The essence of ilobolo and Zulu traditional marriage as depicted in Nelisiwe Zulu’s literary work
Two worlds exist, the seen and the unseen. Mortals or living beings populate the seen world and immortals or the living dead populate the unseen world. Through ilobolo (bride wealth) and traditional Zulu marriage, the two worlds are brought closer together by spilling an animal’s blood and anointing...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Africajournals
2021-06-01
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| Series: | Pharos Journal of Theology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.pharosjot.com/uploads/7/1/6/3/7163688/theme_5_article_16_se1_2021l_ilobolo_and_zulu_marriage.pdf |
| _version_ | 1798029870450606080 |
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| author | Dr Sicelo Ziphozonke Ntshangase |
| author_facet | Dr Sicelo Ziphozonke Ntshangase |
| author_sort | Dr Sicelo Ziphozonke Ntshangase |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Two worlds exist, the seen and the unseen. Mortals or living beings populate the seen world and immortals or the living dead populate the unseen world. Through ilobolo (bride wealth) and traditional Zulu marriage, the two worlds are brought closer together by spilling an animal’s blood and anointing the wedded couple with bile. This is a religious offering, inviting the ancestors of
the wedded couple to bless the union. Ilobolo, in the space of the Zulu marriage, therefore, becomes a spiritual undertaking, warranting a deep understanding of Afrocentrism, which informs the philosophical and theoretical framework of this article. Through the lens of Afrocentrism, this
article reports interpretively on how the Zulu people perceive ilobolo and marriage as two concepts connecting the seen and unseen worlds. The blood and bile of an animal are perceived as symbolic purifiers or religious cement gluing together the two families with their ancestors for eternity, because even death cannot tear them apart. In trying to understand how ilobolo and
Zulu marriage and all the customs associated with these two concepts connect the seen and unseen worlds, the article draws its data from the novel, Umshado (Marriage, Wedding Ceremony) and the play, Isiko Nelungelo (Culture and Rights). Both these literary books were written by Nelisiwe Zulu, whose style of writing is always seen as interrogating the essence of
Zulu culture and how it is perceived in modern times or post-1994 democratic South Africa. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T19:32:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c17a63f2f64e4796aa2bf72fc85f67ce |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2414-3324 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T19:32:12Z |
| publishDate | 2021-06-01 |
| publisher | Africajournals |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pharos Journal of Theology |
| spelling | doaj.art-c17a63f2f64e4796aa2bf72fc85f67ce2022-12-22T04:06:58ZengAfricajournalsPharos Journal of Theology2414-33242021-06-011021https://doi.org/10.46222/pharosjot.102.116The essence of ilobolo and Zulu traditional marriage as depicted in Nelisiwe Zulu’s literary workDr Sicelo Ziphozonke Ntshangase0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8540-8413University of KwaZulu-Natal, South AfricaTwo worlds exist, the seen and the unseen. Mortals or living beings populate the seen world and immortals or the living dead populate the unseen world. Through ilobolo (bride wealth) and traditional Zulu marriage, the two worlds are brought closer together by spilling an animal’s blood and anointing the wedded couple with bile. This is a religious offering, inviting the ancestors of the wedded couple to bless the union. Ilobolo, in the space of the Zulu marriage, therefore, becomes a spiritual undertaking, warranting a deep understanding of Afrocentrism, which informs the philosophical and theoretical framework of this article. Through the lens of Afrocentrism, this article reports interpretively on how the Zulu people perceive ilobolo and marriage as two concepts connecting the seen and unseen worlds. The blood and bile of an animal are perceived as symbolic purifiers or religious cement gluing together the two families with their ancestors for eternity, because even death cannot tear them apart. In trying to understand how ilobolo and Zulu marriage and all the customs associated with these two concepts connect the seen and unseen worlds, the article draws its data from the novel, Umshado (Marriage, Wedding Ceremony) and the play, Isiko Nelungelo (Culture and Rights). Both these literary books were written by Nelisiwe Zulu, whose style of writing is always seen as interrogating the essence of Zulu culture and how it is perceived in modern times or post-1994 democratic South Africa.https://www.pharosjot.com/uploads/7/1/6/3/7163688/theme_5_article_16_se1_2021l_ilobolo_and_zulu_marriage.pdfafrocentrismcultureilobolo and marriageliving deadseen and unseen worlds |
| spellingShingle | Dr Sicelo Ziphozonke Ntshangase The essence of ilobolo and Zulu traditional marriage as depicted in Nelisiwe Zulu’s literary work Pharos Journal of Theology afrocentrism culture ilobolo and marriage living dead seen and unseen worlds |
| title | The essence of ilobolo and Zulu traditional marriage as depicted in Nelisiwe Zulu’s literary work |
| title_full | The essence of ilobolo and Zulu traditional marriage as depicted in Nelisiwe Zulu’s literary work |
| title_fullStr | The essence of ilobolo and Zulu traditional marriage as depicted in Nelisiwe Zulu’s literary work |
| title_full_unstemmed | The essence of ilobolo and Zulu traditional marriage as depicted in Nelisiwe Zulu’s literary work |
| title_short | The essence of ilobolo and Zulu traditional marriage as depicted in Nelisiwe Zulu’s literary work |
| title_sort | essence of ilobolo and zulu traditional marriage as depicted in nelisiwe zulu s literary work |
| topic | afrocentrism culture ilobolo and marriage living dead seen and unseen worlds |
| url | https://www.pharosjot.com/uploads/7/1/6/3/7163688/theme_5_article_16_se1_2021l_ilobolo_and_zulu_marriage.pdf |
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