My Community

This community is not your average community. Everyone is connected through blood. We young stars like to ignore this fact, saying that this connection prevents you from going forward. This connection is unique but it has its disadvantages. Everyone knows your business.

Small village with huge yards and lots of houses. Each household depends on their own tanks for water. The only other source is the river. We share the river with pigs, cows, donkeys and horse.
Some go skinny dipping in the river, when right at the bottom of the river is busy collecting the water.

Relations in this community are made very clear. Everyone knows what their place is. This includes a five year old. A  child would know and assume their position as soon as they understand.

A little girl is supposed to fetch wood and a little boy to herd the goats. If there is a ceremony in one of the families the whole community is expected to participate. The 70 year old granny would know that some things won't be done until she gets there.Each and everyone has a role and is expected to play it accordingly

My Family

Family is always the most important thing. It does not matter whether you are poor or rich your family will always be there. The whole village is connected to each other. It is a big family.
Every single one of us is someone cousin, niece, nephew or grandchild.

In most cases you will the grandparents, the mother and the children. The father will be working in Joburg or Cape Town. He only comes home two or three times a year. In most instances the whole family depends on his earnings. The woman is busy doing all the hard work of being a housewife. She takes care of her frail in-laws as well raise her kids.

 At the age of 21 a young man is expected to start his own family. Like all cultures the woman you marry is marrying your family as well.

Families are not always happy together but they try their best. In every decision everyone is accommodated according to their needs.

My Yard

To get yourself a piece of land in the area you have to contact the community leader. He will then call a meeting. The only thing you have to provide is home made bread and a bottle of brandy. Then you can do what your heart desires.

Every single family in the community has a huge yard. Big gardens which are only used for seasonal crops. The rest of it is a number of houses. First one would be a big family rondavel. Three to four houses will then follow depending on your wallet. For a poor person they can only afford huts and to fit everyone's needs about seven of them will be in one yard.

The kraal is every man's pride. The bigger the kraal the wealthier you might be. Kraal with three different section. One for the cows, one for the goats and one for the sheep. Not forgetting the shack for the chickens.

Two decades ago no one paid attention to fencing the yards with exception to the gardens of course. A person yard is marked by a cement pole called ingqamboyane which is just 6 inches above ground. You hardly ever hear a sale of peoples property. Even if the family is wiped out, people will let it be.

My house

The house is built straight from mud. First you have to collect water from a nearby river. This is a housewife's job. Cows are use to cultivate the ground for bricks. A mixture of soil, cow dung and water is all you need.

To build a foundation huge rocks are cut and shaped as bricks. Two rows of these rocks is used. Cement at this moment is used.

When you are done with building your walls, its off to the roof. Depending on your wallet you would buy planks and corrugated iron, but if that's not the case you would cut down trees and use grass as your roof.

If you've got no money for cement you can always go back to mother earth. A mixture of soil, cow dung and water is used. The mixture is made smooth then applied to the wall as cement. A few years back people made mud chairs which were attached to the walls.