Pop singer as healer: the use of Xhosa lyrics as cultural self-realization

Abstract

This article examines the significance of the vocation to divinership (ukuthwasa) for a contemporary Xhosa Afro-soul artist. We explore the singer's calling and the way in which she blurs the boundaries between what it means to be a traditional Xhosa healer and what it means to be a contemporary singer who chooses to sing in Xhosa about Xhosa cultural practices. The healing power of the vernacular is not explicitly declared, although her lyrics suggest that it is through singing in Xhosa that she can best realize her potential as a healer. We demonstrate that the singer's choice of a culturally specific non-secular lexicon firmly situates her within an ideological framework that underscores a commitment to, and belief in, a social experience specific to Xhosa healers. We further examine the disjuncture created by the absence of a traditional divination musical style in songs which nevertheless overtly declare an allegiance to a spiritual journey marked by a particular musical tradition. Finally we question the relevance and significance of the diviner calling to young, urban Xhosa speakers and their reaction to a popular singer making her calling public through her music.