As a Pedi person, my worldview is shaped by the teachings and beliefs passed down through generations in my community. Reflecting on my upbringing and cultural heritage, I identify two endogenous teachings that have significantly influenced my understanding of the world:

1. Ubuntu: This teaching emphasizes the interconnectedness of humanity and the importance of community. In Pedi culture, we say "Motho ke motho ka batho" - a person is a person through others. This belief has taught me to prioritize collective well-being, respect, and empathy. I recognize that my individual actions impact the community and strive to contribute positively.

2. Kgoshi: This teaching revolves around respect for elders, tradition, and ancestral heritage. As a Pedi person, I was taught to revere my elders, listen to their wisdom, and honor our ancestors' legacy. This belief has instilled in me a deep respect for tradition, cultural preservation, and intergenerational knowledge transfer.

As a Pedi person who was born and raised in villages it was a great experience in such a way that we were taught too many things at a very young age. I grew up bearing in mind that every elder person has to be regarded as mother of father because remember it takes a village to raise a child, so this basically means that elderly people have to be treated as part of your family members, they must be treated with respect. one other thing is that when an old person speaks a child must take his or her time to listen without having to backchat at an older person.

 

in conclusion, we as Pedi people we have so much respect towards our elders. Pedi tribe is such a tribe that falls under the leadership of kings and have a very strong tradition of chiefs and headmen who tends to play a vital role in making sure that everything goes accordingly and that every need and wants of their residents are met. and coming to speak of chiefs, one is not supposed to just avail themselves at the chief's home without having to consult with the headmen, if one does that it is regarded as an insult.

 

During my childhood years, I grew up hearing all the bad stories about white people and how they used to treat us black people during the 18th century. I grew up hearing that white people highly loathed blacks, them not wanting to be around blacks, how they practiced racism towards black people, and how rude they were towards them etc.

Things got worse when I studied history in high school because that's when we were taught deeply about the past, about segregation, racism among others.  my life revolved around a single story since from childhood, my single story led to stereotypes, misinterpretation and humiliation of others (whites)but trust me all the bad picture I carried since I was young changed when I got to varsity and got to share a room with a white person. The mentality I had about othering, Eurocentric, marginalism and stereotype faded once I realized how welcoming she was, the warm welcome she gave me, how loving and carrying she actually was. 

That took me back to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's story, about how her roommate thought she was unable to use a stove, and that how possible was that she can speak English so fluently since she's a black young woman from Nigeria.

After the experience I had it is advisable for people to not rely on a single story and that we shouldn't take to mind anything we are told. We shouldn't judge a book by its cover before we actually can go through it because having one sided story is dangerous. Firstly, have your own experience, then that's when you can conclude after hearing from others.