Journey from trainee-sangoma to being a born-again Christian
East London woman s book describes her journey
East London resident Mpho Thulo moved from traditional practices to Christianity a journey that has brought many challenges, given her past as a trainee sangoma.
She tackles the subject in her debut book, Called Out, which was launched on Friday.
The writing began as journal entries, which then turned into a full-length book.
“It was an inspiration from God and started from there. I shared my thoughts and experiences — where my spiritual journey was taking me and what the word of God revealed to me during a lonely journey,” she told the Dispatch.
She started writing down her thoughts in 2010 when she became a born-again Christian.
Her background in African spirituality began at the age of five, learning at the knee of her father who was a traditional healer.
“My grandmother explained to me what to do, the process and what to look out for. As I grew up, I had manifestations and they started to get rife in high school when I became very ill,” she said.
“A friend advised my mom to find alternative help for me from an inyanga [traditional healer]. We found that I could be healed if I accepted the calling [to be a healer].
“At the time, I was still in high school and we negotiated to appease [make an offering] to my ancestors so I might be given the time to go to university,” Thulo said.
Living in North West at the time, her family practised African spirituality while also attending their Anglican church.
“I started being in an emotional and tormented state, I had this heavy and sad spirit. The things my ancestors had promised me had not been fulfilled, there was chaos around me.”
Thulo married her husband John in 2008, but the strain of her calling affected her new marriage badly.
“After I got married, I decided not to go into the area of ukuthwasa [calling],” she said.
“It didn’t bring me any peace. Yes, my gift was still there but I after I received deliverance [from God] in 2010, the manifestations weren ’ t as tormenting.
“It felt like this garment or cloak had been lifted from my shoulders. I found peace and joy where a void was filled.”
Thulo still has dreams and visions, which she attributes as a gift from God.
She said the area of ukuthwasa was focused on the ancestral communication realm, yet there was another realm less spoken about — that of God.
“Ukuthwasa taught me to be open with the realm of the dead, but there was another realm of God which was neglected.
“There’s a failure to connect with gifts that God has given us which I speak more about in the book,” Thulo said.
Eastern Cape pastor Afrika Mhlophe co-authored the book.
Mhlophe said Thulo approached him a few years ago.
When he heard her story, he thought it brought a “realistic side” to African spirituality.
“When I read her rough manuscript, I wanted her to tell her raw story, help her draw out her experiences she might not think are important.
“I also assisted with breaking up the manuscript into chapters and also focused on the technical issues of self-publishing.
“I admire her persistence with the project, it was over three years with us doing this,” Mhlophe said.