Gender in African spirituality: ‘The Untold Stories of Afrikan Warrior Women’

Dr Khanyisile Litchfield-Tshabalala invites us to reconsider everything we’ve been conditioned to believe about ourselves in her upcoming book

08 October 2024 - 12:40 By Nduku Mulumba
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The writer says when the voices of the warrior women asked, “How dare you forget an Afrikan warrior queen who humbled British soldier-men at war?”, I was filled with a sense of reassurance and strength. Stock image.
AFROSPIRITUALITY The writer says when the voices of the warrior women asked, “How dare you forget an Afrikan warrior queen who humbled British soldier-men at war?”, I was filled with a sense of reassurance and strength. Stock image.
Image: sunshineseeds/ 123rf.com

Dr Khanyisile Litchfield-Tshabalala — or as we refer to her, Mama Khanyisile — invites us to reconsider everything we’ve been conditioned to believe about ourselves in her upcoming book Ubulungisa: Deconstructing Gender In Afrikan Spirituality — The Untold Stories of Afrikan Warrior Women.

The deeply thought-provoking book unearths truths that have long been buried beneath the sands of colonialism and patriarchy, compelling us WanaUbuntu (Africans) to critically examine the lies that have shaped our collective identities. Mama Khanyisile poses piercing questions that challenge the historical narratives imposed on us, shaking us out of the spiritual slumber that has lasted for more than four centuries.

In one of the most striking passages, Mama Khanyisile questions the absurdity of Abrahamic religions’ fascination with “saving” WanaUbuntu from hell, specially given that Arabs and Europeans didn’t regard us as human.

“If Arabs and Europeans did not believe that Africans were human, why then were they fascinated with where this inhuman species spent eternity?” she asks.

Her question is incisive and revealing. If the foreign invaders considered us subhuman, why would they care whether we faced damnation? It becomes obvious that their mission was never about saving souls; it was about stripping our motherland of her people, her wealth and her wisdom.

Had they genuinely believed us to be mere animals, wouldn’t it have been more convenient to leave us to “burn in hell”, securing for themselves more space in their so-called heaven? This logic unveils the hypocrisy at the core of their colonising religions, which were never about salvation but about conquest and control.

Mama Khanyisile’s exploration of the WanaUbuntu timeline is one part of the book that brings a smirk to my face. She meticulously documents Nsi Ya Ubuntu’s (Africa) rich civilisations, thriving long before Europe had recognisable people. Nsi Ya Ubuntu’s history is not defined by the colonial invasions of our motherland, and yet the world has been taught to see Europe’s colonisation as the central narrative of global history. Mama Khanyisile exposes this as a deliberate dwarfing of WanaUbuntu greatness — a greatness that thrived for thousands of years before European contact and will continue to thrive beyond colonial legacies.

Her recounting of Nsi Ya Ubuntu’s past instills in me a deep sense of power and pride. We are not defined by the destruction wrought on us, but by the unshakable foundation of culture, knowledge and resilience that persists within us.

One of the most stirring moments in the book is Mama Khanyisile’s recounting of her spiritual communion with the ancestors, specifically the Afrikan warrior women who resisted colonial and patriarchal domination

One of the most stirring moments in the book is Mama Khanyisile’s recounting of her spiritual communion with the ancestors, specifically the Afrikan warrior women who resisted colonial and patriarchal domination. She describes an intense experience with the wind, where the restless spirits of the warrior women rose and insisted their stories be told after being buried under layers of patriarchy.

The women, who died for the sovereignty and wellbeing of WanaUbuntu, continue to speak through Mama Khanyisile, reminding us they must not be forgotten. I felt as if I was there with her, in communion with the powerful ancestors. When the voices of the warrior women asked, “How dare you forget an Afrikan warrior queen who humbled British soldier-men at war?”, I was filled with a sense of reassurance and strength. The stories remind us that our liberation is inevitable, no matter how long it takes.

But as much as reclaiming our place in humanity is inevitable, we must understand this destiny requires our active participation. We cannot be passive bystanders, waiting for the forces of nature to do the work for us. We must fight for our liberation with everything we have.

The inevitability of balance being restored must never become an excuse for complacency. As WanaUbuntu, we cannot sit idly while our oppressors continue to manipulate the system to maintain their control. We must call out this system for what it is, an apparatus of exploitation, domination and dehumanisation. In calling it out, we must also be ready to crush it, ensuring it never poses a risk to our wellbeing or our way of being again. There is no space for timidity or fear in this struggle. Liberation requires boldness, courage and sacrifice.

Mama Khanyisile also delves into Nsi Ya Ubuntu spirituality's relationship with nature, a principle that has been distorted by colonial religious teachings. In Nsi Ya Ubuntu spirituality, we understand humanity’s role is to nurture nature so she, in turn, nurtures us and all of creation. Unlike the punitive Abrahamic god who casts judgment and punishment, Nsi Ya Ubuntu spirituality calls for balance, Ubulungisa, a constant act of harmonising our actions with the needs of the ecosystem.

The moral and ethical code passed down through cultural practices reinforces the belief that we are accountable to the ancestors and the community, not to an external god who punishes us for our transgressions.

In questioning the gender of the Christian, Muslim and Judaic gods, Mama Khanyisile again confronts the colonial narratives that have been imposed on us. She reminds us that in Nsi Ya Ubuntu spirituality, the originator has no gender and therefore no gender is superior to the other.

This understanding is crucial in dismantling the patriarchal structures that have oppressed Nsi Ya Ubuntu women and diminished their power, which was central to precolonial Nsi Ya Ubuntu societies. The introduction of Christianity distorted the gender relations, demonising women through stories such as Eve’s betrayal and further entrenching ideas of male superiority. Mama Khanyisile beautifully shows the rebalancing of gender, through Ubulungisa, is necessary to restore the harmony that existed in precolonial Nsi Ya Ubuntu.

Reading Ubulungisa has reaffirmed my commitment to returning to our way, where we, for the most part, live in harmony with nature and one another, and recognise we are one among many in the ecosystem. Ubulungisa, this rebalancing, is inevitable because nature itself demands it. But we must be conscious, active contributors to the restoration. As WanaUbuntu, we cannot wait for nature alone to correct the imbalance. We, as a big part of nature, must be warriors in our own right, fighting to reclaim our place in the world. 

The book is a call to all WanaUbuntu who seek to return to our spiritual roots, embrace Ubulungisa  and bring peace and healing to the WanaUbuntu family and the global WanaUbuntu community. Mama Khanyisile’s work is a critical addition to any WanaUbuntu curriculum and should be read by all who seek to restore the dignity, balance and strength of our ancestors, specially the African warrior women whose stories continue to guide us.

I highly recommend Ubulungisa: Deconstructing Gender in Afrikan Spirituality – The Untold Stories of Afrikan Warrior Women to anyone ready to reject the lies of colonialism and reclaim the wisdom, power and spirituality that is rightfully ours. Ubulungisa will come, but we must ensure that we fight for it, not only wait for it.

• Nduku Mulumba is a Kenyan-born activist, writer, and podcaster.


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