Shembe

Imigidi YamaNazaretha

Inkonzo yamaNazaretha iyinkonzo ebheke kakhulu emasikweni esintu kanye nasemilandweni yezikhathi zenkosi uShaka. Lenkonzo ixube izinhlanga ezahlukahlukene okungamaZulu, amaXhosa, abeSuthu kanye nabanye kodwa uma sebehlangene enkonzweni angeke ubone ukuthi bahlukene ngokwamasiko abo. Enkonzweni yamaNazaretha kunemigidi emihle eyenziwayo ikakhulukazi uma kunezingqungquthela ezinkulu eziba njalo ngenyanga. Umgidi wamaNazaretha uhambisana nemvunulo yakhona. Labo abasuke beya emgidini bayahloba ngemvunulo yabo … Read more

Furs for Life

Twice a year members of the ever-growing Shembe church congregate in Ebuhhleni for a month-long meeting to give thanks to the prophet Isaiah Shembe. The area is considered a holy land, a place of purity and blessings, and Shembe followers come from all over South Africa to climb the mountain at Ebuhhleni. It is a … Read more

Happy Easter & Safe Travels!

Being a Christian holiday, Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion at Calvary, isn’t recognised by a lot of South Africans, but it is a time of the year when people get to take a few well deserved days off from work, with many people driving to see family and friends … Read more

An African Mecca

It may be a bit late in the day, but when Mabusi Kgwete, the team leader for the Ulwazi fieldworkers, posted some photos online from the annual Shembe pilgrimage, I thought it would be remiss of us not to talk about this incredible event that happens at the beginning of every year. Every January around … Read more

To Skin a Cat

The image of a proud Zulu man wearing an animal skin is something that most South Africans are quite used to and wouldn’t really think twice about, but maybe it’s time that we did. The congregation of the Nazareth Baptist Church, commonly known as Shembes, use leopard skins in their ceremonies, which might have been … Read more

Isaiah Shembe’s Prophetic Uhlanga

Anyone who’s a regular early morning beachgoer is likely to have seen those curious groups of people dressed in white performing baptisms in the rather choppy Indian Ocean. You might also have driven past those circles of white stones dotted around Durban’s public spaces, and wondered what they mean. Well if you have a curious … Read more