Image under the creative commons by D-G-Butcher

From my knowledge and experience of culture up until this point, I can define culture as the shared expression of behaviors and interactions, and affective understanding that is learned through a process of socialization. These shared expressions identify the members of a culture group while also distinguishing those of another group. Culture is the way one expresses his or her self according to the way of one’s family belief-like style of living and it holds the history of one’s people. I am a Xhosa child and I was raised under and taught the Xhosa rituals and customs. Some of the practices that I do, I actually perform them because it is a must and I do not even know the meaning of them, nor the idea behind it all. Some of us, as the youth we do not value our culture because of the things affecting us in this generation.

– Mfundo

My life has been a reflection of what many young people are thinking about culture. For some reason I don’t seem to get across the fact we do things that are different but we are the same. This is the reason I say I need to investigate the matter.

That is why I say:

To me culture is a pure confusion

My thoughts are thick, I gather

What is it with the people?

Do I have a hard brain to understand?

Or it’s simply just the hard feelings of the unknown

Upon looking, I can’t go forward

I need a clean new start

I call upon the people to settle my thoughts

I call upon my imagination

I want to think today!!!!!!!!

– Bongi

What? Who? When? How? Why? These are some of the words that immediately come to my mind when I think of the concept of culture. What really is culture? Does it exist or does it not? I keep asking these questions which I cannot find answers to, and I am starting to make up my own answers, trying to create myself a little world with my own system of beliefs.

Ok. First there is Christianity and then there is African culture which, on its own, consists of many, different cultural belief systems. Which one of the two am I supposed to choose? Is one better then the other? It is quite difficult for me to make up my mind because all the belief systems that are out there actually have good reasoning behind their belts for their existence. Christians believe in God and they have the bible to refer to whenever an answer is needed to whatever question for whatever reason. Africanists also have substantial back up for all their practices, even though some may often appear as more bizarre than others.

Seeing that I cannot bring myself to choosing which one of the two to choose from and that I fail to find real answers to most, if any, of my questions. I have decided not to believe in either of the above systems but rather create my own system of beliefs. At the end of the day it is not what I believe in what will make me a better individual but rather the kind of choices I make.

— MCYB

I believe in all cultures. I for one see culture as what was thought by a person or people driven by what was occurring those days. Because of the wonders I have seen so far, I am bound to believe in the existence of the ancestors. Yes, they do exist because the people who believe in them (like the Sangomas) are actually succeeding and going somewhere because of them. A Sangoma is a traditional Zulu healer and respected elder who lives by frequently connecting with the ancestors. On my side, not to offend any reader, the LORD that was crucified on the cross because of my sins did die. But the extraordinary thing that makes him even more worthy to be praised is that he overcame death. He died but on the third day He raised from the dead. He concord death.

– N.Bulana

I was raised by a Sangoma, my mother was born in the Eastern

Cape and I was born in the Western Cape. I have no clue what is

culture all about. I do what I am told to do. I believe as they

believed in their culture, which they know in details. I tried to find out

about culture but found nothing. The saying that I came

across is: “I was told to this and I was not told why is it done, I

do it because I believe in older people”.

Some people believe in God and some in ancestors… I believe in both.

I never went to church but I think God knows that I do praise him. And I am confused that

there is God and ancestors, don’t they work together? If anyone has

answers please help me, why is there something called culture and what

is it for?

A Sangoma is someone who heals people in a traditional way using herbs

and these herbs they don’t just go to the bushes/forest and take them,

they dream while they are asleep and their ancestors tell them where

to go and dig for herbs to make medicine. Some people become

very ill and when sent to the doctor nothing will appear but the

doctor will say he/she is fine, until he/she is sent to a

Sangoma (Traditional healer).

It is a long process to become a real Sangoma, for some it takes a year or more. At first he/she wears all white clothes or all red and beads (that’s is the first phase). The color of the beads is not just chosen but also appears on her/his

dreams. Then when he/she is well in health and knows everything about

healing then they can wear their own clothes.

– Siphe

Culture is something that we as South Africans are diverse in. We have many different cultures in our country. I feel like culture is something that we have to value because leads us in life, it shows us the importance of life. But I also feel confused by some of the rituals; like doing circumcision and slaughtering a goat or sheep for a dead person. I don’t know why we have to perform some of the rituals. But all in all I think culture is the guide in life so that we can not make silly mistakes. It is also there so that we can make something better about our lives. We all have different cultures and some of those questions we have cannot be answered. In life though, we don’t have an answer to everything.

