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UMI 300 N. Zeeb Rd. Ann Arbor, MI 48106 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. THE CULTURAL HISTORY OF APARTHEID AND THE POLITICS OF HEALING IN A SOUTH AFRICAN INDIGENOUS CHURCH by Linda E. Thomas submitted to the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of The American University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology Signatures of Committee: / ////S/93 Date 1993 The American University Washington, D.C. 20016 7563 TEE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ©COPYRIGHT by LINDA E. THOMAS 1993 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Dedication To my parents, Henry and Mary, whose example taught me the tenacity to hope for, fight for, and live for the truth. To my spiritual parents, Reverend Leslie and Mrs. Antoinette Dyson, whose belief and love sustained me during my years of ontological inquiry. To my new found African parents, Reverend and Mrs. Xaba, who embraced and claimed me as a daughter of South Africa. Through them I received new life. Amandla1 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. THE CULTURAL HISTORY OF APARTHEID AND THE POLITICS OF HEALING IN A SOUTH AFRICAN INDIGENOUS CHURCH BY Linda E . Thomas ABSTRACT The cultural history of South Africa records the events that led to the establishment of apartheid, the legal system which subjugated the black majority to an inferior status based on race. While apartheid became the official policy of South Africa in 1948, prior to that year white minority governments enacted laws and manufactured attitudes that led to the political domination of black people. The ramification of policies of discrimination has for decades caused black people's intellectual, economic, political, and educational pursuits to be substandard. Yet, the resiliency of black South Africans has been demonstrated many times over in movements of resistance. People such as Nelson and Winnie Mandela challenged the South African government concerning its continued domination of blacks. Grass roots movements all over the country used various means of resistance. One vehicle of resistance at the grassroots level was the emergence of African indigenous churches. In the context of sacred space, these churches, which attract i Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. the poorest of the poor, utilize symbolic orders that transform peoples' lives to the extent that they become empowered social actors. Moreover, these churches design rituals of healing in which people who suffer from various sicknesses are healed physically and, more often than not, transformed emotionally. This study focuses on healing rituals in an African indigenous church located in a black township in Cape Town known as Guguletu. It is based on fieldwork conducted from June 15, 1991 - January 15, 1992 and during the month of August 1992. The primary focus of the research involves the study of religion as a cultural system. The goal is to examine how micro-level social relations, as reflected in an African indigenous church, impact and are impacted by macro­ level political, social and economic structures, as well as by the struggles in the Republic of South Africa. The interpersonal social relations of poor black South Africans are examined with the intent of discovering how they employed religious healing rituals as a force for reorienting their social reality, a material world that is permeated with the legacy of apartheid. The ways in which this material world is symbolically transformed by healing rituals into a life enhancing reality are explored. The specific location of the study is an African indigenous church called St. John's Apostolic Faith Mission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. It is part of a larger indigenous church movement that is the most rapidly growing segment of religious life in South Africa. These churches stand in counterdistinction to the "historical churches." The conclusion is drawn that the rituals of healing are expressions of protest by nonelites who are thereby transforming the world in which they live. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The journey to the completion of the Ph.D. in cultural and social anthropology began while I was a pastor of local churches in the New York Conference of the United Methodist Church. I searched for a discipline that would bring together my commitment to issues of cultural diversity, race, gender, politics, economy, and global concerns. Willingness to live with ambiguity, and the support of persons who made up my "personal board of visioners," helped me to clarify my goals and to choose anthropology as the discipline that would best bring together my varied interests. As I draw to the conclusion of the formal requirements for this degree, I can earnestly say that I know that I have pursued the appropriate discipline. This study would have been impossible without the support that I received from friends in South Africa. My thanks begin with Drs. Charles Villa-Vicencio and John de Gruchy of the University of Cape Town who invited me to be a visiting scholar at the university and thus to, have an institutional affiliation from which to conduct my research. It was a privilege to be at the University of Cape Town because it has the oldest Department of Anthropology in the iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. world. I had many stimulating conversations with scholars. I am most grateful for the hours shared with Drs. Martin West, Harriet Ngubane and Mamphele Ramphele. Dr. West's willingness to meet with me during my first week in Cape Town was instrumental in getting my field work off to a rapid start. His generous affirmation of my methodology and decision to do an in-depth study on one indigenous church was particularly helpful. Dr. Ramphele's help in locating a research assistant was invaluable. Through her I was able to obtain the services of Mrs. Barbara Mantata, the assistant with whom Dr. Ramphele had worked, and this was a decided advantage. Mrs. Mantata provided excellent skill in translating during interviews and helping to verify transcription of tapes. Mr. Percival Mbulelo Bhoqo is also acknowledged for providing excellent skill in translation. Special thanks are extended to Dr. Ngubane who knew about St. John's Church and had a keen interest in my research. Her comments were very instructive in relating her work on healing among the Zulus to my own among a congregation of Xhosa-speaking St. John's members. Sincere gratitude is extended to the library staff at the University of Cape Town, particularly, Ms. Celia Walter who provided invaluable assistance in locating important research materials while I was in South Africa and who has continued to send material as necessary after my departure. v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. I also want to acknowledge Reverend Lesiba and Mrs. Nyameka Nkhumise who invited me to live with them in Guguletu where I was able to practice speaking Xhosa and to experience township life. None of this work would be possible were it not for Reverend and Mrs. Xaba who accepted me into the St. John's community. Reverend Xaba's commitment to spend time with me, to patiently share the rituals and to grant permission to interview members was extremely generous. The Xabas introduced me to many other persons in St. John's wider church. Their insistence that I attend St. John's festivals added clarity to my research. My appreciation is extended to the family of Reverend Xaba, who informed me of his death, permitting me to return to South Africa for his funeral.