17 April, 1999. Vuyatela is Djuma Game Reserve’s newest camp. Vuyatela means "come and visit again", a term that typifies African hospitality.

Vuyatela will reflect modern South African culture. South Africa has become the melting pot of Africa and our cultural heritage stretches from mud huts with thatch through Great Zimbabwe to Kwaito (a new music form with elements of township jazz, hip-hop and rap, as well as reggae).

Since Vuyatela is an affirmation of modern South African culture, we feel we have to pay tribute to its roots. A Sangoma is a traditional healer in Bantu culture. A traditional healer fulfills a large and important role in indigenous culture, not only is he or she a herbalist and doctor, but is also the spiritual connection to the ancestral world. Whilst generally in Bantu culture- and specifically in Shangaan culture - a Supreme Being is acknowledged, far more relevant is the powers of ancestors who are believed to have considerable effects on the lives of their descendants. The ancestors appear mainly in dreams, but sometimes manifest themselves as spirits. Some spirits or ancestors are believed to live in certain sacred places where ancient chiefs have been buried. Each clan has several of these burial grounds. The ancestors are propitiated by prayers and offerings, which range from beer to animal sacrifices. The Sangoma, on behalf of the community, makes offerings in times of trouble or in cases of illness, and on special occasions such marriage or a new venture. Care is taken to please the ancestors, as restless ancestors can cause troubles. Children are named after their ancestors to ensure the continuation of family names.

On Saturday we invited the local Sangoma to bless the site where construction will commence on Vuyatela. The ancestors were to be informed of our intentions, namely the building of Vuyatela. The Sangoma who led the proceedings was a woman assisted by two female and one male attendant.

The ritual involved the sacrifice of five chickens and a sheep. Without going into the ritualistic importance of sacrifice in many religions – e.g. the sacrifice of the Christian God’s son Jesus or Abraham’s almost sacrifice of his son – it is a general premise of many religions that sacrificing earthly goods appeases the gods or ancestral spirits. The ceremony itself was a happy, but solemn event. It is no small matter communicating with the ancestors.

Small wooden pegs were cut and sharpened. A bowl with soil from the future construction site was placed next to the sacrificial sheep. The Sangoma displayed her various mutis (medicines; herbal preparations) on a colourful cloth. Some of the little bottles contained brown oily secretions, others dried leaves. Each of the bottles was sampled and a pinch of the contents added to the soil in the bowl. The sheep was then brought forward to the bowl and its throat was swiftly cut, the blood being collected in the bowl with soil. The same was done to the chickens’ blood. The gall from the sheep’s gall bladder was also added the various concoctions. The wooded pegs were then coated with one of the concoctions and the bowl with soil and blood and various mutis thoroughly mixed. We all then set off on a procession of the Sangoma, her attendants and ourselves, visiting each of the planned buildings, placing a wooden peg under a tree and sprinkling the site with the soil / blood / muti mixture. Once all future buildings were blessed we returned to where the original ceremony took place and on her colourful cloth the Sangoma "threw the bones". Literally a collection of small mammal bones and shells which are dropped upon the cloth and their relative positions interpreted as omens, good or bad. The lie of the "bones’ indicated that the ancestors were pleased!

Our history of apartheid in South Africa had alienated the different races and as a consequence they had no respect for each other’s customs. Ever since our revolution, which culminated in the April 1994 elections, South Africa as a whole has been striving to undo many of the injustices of the past. In our small way Djuma Game Reserve has been doing its bit. Part of our duty to our fellow community members, the communities of Dixie and Utha where most of our staff live, is to respect their way and to accommodate their customs. It was out of the above considerations that we decided to perform the Sangoma blessing of Vuyatela.

As part of Africam (www.africam.com) we decided to allow the world to witness this event in what may be a world first, ancient ritualistic practices live on the Internet for the entire world to see! Some may argue that this is voyeurism, but may I rather suggest that it was a live window on another culture. In our modern world of fast disappearing cultures and the all pervasiveness of others, it is easy to forget the diversity which a hallmark of humanity. When we forget this diversity we become arrogant and intolerant and prone to thinking that "our" way is the only way.

As may be expected the live showing of the ritual caused some controversy, but the vast majority of opinion on the Africam "Boma" was positive and appreciative. Oddly enough, controversy centered upon the killing of "innocent animals". I fail to see the principle distinction between killing a lamb for ritualistic reasons versus killing for food, as most of the world does daily in abattoirs. Where does innocence come into the equation? We live on earth and we eat plants and animals to sustain ourselves. How is it in principle different to kill a plant or an animal? What is so special about animal life as opposed to plant life? Is killing a 2000-year-old tree for furniture a lesser "crime" than squashing the mosquito against the glass pane? As I see it, our responsibility as the most destructive – and constructive – creature on earth is to minimize our impact while accepting that we have a right to live as humans.