African-Spiritual identity:

Is defined through the way African people connect to the Creator. African Indigeneous Spirituality is the way that Africans worship the Creator. And for Africans to be successful and live well they should follow their truth. Their truth will set them free!

In a world that has many ways of worship, all these ways are given their rights and its people are successful and flourishing through these ways of worship. But it’s funny how African Indigenous Spirituality has not been granted that opportunity to shine. Its people have been named as demonic and their practises and rituals have been seen as a taboo. In African Spirituality there are people who are called Seers(Imboni is the direct home language). These people are unique in what they are called to do. They are the ones that align Africans with their through identity.

When an African person understands their identity it means that they are liberated spiritually, emotionally, physically, and socially. So this liberation depends on their Spirituality. If they have taken into account that they have to connect to their Creator through their context which is African then the liberation comes easy. And everything that they do becomes easy.

With easy I don’t mean you experience smooth and perfection. I mean in the midst of imperfection, you still find peace. You still know who you are, you are not defined by your hardships but you know that every hardship is a phase that is passing. You know that hardships are not here to stay forever. Once you understand your spiritual identity you will know that on earth both good and bad can exist. There is that balance in life, things can’t be always bad and they can’t be always good. They will interchange!

In an African context, people know and do not believe. Because as you may know, anything that you believe in involves your heart and mind. Knowing the mind and heart, they are not constant they change every time, according to situations at that particular point. So you could sleep today believing in this and tomorrow you no longer believe in it.

So you can’t base Spirituality on what you believe which is in your mind or heart. But Spirituality lives through your spirit, which does not believe but knows. When you have matured spiritually, your spirit knows! It does not fumble or change sides just like someone who bases everything on mind/heart. Things that are not constant.

Spirit knows the right thing even when your mind does not want to agree. Sometimes your mind is always against your spirit because things that make sense in your spirit do not have to make sense to your mind. Your mind is something that you use on earth, it is not so intelligent to understand the spirit at times. So you need to be mature enough to understand that if your spirit is on the right path, you don’t need more. Your mind should follow what your spirit says. That was a piece about African Identity!

The teachings and my self-discovery were inspired by Dr. Imboni UzwiLezwe Radebe!