Rebecca- Johannesburg Market Keeps Traditions Alive

Oral Presentation: Michaela

Blog: Rebecca

2/25/09

GAOC #3: South Africa

Article: Johannesburg Market Keeps Traditions Alive; Herbs Used to Ward off Evil

Website: (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29267879/)

 

            The Mai Mai market is a hidden world where traditional African healers carry on their trade and are dedicated to traditional African medicine, also known as “Muti.” The market was a former stable yard built in the 1940’s and is now home to over 100 traditional healers and traders. The stalls are packed with animal skins and strong herbs used to ward off evil and bring good health. People who are ill or unlucky come to consult with “inyangas” or “sangomas” who are herbalists that communicate with ancestral spirits and read the person’s future by throwing bones. Sangomas normally detect two different kinds of bad luck. One is inflicted through witchcraft and the other is caused by unhappy ancestors. Skins and bones hang above the market stalls containing snake skins, crocodile skins, deer hides, and misshapen skulls of cows. There are also sometimes leopard pelts, furs from baboons and buffalo skulls. On front counters are shelves holding bottles with powders and dried organisms. According to the herbalists in Mai Mai, these medicines are capable of helping a patient get rid of bad luck, nightmares or making a person popular. Following years of neglect, the Mai Mai bazaar has begun to generate. People are trying to restore the market to its pristine beauty and promote it as a prime tourist destination.

            This is important to learn about because it is interesting to see and be aware of all of the different rituals and beliefs around the world. This particular Mai Mai market is interesting to learn about because it is devoted to the traditional ways and is an escape from the more modern city. It is important because it shows that even as the world develops and continues to lose old cultures and traditions, there are still people who preserve traditional methods. It is also interesting to learn about the different cultures and traditions to learn about what is going on in the world today, and overall gives me a new and more enhanced view of the world around me.