Finding its roots in African culture, the practice of traditional
healers has experienced an influx of Westerners from various
backgrounds with the end of Apartheid. Chris Ntombemhlophe
Reid became the first white and respected sangoma amongst the
people of Pondoland, South Africa. When his Western life, evolving
around money, fame and popularity, fell apart since lead ‘for the
wrong reasons’, Reid moved to Pondoland where sangomas
approached him, making him realize and pursue his calling to
become a sangoma himself. Having graduated in 1997, he now
spends long periods of time in his remote homestead in the heart
of the Transkei, where he hosts traditional ceremonies, mentors
his trainees and accompanies them on their spiritual paths.
This project gives intimate insights into the spiritual, yet
demanding journeys of sangoma Reid, his thwasas and spiritual
family, as members and cultural bridges in an ancient culture that
lives on in democratic South Africa.
