Navigating between the sacred and the profane: Mohokare sacred sites, spiritual tourism and the challenges in the formal heritage sector
Loading...
Date
2022
Authors
Ntlhabo, Makashane Archibald
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
English: After the democratic election of 1994 in South Africa, many Basotho who were
dispossessed of their ancestral land west of the Mohokare River in the Free State
Province of South Africa in the late 19th century returned to reclaim the land through
spiritual journeys to sacred sites of Mantsopa, Mautse, Motouleng and Witsie's Cave.
This was the beginning of the contestation between farm owners and pilgrims, even
between pilgrims themselves, thus creating complexities that came to characterise
Mohokare Valley sacred sites as sites of ownership contestation, criminality, and
hybridity. This study attempted to find empirical solutions to the sacred and profane
tensions created by the inheritance of a colonial approach to heritage and land
administration in South Africa that displaced Afrocentric customs, values, and
experiences. The study integrated Afrocentricity and Decoloniality with elements from
Postcolonialism to develop the Afrikana-Decolonial Theoretical Framework. The
theoretical framework was further enhanced by Afrikana-Participatory Action
Research (APAR) as research methodology that encompassed Afrocentric Research
Methods and Participatory Action Research chosen because of their liberating and
emancipatory potential to bring about change in the lives of local communities. This
approach borrows spirituality and communalism from Afrocentricity, places Africa as
the locus of engagement, takes hybridity from Postcolonialism as the condition that
characterises sacred sites and pilgrimage, and approaches the process of
decolonisation of African gnoseology from a decolonial perspective. This is interpreted
from a broader perspective, extending back to the Atlantic Slave Trade and making
local communities partners in this project. Given the nature of APAR, the research
culminated in an Integrated Management Plan (IMP) designed to institutionalise
Mohokare Valley sacred sites as spiritual tourism sites with beneficiation intended for
all participants. The IMP was first tested on the Witsie's Cave Provincial Heritage Site
as the action case study. It was adapted for the rest of the Mohokare sacred sites as
part of an ongoing process in line with APAR.
Other: Ka mora dikgetho tse lokolohileng tsa Afrika Borwa tsa 1994, Basotho ba bangata ba neng ba amohilwe lefatshe la bontata bona le ka bophirima ho noka ya Mohokare provenseng ya Freistata, Afrika Borwa, mafelong a ngwahakgolo wa leshome le metso e robong, ba ile ba kgutla ka ho nka maeto a semoya ho ya dibakeng tse halalelang tsa Mantsopa, Mautse, Motouleng le Lehaheng la Oetsi. Hona e bile qaleho ya ditwantshano pakeng tsa beng ba mapolasi a potileng dibaka tse boletsweng le batho ba neng ba di etela. Hape ya eba qhwebeshano mahareng a baeti ka bobona. Hona ho tlisitse mathata a tsekisano ya dibaka, botlokotsebe le bohabedi, e leng tseo dibaka tse halalelang tsa phula ya Mohokare di tsejwang ka tsona matsatsing a kajeno. Thuto ena e lekile ho fumana tharollo e sebetsang tsitsipanong e pakeng tsa bohalaledi le tlhokahalo ya bohalaledi e bakilweng ke tsela eo re sietsweng lefa ke borakoloni ya ho laola dibaka tsa botjhaba le tsamaiso ya naha mona Afrika Borwa moo ho nang le meetlo, boleng le mekgwa ya seafrika. Thuto ena e kopantse ditheori tsa Tjhadimo ya boafrika le Ho itlhohlolla bokolone le Ho feta bokolone, e le ho bopa Moralo wa theori ya Afrikana-Decolonial. Motheo ona o matlafaditswe ka Phuputso e Ketsong ya ho ba le seabo ya Afrikana e le mokgwa wa ho etsa diphuputso oo le ona o ikamahanyang le mekgwa ya diphuputso ya seafrika. Mekgwa ena e mmedi e kgethilwe ka lebaka la ho nnetefatsa hore ho be le tokoloho le phetoho maphelong a baahi ba sebaka seo diphuputso di etswang ho sona. Tselatshebetso ena e adima bohalaledi le letsema tjhadimong ya boafrika, e hloma Afrika e le tikoloho eo diphuputso di etswang ho yona, bohabedi ho feta bokolone jwalo ka boemo bo renang dibakeng tse halalelang le ho baeti ba tsona, ebe ho sebediswa ho itlhohlolla bokolone e le ho leka ho lokolla tsebo ya seafrika, kaha ho itlhohlolla bokolone hona ho lata tokoloho ya Afrika nakong ya bokgoba mme ho fana ka matla ho baahi ho etella pele merero ya bona ya tokoloho bokoloneng. Sena se etsetswa ho bopa moralo wa tsamaiso o kenyeletsang tsohle, o reretsweng ho sebediswa Dibakeng tse halalelang tsa noka ya Mohokare jwalo ka dibaka tsa bohahlaudi ba tsa sedumeli tseo ho tsona bohle ba bang le seabo ba tla una molemo. Moralo ona o beilwe tekong pele Setsheng sa Botjhaba sa Provense sa Lehaha la Oetsi e le karolwana ya ho ithuta, hape e le karolo e ntshetsang pele mosebetsi o mabapi le Phuputso e Ketsong ya ho ba le seabo ya Afrikana e sebedisitsweng thutong ena.
