'I Speak of Africa and Golden Joys'
Before the black tribes came to Central Africa, before white men stood here, this land was the domain of the Khoisan, San and Bushman, who according to their legend arrived on Earth in ‘baskets’ from the east. Rock paintings attributed to the Bushman can be found in many areas, including the sacred place known as Matopos. Bushman folklore refers to a Golden Age when all men spoke the same language. This is perhaps an indication of the realisation of humanity’s one consciousness. Because the Earth has been divided linguistically, culturally and superficially, man has not yet understood the unity of all things. Bushman treat the Earth with spiritual respect and are rainmakers of pure gentle rain. ………….
In Africa, Britain and other colonists used the three-M strategy. First they sent in the missionaries who reported the where-abouts of minerals. Next merchants were sent to get trade and industry going, and lastly the military arrived.
Missionaries, determined to convert Darkest Africa to their beliefs, never realised that there is much to be learned from Africa’s spiritual practices and that her beliefs and rituals are to be respected. …………………
When the European pioneers arrived in Central Africa, the local people had no written language, no currency, schools or hospitals and few skills. None of which were a necessity. They were able to smelt small amounts of iron ore with which they made axe-heads and assegai-shafts. They could weave baskets from reeds, hollow out trees trunks for makoros (canoes), catch fish and make cloth from tree bark. They had not yet discovered the plough, and lived in makeshift houses that used an unbelievable number of saplings.
The Africans however, had natural wisdom and knowledge that was largely scoffed at by the Europeans who had no understanding of these things. The sangomas had knowledge of astrology and their astrological signs of the Zodiac closely resemble those of the European astrologists. For thousands of years they knew that the Earth is a living being and that she is round, while Western civilisations had clung to the concept that the Earth was flat. The community’s storytellers had the task of remembering ancient stories and parables that were to be recited word perfect, for no variation or improvisation was permitted. Wonderful and mysterious tales have been passed down from one generation to the next. Unfortunately, these are being lost as Africans adopt the Western ways of living. ………
African people are now split between their natural ancient ways of tribal life and the stresses of adopting the foreign ways of Western culture that are attempting to swallow Africa. In the guise of ‘economic freedom’, Western consumerism is enslaving people in rural areas, by selling them things that they cannot afford and of which they have little need.