Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa was a South African Zulu sangoma, or traditional healer, born in 1921, who trained in the healing practice known as thwasa under his grandfather and an aunt named Mynah after his grandfather nursed him back to health from a severe childhood illness his Christian father's church had declined to treat in the traditional way. He became widely known as an author whose books, most notably his 1964 work Indaba My Children, documented Zulu mythology, folklore and healing tradition for a wide audience, alongside his own claimed prophetic and cosmological insights. In 1974 he established the Kwa-Khaya Lendaba cultural village in Soweto, building traditional structures and sculptures representing a range of African cultural and healing traditions, and in 2018 he received a USIBA award from South Africa's Department of Arts and Culture in recognition of his contribution to indigenous knowledge; he died in 2020.
Facts
Sources
1. Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa (Wikipedia)
Infobox, birth_date
21 July 1921
Infobox, death_date
25 March 2020
View the SourceFrequently Asked Questions
Who was Credo Mutwa?
A Zulu sangoma and author from South Africa, best known for Indaba my Children.
Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa (21 July 1921 to 25 March 2020) was a Zulu sangoma (traditional healer) from South Africa. He was known as an author of books that draw upon African mythology, traditional Zulu folklore, extraterrestrial encounters and his own personal encounters. His last work was a graphic novel called the Tree of Life Trilogy, based on writings in his best-known book, Indaba my Children. In 2018 he was honoured with an USIBA award presented by the South African Department of Arts and Culture, for his work in indigenous wisdom.
What was the Kwa-Khaya Lendaba cultural village?
An African cultural village he created in Soweto in 1974 to preserve cultural heritage and his teachings.
In 1974, Credo Mutwa obtained a piece of land in Soweto in order to create an African cultural village to preserve cultural heritage and his own teachings. He created traditional dwellings representing building patterns from across Africa, while human and mythological figures brought to life African folk-lore, beliefs and traditions as seen through his artistic vision. In 1976, students partially burnt down the cultural village after he was misquoted on Afrikaans radio. The village in Soweto is being restored and is still open to the public free of charge.
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