South Africa is home to eleven official languages. The population of the Eastern Cape (the Province I reside) is made up of mostly Xhosa speaking people. This past Saturday I attended my first traditional Xhosa wedding. It took place under a large tent outside the home of the groom. The bride is an employee from the Department of Arts and Culture and had traditional dancers performing throughout the ceremony.
Later on, I joined Mama Ghana’s nephews in their pick up truck to collect the bride’s ceremonial new bedroom furniture. It is Xhosa tradition that the family of the groom gives the bride a new bed.
Thus this past weekend, I was able to cross out two things on my “bucket list”: a) attend a wedding and b) ride in the back of a speeding pick up truck. I have seen many traveling in such a way, and I figured, why not join them?
Chatting with Luiso on the pick up truck, he told me about a saying in Xhosa, "Ubuntu". It means, "who we are is a result of those we serve". In other words, it is human generosity giving freely without recourse. It is this philosophy which serves to improve our ability to connect with each other as a giving community.
Enjoy the videos. The one with the truck isn’t the best. I was holding the mirror in place while maneuvering the camera around. But then again you had to be there to experience the thrill of racing against the sunset through the streets of East London holding on to both, the furniture, and your makeshift seat.