Other: Ka mora dikgetho tse lokolohileng tsa Afrika Borwa tsa 1994, Basotho ba bangata ba neng ba amohilwe lefatshe la bontata bona le ka bophirima ho noka ya Mohokare provenseng ya Freistata, Afrika Borwa, mafelong a ngwahakgolo wa leshome le metso e robong, ba ile ba kgutla ka ho nka maeto a semoya ho ya dibakeng tse halalelang tsa Mantsopa, Mautse, Motouleng le Lehaheng la Oetsi. Hona e bile qaleho ya ditwantshano pakeng tsa beng ba mapolasi a potileng dibaka tse boletsweng le batho ba neng ba di etela. Hape ya eba qhwebeshano mahareng a baeti ka bobona. Hona ho tlisitse mathata a tsekisano ya dibaka, botlokotsebe le bohabedi, e leng tseo dibaka tse halalelang tsa phula ya Mohokare di tsejwang ka tsona matsatsing a kajeno. Thuto ena e lekile ho fumana tharollo e sebetsang tsitsipanong e pakeng tsa bohalaledi le tlhokahalo ya bohalaledi e bakilweng ke tsela eo re sietsweng lefa ke borakoloni ya ho laola dibaka tsa botjhaba le tsamaiso ya naha mona Afrika Borwa moo ho nang le meetlo, boleng le mekgwa ya seafrika. Thuto ena e kopantse ditheori tsa Tjhadimo ya boafrika le Ho itlhohlolla bokolone le Ho feta bokolone, e le ho bopa Moralo wa theori ya Afrikana-Decolonial. Motheo ona o matlafaditswe ka Phuputso e Ketsong ya ho ba le seabo ya Afrikana e le mokgwa wa ho etsa diphuputso oo le ona o ikamahanyang le mekgwa ya diphuputso ya seafrika. Mekgwa ena e mmedi e kgethilwe ka lebaka la ho nnetefatsa hore ho be le tokoloho le phetoho maphelong a baahi ba sebaka seo diphuputso di etswang ho sona. Tselatshebetso ena e adima bohalaledi le letsema tjhadimong ya boafrika, e hloma Afrika e le tikoloho eo diphuputso di etswang ho yona, bohabedi ho feta bokolone jwalo ka boemo bo renang dibakeng tse halalelang le ho baeti ba tsona, ebe ho sebediswa ho itlhohlolla bokolone e le ho leka ho lokolla tsebo ya seafrika, kaha ho itlhohlolla bokolone hona ho lata tokoloho ya Afrika nakong ya bokgoba mme ho fana ka matla ho baahi ho etella pele merero ya bona ya tokoloho bokoloneng. Sena se etsetswa ho bopa moralo wa tsamaiso o kenyeletsang tsohle, o reretsweng ho sebediswa Dibakeng tse halalelang tsa noka ya Mohokare jwalo ka dibaka tsa bohahlaudi ba tsa sedumeli tseo ho tsona bohle ba bang le seabo ba tla una molemo. Moralo ona o beilwe tekong pele Setsheng sa Botjhaba sa Provense sa Lehaha la Oetsi e le karolwana ya ho ithuta, hape e le karolo e ntshetsang pele mosebetsi o mabapi le Phuputso e Ketsong ya ho ba le seabo ya Afrikana e sebedisitsweng thutong ena.
Description
Thesis (Ph.D. (Africa Studies))--University of the Free State, 2022
Keywords
Afrocentricity, communalism, decoloniality, african gnoseology, hybridity, postcolonialism, integrated management plan, participatory action research, spirituality, Tjhadimo ya boafrika, ho itlhohlolla bokolone, filosofi ya tsebo, bohabedi, ka mora bokolone, moralo wa tsamaiso e kopantsweng, phuputso e ketsong ya ho ba le seabo, semoya