The Karstens in South Africa

Paul is assisting in the training of Xhosa pastors in a local township of Guguletu. A former colleague of mine has started a Bible school for Urban Xhosa pastors and church leaders and has asked me to help on a part time basis.  The Xhosa are a local black tribe – the second largest in our country. There are approximately 10 million Xhosa people are spread throughout South Africa, making up 18% of the population. Our former President Nelson Mandela comes from this tribe. The Xhosa language is sometimes also called a ‘click’ language because of the use of so many click sounds as consonants.

Beliefs:

• Animism, and recognition of the presence and power of ancestral spirits and of a supreme authority.

• Misfortune and illness are attributed to unnatural and supernatural influences. For example one of these beliefs is about a hairy and potentially malevolent goblin that attacks at night.

• The Xhosa also have so-called diviners in their tribes who are mostly women. The diviner is the Xhosa’s healer. Diviners help the people in the tribe with   psychological, physical, mental, and medical illnesses.

• Initiation rites through circumcision are a common custom among the Xhosa. The youths whiten their bodies and wear a white blanket or sheepskin to ward off evil. They spend a lengthy initiation period in isolation from the rest of the community in specially built huts.