by David Biggs
I believe we are all entitled to seek help from experts, no matter what kind of problems we have. Your friends can probably recommend an excellent plumber when you have a leaky loo, or a good mechanic when your car breaks down, or a painter when your walls look shabby.
There are modern people who consult physiotherapists or stress release practitioners or aromatherapists or even (I’m not making this up) maggot therapists. All of them claim to be helped by the therapist of their choice.
I was intrigued to read a recent edition of our local free news paper, the People’s Post, and to see how many traditional healers advertise their services, and the wide range of problems they claim to solve. Do you have a family sangoma?
With all the problems facing our country today, it might be a good idea to have a trusted traditional healer on your side. Just look at the range of ills they claim to cure.
They will cleanse your home of bad luck, bring back a lost lover, pray for a good result of a court case, remove unwanted people (that sounds ominous), stop drug abuse, sell you a magic ring or holy oil or solve your “manhood problems.” And that’s just a small sample.
I wonder whether there’s such a wealth of expertise in other countries like Britain or America. Who do people in those countries turn to when they have trouble with evil spirits or lost lovers?
Are there any reliable sangomas in London’s Harley Street? Maybe if the publishers of the People’s Post brought out an international edition we’d have anxious people flocking to Fish Hoek from all over the world with their problems.
Think of the revenue that would generate.
Patients would need accommodation, transport and food for the duration of their treatment. I suspect the healing industry could provide a real boost for this corner of the peninsula if it is properly managed.
Last Laugh
Harry sat on the porch of the retirement home and watched as two municipal workers moved slowly along the opposite side of the street.
One worker would dig a hole then the other one would fill it up.
Then they’d move a few metres along and do the same.
Harry leaned over the gate and asked what they were doing.
“We’re a three man treeplanting team,” said one of them.
“Normally I dig the hole, Willie places the tree in it, then Sam fills the hole round the tree. Now Willie is off sick with Covid-19, but there’s no reason why Sam and I can’t carry on with our usual jobs.”
* "Tavern of the Seas" is a column written in the Cape Argus by David Biggs. Biggs can be contacted at [email protected]
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
Cape Argus