Ancestor Veneration Amapiano Style

Ancestry impacts the social, physical and financial aspects of a person’s life. Among the things that our ancestors can bestow on us are beauty, wealth, ill health or even a passport from our bloodline’s former homeland—forever reminding us that we didn’t just pop out of our mothers and started walking around but that there are generations of human beings whose identities, choices, instincts and success in the material world might have a direct effect on ours. 

Ancestor veneration, one of the oldest forms of religious practice, is the praise and worship of ancestors and is practiced by communities the world over, albeit with different kinds of rituals. 

Mexico and other South American countries have the famous Dios Dos Muertos, the Day of the Dead, a multi-day celebration to honor those who have passed on. The Day of the Dead joyously celebrates the timeless cycle of life and death, and on this particular occasion, the dead are the guests of honor at the party. In Oceania, ancestors are seen as having an impact on daily life, with ritual sacrifices of animals being made to please the ancestors and encourage good fortune. African cultures also perform rituals as offerings to the ancestors and incorporate acts of gratitude to their ancestral lineage into daily life. 

Dj Obza’s offering, “Idlozi Lami”, which features Nkosazana and Dj Freetz, gives praise and thanks to the ancestors amapiano style. It’s a pitch perfect blend of veneration and celebration. 

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Dig Deeper

Predestination, directed by the German-Austrian brothers Peter and Michael Spierig, is a thought-provoking film based on the Robert A. Heinlein short story, All You Zombies. The story turns time travelling into something else entirely. It has everything to do with ancestry, but we won’t say how. Rest assured it is thoroughly entertaining and features a critically acclaimed cast. And for those who prefer the literary source:

• amapiano
• spiritual
• 2020s