Isiguqo (Zulu language: place for kneeling[1]) is a religious practice derived from the Zulu traditional religion. It originally refers to a kneeling place on a holy hill which is approached by crawling towards it, and where a profoundly dignified prayer is performed.[2] It has been adapted by syncretic religious movements in Southern Africa such as the Nazareth Baptist Church, which uses this term to describe a kneeling prayer performed in times of hardship.[3][4]

In some Zionist churches, isiguqo manifests as a prayer circle where dancing and healing takes place, and is regarded as a major form of worship. During the ceremony, members holding flags and staffs kneel reverently with their attention fixed on the preacher, who stands up positioned at the center of the circle.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Hodgson, Janet (1982). The God of the Xhosa: A Study of the Origins and Development of the Traditional Concepts of the Supreme Being. Oxford University Press. p. 80. ISBN 978-0-19-570315-3.
  2. ↑ Berglund, Axel-Ivar. "Communion with the shades in traditional Zulu society". Missionalia: Southern African Journal of Mission Studies. 1 (2). Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  3. ↑ Peta, Sanelisiwe. "Women, religion and landscape: reimagining traditional religious spaces of the Shembe church from Afrocentric notions of the female body". ujcontent.uj.ac.za. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  4. ↑ Shange, Nombulelo Tholithemba (2014). "Shembe religion's integration of African traditional religion and Christianity: a sociological case study". Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  5. ↑ Oosthuizen, Gerhardus Cornelis (1979). Afro-Christian Religions. BRILL. p. 28. ISBN 978-90-04-05999-3.

See also


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