Today most of us look down on our ancestors and their way of life. We think it was barbaric and backwards. Mostly its as a result of colonial brainwashing.
But one thing that made our forefathers wiser than us is that they were in control of every aspect of their community life, especially the means of production. Everything a locality needed was produced locally. From household utensils, clothing, to food production. They were in control of their political institutions, and made sure they worked for them.
Women were not as powerless and oppressed as it is potrayed by many, but were important members of society as they possessed a lot of these skills and were mothers of the home. That’s why in Swati village a woman without a husband could be given land, but a man without a wife would not.
Today our grandparents are taking these skills with them to the grave because we think we are too modern to learn to weave baskets, learn pottery, learn to farm and sculpturing. We prefer office jobs that further make us slaves because we depend more on those who actually produce the things we need.
Article By Pan Africanism for Mzansi
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