The Xhosa believed that the God Qamata had created the Earth, but, of course, it wasn’t an easy task. In his effort to create a dry foundation over the immensity of the sea, he infuriated the dragons, since their space was being invaded, and so the most epic battle began. Seeing that Qamata needed help, his mother, Djobela, created four strong giants to help him protect his creation, but they were about to be defeated by the dragons. Seeing they were doomed to lose, they asked the goddess to turn them into stone to be invincible and still be able to protect the land. She fulfilled their wish and placed each one of them in the four cardinal points of the Earth. The strongest of the four was located in the south and was given the name of Umlingi Wemingizimu, the Watcher of the South, who still protects the region with his mighty strength.
Mountains have been a crucial part of human life. Many cultures and religions have seen mountains, especially their peaks, as the place where mortals can communicate with the gods. Moreover, it’s the closest place to heavens. Just think of Mount Olympus for the Greeks, Mount Sinai in Judeo-Christian religions, or even Muhammad’s Mount Safa. In South Africa, the Nazareth Baptist Church worship Mount Nhlangakazi as the place where their church began.
Founded in 1912, they believe that their prophet Inkisi Isaiah Shembe was walking on the mountain when he was struck by lightning. Suddenly he heard God’s voice telling him to go south and create a church for the Zulu people. He sold all his earthly possessions and moved to the region of Ekuphakameni with only a few livestock and started preaching God’s will. Many of his followers believed God himself had sent this prophet to Africa, not in a colonizing way to substitute their customs, but with a unifying attitude to merge their traditions with his precepts. This syncretic denomination of Christianity is taking back all the culture that was once destroyed by colonialism.
Shembe’s church gathered a wide number of followers with whom he established communes and self-sufficient groups. It’s been said that he was one of the pioneers of humane treatment of cattle, since one of his precepts was to respect other creatures as Jesus himself had done. He also believed that one commune could survive with just a couple of cows, some to bring milk and others to provide food. But more importantly, he taught his people to lead a simple life without ambitions. Of course, this religious variation has evolved with the passing of time and many of the followers actually live in cities. But they gather every first Sunday of January in the most important event of their calendar: the pilgrimage to Mount Nhlangagazi, the place where God spoke to Shembe.
With a length of 60 km uphill, thousands gather, dressed in white robes and allusive motifs of the Zulu traditional attire. They take off their shoes and grab white stones and flowers to start the pilgrimage. At the beginning, only men can head the pilgrimage, and once they’re gone for a while, women and children take off. This is a three-day journey where people chant and pray. The most beautiful thing about this festivity is that, as thousands climb, Mount Nhlangagazi gets covered in white because of their attires. Once they reach the peak, each of the pilgrims drops their stone in a huge cairn and pray. It’s a ritual they make to reaffirm their faith and get in contact with the heavens. After all, that’s what “Zulu” stands for: heaven.
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The images illustrating the article belong to Andrew McGibbon’s photographic series Mount Nhlangagazi, where he portrays his experience as one of the few foreigners who have made the pilgrimage.
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You might find interesting:
Images of Hinduism’s Holy Men Shows Us How To Find Happiness
25 Spiritual Journeys To Make Before You Turn 25
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Sources:
Hills of Africa
North Coast Courier
The Birth of Shembe
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