A wise woman once wrote a Xhosa song that entailed celebratory lyrics that sang “Kuyagidwa kwaNolali, Kusilw’ utywala besixhosa, Kwoku kuzoba mnandi.”
Unathi Nkayi was braced with the heavy and rewarding title of being izibazana – the mother of an initiate – this festive season as her son, Sinako, reached the suitable age of undergoing the rite of passage journey, ulwalukho. This journey can be summed up as a phase in young man’s life where he is required to undergo the initiation journey which molds him from childhood to adulthood.
Celebrating the gratifying and triumphal moment of the return of her son, Unathi took to Instagram to share some of those moments. The beautiful moment that captivated the hearts of everyone saw both parents of Sinako – Unathi Nkayi and Thomas Msengana – come together to celebrate this important highlight of their son’s life.
Ikwrala – new man – was welcomed by omama as they sang and ululated in their grand traditional attire.
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The forces of both families and friends of Unathi and Thomas unified to celebrate the homecoming celebration of umkhwetha now ikrwala – new man – Kwa Xhosa. The ceremony was nothing short of amazing as both families, friends along with the community of Kwa Langa stood together to make the return of Sinako a success.
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As umama ka singaye (the mother of the celebrated person), Unathi delivered a speech thanking various parties for being alongside their family as they celebrated this joyful moment in both her and her son’s life. Starting off her speech, she turned to her son and said, “hello darling, I love you and I’ve missed you” and Sinako snuck in a smile for his mom.
In her speech she mentioned how she is living her answered prayers as she once prayed for a son, husband and a daughter in that particular order. She further took time to thank her tribe of women, highlighting that it takes a village to raise a child. Unathi concluded her speech by stating how pleased she was to see his son’s weight gain as it is even visible in his feet.
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