S. Sithole, 44926987 

South Africa has four ethnic groups namely ; Black South Africans typically referred to as Africans or blacks (81.4%), White South Africans knowned to most as "Abelungu" (7.3%), Coloureds who may have ancestry from African, European, and Asian people (8.2%), then we have Indian South Africans (2.7%). From all these beautiful ethnicities, I fall under the African ethnicity. The Black South African ethnicity is composed of several major tribes or ethnic groups that speak Southern Bantu languages which are ; Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho, Swazi, Shangaan-Tsonga, Venda, Pedi, Tswana and Ndebele. These tribes share cultural elements, such as family-based society, farming, cultivation, and belief in the value of ancestors.

The first thing that is endogenous to the Black/African ethnicity is the importance of ancestors. We believe that ancestors act as a connection to God, and that offerings to these spirits can bring wealth and good fortune. They cultivate a relationship with the higher being, God. We have mystics or sangomas who are in charge of healing and 'divining', which is a form of fate telling and counseling. Ancestors must call on these traditional healers. On the day of initiation, they are subjected to rigorous training and learn a variety of "Ukuthwasa" talents, such as how to work with herbs for healing and other, more magical skills, such as finding a concealed object without knowing its location. Ancestor worship is strongly established in ancient African faiths. The people who passed away ancestors are thought to preserve a spiritual link with the living. We worship our ancestors through practices like prayer, offerings, and seeking guidance from ancestral spirits. These practices often involve offerings of beer, meat, and other items to honor and communicate with the ancestors. Sweets and toys are offered to those ancestors who died as babies. Furthermore, spiritual leaders like as sangomas play an important role in bodily and spiritual healing, along with giving direction based on ancestral beliefs.

The second thing I believe is endogenous to the Black/South African ethnicity is the significance of cattle herding and subsistence farming in traditional livelihoods. As a girl who was brought up in Kwa-Zulu Natal I can safely say that practice cattle herding and subsistence farming is an integral part of our livelihood. Cattle herding involves tending to herds for various purposes like milk, meat, and as a symbol of wealth and status. We grew up knowing that any household that had many cattle was rich, had a father figure and held  a great reputation. Everyone in the village respected households with more livestock. Fortunately for me, I came from such a family. My grandfather had many cattle that he had to employ herdmen known as "Abelusi". He was greatly respected by the whole village and he rubbed shoulders with the village chiefs. Subsistence farming includes cultivating crops for personal consumption and sale. Since my family was well off, my grandma cultivated crops for personal consumption. We'd eat the cabbages, pumpkins, peppers and sweetcorn among the many other things she planted. Some families cultivated and sold the products to make a living while some like us cultivated for personal consumption. 

S. Sithole 44926987 

My networks dynamics . 

I come from a polygamous family which would mean I have quite a large family. I have different relationships with my family members and they all play a different but important roles in my life. I don't really have a large circle of friends but the ones I have is just as important as a huge circle of friends would have been. I have a sense of belonging when I'm around my this network. I feel loved and valued. I cope with my challenges better when I'm around them. My friends were a part of my mental health journey when I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety at 16. They had no idea how they would help and be there for me because of the little knowledge they had on the mental conditions. They took their time to learn while hurrying to be there for me. Same with my family, I was the first person to openly discuss and disclose my mental ailments and soon after that all the family members who were suffering in silence also stepped forward and got support as I did. We taught one another about the conditions and became each other's support systems.

Another instance was when I was in my matric. I always felt overwhelmed because of the academic pressure and people's expectations of me. My family reassured me that I was doing fine, at the correct pace and whatever outcome I'd get, they would always be proud of me. My friends were also in matric so we formed a study group and we would study together. Whoever understood a certain subject better would teach it. We each had roles we had to play and everyone benefited from our network.

My move from Gauteng to North West for school meant leaving everyone I knew, my networks and my comfort place. That meant I had to start afresh and build a new network in close proximity. That proved to be a little hard because of the cultural differences and backgrounds. I struggled a lot to fit in and maneuver my way around, but when I finally could, things became easier. I finally had a new circle of friends, a new network. I finally had people I could ask for help from. People whom I could help in times of need and rest assured knowing I have people looking out for me. Kinship networks make this difficult life somehow seem easier. I won't ever forget to submit assignments in time because I have people to remind me to. I will never get left behind because of the networks I have created. Networks filled with love, trust and honesty. 

S.Sithole 44926987 

Triggers of nostalgia 

It's 08:00 am and I'm rudely woken up by my loud alarm. It takes me approximately five minutes to be fully conscious and alert. Suddenly there's a strong invading smell of burnt toast my roommate was making and it gave me nostalgia of the mischief I had been in as a child. Back in 2012, 3rd grade, before we had a toast making machine my grandma would use the pan to make toast. One fateful day I tried making one, without anyone's knowledge of course and I almost burned the whole house down and my grandma forced me to eat the coal looking like toast. Immediately after that vivid memory triggered by burnt toast my roommate made, I could weirdly taste the burned toast and it felt as if it was being absorbed by my clothes as well. Good thing I hadn't taken a shower.

S. Sithole 44926987 

The Single Story 

Growing up in a lower-class township from a middle-class household, I wasn't exposed to a lot. I was exposed to the world around me, which didn't compromise of a lot. Just bare minimum education, poverty and crime. I would sometimes visit my relatives who resided in the suburban areas and were well off financially. I would experience culture shock almost every time.

The environment there was different and so were the people. They mostly communicated in English and went to good schools. I would find it rather difficult to separate life from Kwa-Thema from life in Kempton Park. I would often find myself projecting my experiences and my personal views of the world. Where I came from we were told that black people who lived in the suburbs were sellouts and were involved in hideous crimes, along with the white people. We were told no matter how smart you were, you would never leave the location unless you were acquainted with white people or involved in crime.

So that molded my perspective on white people and rich black people as a child. I alienated myself from my rich cousins because of what I had been told. I was envious of white people's privilege yet at the same time despised them. Because I had never been exposed to some parts of the world and society, I had a single story narrative about how the world operated. I developed a victim mentality. There were misunderstandings which robbed hardworking people off their dignity.

I also came to a realization that the very same rich cousins had their own assumptions about my world, my society which also robbed us off our dignity. These single stories did nothing but perpetuated harmful stereotypes and discrimination. I have since unlearned these perspectives and assumptions that were shoved in me. I now embrace each and every race, culture, religion and beliefs. I do my research before concluding on anything. Since arriving in North West I discovered the versatility in people, I have also found similarities within the different races, cultures and religions. At the end of the day we are all human and the only race that matters is the human race.