– M. Gadi

Some people believe that culture, the Xhosa culture to be precise, makes them who they are but what I do not understand in the Xhosa culture is the concept of ancestors. In my culture, people believe that the ancestors guide and protect them; they then perform various rituals to praise and to pray to the ancestors by slaughtering goats and cows. Ancestors are dead people right? How can they help people when they do not have the power to bring themselves to life? I think the whole topic on culture is more of a self fulfilling prophecy, if I believe that ancestors are my primary source to God then that means that praying to my ancestors will work for me. All in all I feel that we all have our own beliefs of who or what God is and I feel that we should not criticize other people’s cultures because we may not be sure whether our religions are the ideal ones. After all, if we all felt the same way about God then we would all be doing the same thing right? In conclusion, we should all do what works for us!

– Nanzi

What does culture mean to me?

This is one of the questions that I ask my self, but I do not have the answers. Many people, including me, cannot define the term culture and many people again including myself are confused by the culture that we have and as humans we have our own doubts.

What I could just say is that, it is not the culture that confuses us but the people who think they know something about the culture that confuses us, these are the people who tell us things that are not true and we should believe those things that they say, like my brother saying that I shouldn’t play soccer in the house (I know that I shouldn’t play soccer in the house), but when my brother says that I shouldn’t play soccer in the house, he says it like it is more than the ball being played in the house, it something like there is more to it. And when I try to ask why, he would say: “Mother said we shouldn’t play soccer and I didn’t argue so you too mustn’t ask questions that have no answers and that leave me in confusion.”

I also think that what makes people confused about cultures is that we live in a world were most of the things that we should know are kept as secrets from us. And as humans we cannot really believe in something that we do not see, like God and ancestors. Some people believe in Ancestors and others believe in God and we tell ourselves that this is the way while we know that we are not sure of what we are saying. We also say that there is power beyond us and we are not truly committing ourselves to that power because we can’t see the power we just think the power is there.

– Yandisa

Out there is Science, God, culture. Which one should I choose? There are so many people speaking different things to me. Which one must I believe? I have so many unanswered questions in my mind. At home my culture is emphasized, at school there is science and my community is filled with various churches with different Gods…I am confused…I don’t know what to believe anymore. As I am growing up, exploring and discovering new things I am becoming more and more confused. There are some rituals that we practice in my culture like, male circumcision, Lobola (=money paid by the groom for the bride), Imbeleko (a goat is slaughtered to introduce a baby to the ancestors).

I believe in both the ancestors and God because I am raised by a religious family. To me culture is what makes me who I am.

– Asithandile

I don’t believe everything in my culture because I don’t understand some things. And when I ask my elders, they don’t know some of the answers either.

Most people believe in different things but we have one thing in common, we all believe!!

Some people believe that there is God; some believe in ancestors, some don’t believe anything.

Most people don’t believe in God but they believe in Science. But who exactly controls the life we live if it’s not God. I believe that God is the one who controls the earth and the air we breathe. And sun comes every day. There is someone behind all this.

I think we must understand each other, and accept that we don’t believe the same thing.

– Mkhuseli

I believe in everything in life; I believe in god, ancestors and all other things in life. But in terms of my own culture I feel very proud to belong to something that is unique as “Culture”. I also believe that as a person you must have something to believe in, not knowing why, because once you know why all the things in life are being done, then what will happen? Your mind will not work and that is why you must always be wondering why most of the things are happening. Culture and its customs are diverse so that we feel as one of a kind and unique in the same time, it also gives the people who belong to the same culture a connection in a way.

– Sbuja

Your culture is defined by the way you interact with others, the language you speak, your dress-up, and your rituals and custom. And I belong in the XHOSA culture (http://www.sa-venues.com/language-xhosa.htm).

I really believe in my culture but sometimes it feels like, according to my point of view, everyone could believe in my culture. Can you imagine a nation that believes all the same thing?

I believe that my culture brings up humanity (Ubuntu) and most of things that are done or not done in my culture are to guide you to right things in life. For an example the payment of “ilobola”, which is the payment made by the groom’s family to the bride’s family as appreciation for raising up the bride. In this way a man would value his wife.

Some people do not even believe in their culture I’d like to convince those people to start to dig up about their culture so that they hold on to their cultures. While doing this, remember there are questions that cannot be answered.

It is up to you!

With love from the African cultured boy

– YARA. Peace!!!