The National Heritage Council CEO, Adv. Sonwabile Mancotywa says the late renowned traditional healer Credo Mutwa qualifies to be called a multi-dimensional spiritual leader.
The Credo Mutwa Foundation confirmed the passing of the 98-year-old on Wednesday morning, in Kuruman, after suffering from ill-health over the past few days.
Mancotywa says Mutwa was known as a prophet, doctor, medicine man, diviner, scientist and storyteller. “Vusamazulu which means ‘awaken you’, he grew up in stature to become a world-renown traditional healer of note, a Sanusi, a sangoma as he proudly referred to himself. He was recognised by his peers across Africa as a prophet, a doctor, a medicine man, a diviner, a scientist, a storyteller, a psychologist, an artist, a sculpture, cultural heritage practitioner. He was a multi-dimensional leader, an author of the books, a tradition folklore.”
Mancotywa further notes that the late author of The Tree of Life – a trilogy – was respected on two levels: One, he provided the scholarly approach of African civilisation by contributing to epistemology and found its place in the world. Because of his efforts, you know, he provided detail of Africa civilisation. Secondly, he was also a cultural heritage activist of note, as he actually mobilised working with grassroots levels, the foundations of colonialism. But, of course, he provided thought for leadership on very thorny issues on African civilisation. That is why Credo is qualified to be called a multi-dimensional spiritual leader.”
The audio below is the full interview of Sonwabile Mancotywa:
‘We have lost our guide to the future’
Writer, African Scholar, Historian and Cultural expert, Zoza Shongwe says the death of Mutwa is like a cracking of a drum. “We thank God, we thank ancestors for sending us a man of his calibre. We are truly saddened at his passing.”
He says, “Us losing him at this point in time means a lot to us as Africans. It’s sort of like we have lost our guide to the future. His passing should be a lesson to us that in the future as Africans we should really value the people that God and ancestors have made them to pass in our midst. A man of Credo Mutwa’s calibre for me he was supposed to have something like an institution named after him, something like a university where all of this African knowledge can be properly transmitted to Africans.”
In the audio below, Zoza Shongwe speaks about why Credo Mutwa is important to African culture and history:
Shongwe says it is saddening and disheartening that the people that assisted him with his knowledge about Africa not African descent. “We need to learn as an African society that our government, out state intuition must truly take a deep view and a deep look into our spirituality, into our cultural heritage.”
AUDIO: Zoza Shongwe says Credo Mutwa’s legacy must be preserved:
