JodockWorldTravel

December 17, 2024

Our travels through the Indian Ocean have brought us back to the Province of KwaZulu-Natal, this time to the town of Richard’s Bay.  Relatively new (opened in April of 1976), Richard’s Bay is home to one of the world’s deepest natural harbors, making it an ideal location for South Africa’s largest port.  It houses a major coal exporting operation, two aluminum smelters and a fertilizer plant.  There’s no missing the coal operations.  South Africa is the world’s seventh largest producer of coal, shipping most of its product to Southeast Asia. 

While the port may have done much to boost South Africa’s economy it came at a cost. 
Native Zulu were living on the lands co-opted for the port.  All were forced out to make room for the port.  After the port was established, supporting suburbs were developed, but this was the 1970s when Apartheid was alive and well.  The suburbs were white only.  There was no place for the Zulu people.  Following Apartheid, the Zulu were relocated to Townships, which are significantly different than suburbs.  Townships are under-developed, racially segregated urban areas created at the end of Apartheid.  They are usually located on the periphery of a town with “informal” settlements nearby.

Today we will be visiting a Zulu “living museum,” located about an hour-and-a-half from the city.  As we travel out of town, we see some of the township created for the Zulu.  Despite all of the economic opportunity presented by the port activities and the bustling infrastructure needed to support Richard’s Bay the area continues to be plagued by high unemployment.  Within Richard’s Bay unemployment sits at about 19 percent; in the surrounding areas it can be as high as 55 percent.  The crime rate is high, especially violent crime, and the area is known for a number of high-profile murders related to supply chain issues.

The area surrounding Richard’s Bay is beautiful and lush.  We pass acres and acres of Eucalyptus trees and tree farms, a major industry for South Africa.  Cows and goats freely roam the forested areas and leisurely graze in the grass alongside the road, unfazed by the traffic.  Few are being tended to; they all know to whom they belong and at the end of the afternoon each animal will return unbidden to its home for the night.

Our guide explains to us that despite the modernization of the world around them, the Zulu people continue to honor most of the traditions of their ancestors.  Among them, the design of their homes.  In an earlier post we told you that traditional Zulu structures are round.  Turns out there’s more to the story.  Each Zulu homestead will have its main living quarters, which resemble the structures you might expect in any community, but they also have a round building, the “Sacred Space.” This building has only two purposes:  housing a young girl experiencing her first menstrual cycle or a woman about to marry.  When a girl gets her first period she goes to the Sacred Space for a specified period of time where the elder women educate her about what it means to be a woman, her duties and the expectations for her.  The same happens when she is preparing for marriage.  No matter how simple or fancy, all homes honor this tradition.

Zulu still have arranged marriages (though either party can choose not to accept the arrangement) and polygamy is legal.  The groom must still pay a bride price of 11 cows for each bride; those living in the city will play the monetary equivalent of 11 cows.

The Zulu also continue their belief in black magic, which informs their treatment of pregnancy.  When a woman becomes pregnant, she is to tell no one for fear that someone with a grudge toward the woman or family might put a curse on the baby and cause it harm.  Pregnancies are kept secret until after the child is born.

We are visiting Dumazulu Cultural Village.  The village was established to give the public insight into the traditions and culture of the Zulu people.  They take great pride in saying that a very popular previous King of the Zulus visited the site and gave it his blessing as being truly authentic. 

The sign that greets us as we prepare to enter the village is not encouraging…

We travel a dirt path to the meeting point, where we are greeted by a young man in traditional garb.  He energetically interacts with the group, teaching us Zulu greetings and responses before we begin our actual tour.  Pam wanted to get a picture of his complete attire, which she succeeded in doing, but her photo skills need some work.

Before proceeding to the village, we first had to ask permission to enter.  We beat a drum with a specific pattern and waited.  Across the forest came a different drumbeat in response letting us know we would be welcomed.  When we arrived at the gate, we had to shout a phrase to reconfirm that it was okay to enter, then wait for a response.  Zulu villages have only one way in and one way out. You must always ask permission to enter and only a male can give that permission.  The entrances are built low, forcing you to bow as you enter.  This is to show respect to the ancestors.  Men always take the lead when entering or exiting the village or going on any journeys because they are the protectors; women are not allowed to engage in battle. 

As we visited the various demonstrations men were told to stand in a group to the right of the person giving the demonstration, women on the left.  This is another of the Zulu traditions.  We learned about spear-making, fighting techniques, and the making of artifacts.

The colors, color combinations and patterns in the artifacts all have cultural significance and serve as a means of communication.  They are used to regulate social behavior, teach young girls how to behave in relationships, or communicate messages of love, grief or uncertainty.  For example, if a young man expresses his interest in a young girl, she is not allowed to tell him how she feels with words.  Instead, she will make a bracelet or necklace that she will wear or give to him at their next meeting that will either signal yes, she wants to be with him, and he needs to give her father 11 cows, or no, he’s not interested.

We also visited the inside of the huts. The individuals we met today all live in the village, following the Zulu traditional way of life. They return to their home villages every 26 days, stay for four days, and then return here. Their life at home mirrors their life here.

We met a medicine man who explained some of the traditional healing methods.

Our time at the village ended with a traditional wedding dance.  For their part, the men must show the women how energetic and physically fit they are.  They compete side-by-side to see who can jump the highest and who has the most energy.  One of the guys was especially “cheeky.” He kept us all in stitches.

After the tribesmen showed us how it was done, they gathered volunteers from the audience to give it a try, first as a group and then individually.  Ken was an excellent participant. Pam would definitely choose him!

This was the traffic situation on the way back…we were traveling on a two-lane road and our driver was in the process of passing a dump truck on our left.