the weekend! That night I
slept in a double bed with Nomapondo, her 10 month old son, Kunga and 5 year old
daughter, Luhle, it was very cosy!! Then the
4am wakeup call arrived, I had a bath in a bucket (please note it was a
different one to the one I had previously used!!) and got dressed into the
traditional Xhosa wear, beads and all! I
defiantly felt the part J Still
half asleep I got into the taxi and thought to myself ‘great, 4 hours in a
taxi, I’ll catch up on some sleep.’
Until everyone started to sing at the top of their voices! I then though
‘OK, they’ll quieten down in half hour, I’ll sleep then.’ Oh how wrong I was! A
full 4 hours of singing and chanting but their energy was incredible and I
loved it!
We arrived in the small village of Cofimvaba
then continued to drive for another hour along a dirt road into the
mountains. The views were breathtaking and
everyone’s energy was incredible.’ The day consisted of lots more singing,
dancing, slaughtering of a sheep and SO MUCH FOOD! It was an amazing day and
one I won’t forget anytime soon! The
traditional Xhosa culture and celebrations are really something to
witness! I love their family bonds and
sense of community. Although very basic,
I think we could learn a lesson or two about valuing what we have and not to be
so greedy.
On Sunday morning I was woken up by the two
children I was sharing a bed with by being jumped on. It was a beautifully sunny day so all the
family was outside on the farm doing laundry, herding the sheep, goats and cows
and preparing the freshly slaughtered chicken (FYI, chickens DO carry on
running after you chop the head off!!!).
I spent the day cooking with Pumeza, who decided Sally was too English
and renamed me ‘Nwabisa’, which translate to ‘to make others happy!’:D You may
now all call me Nwabisa Anne Stone!!
When it came to saying goodbye on
Sunday evening I really didn’t want to leave!
I honestly had one of the best weekends since being in Africa and it was
an incredibly humbling experience! They
may not have a lot of material wealth but when it comes to happiness and
family, they couldn’t be richer!
My Mama! |
Nomapondo & me dressed in the Traditional Xhosa clothes |
Pumeza & Me |
Me & Kunga |
Nomapondo & Kunga |
Me & Luhle |
Traditional face painting & head wear |
Pumeza |
Mama!! |