Ukubuyisa and Ukuhlanza: Reconciliation and the Washing of the Spears. The role of the faith communities in the quest for healing and reconciliation

Abstract

Taking his cue from the two Zulu words Ukubuyisa (to reconcile with the dead) and Ukuh-lanza (the washing of the spears), the author discusses the role that the South African faith communities may play in the quest for healing and reconciliation. A number of prerequisites for reconciliation and peace-building exist, and must be addressed by the Christian churches as well as by the other faith communities in the country. Inviting the reader to page with him through the picture book of reconciliation, the author discusses some of these prerequisites, as well as the way in which different role players within the Christian, African traditional, Hindu and Muslim communities, have attempted to deal with them in the recent past in South Africa.