What if African spirituality held the key to our true identity?
In this powerful South Africa edition of Thee Alfa House, we host Dr. Khanyisile Tshabalala, one of the continent’s leading voices in African spirituality. She explores the deep divide between spirituality and religion, colonial influence, and why Africans must return to ancestral truth.
We go back to pre-colonial Africa, unpack the social engineering behind modern religion, and discuss the differences between faith that is lived versus religion that is enforced.
Key Highlights:
How colonialism reshaped African spiritual beliefs
The disconnect between African languages, culture, and modern faith
Christianity as a tool of patriarchy and neocolonialism
Why African spirituality is a lifestyle, not a religion
Embracing African identity as a path to spiritual growth
The case for Afrocentric leadership in a post-colonial Africa
This episode is not just a conversation — it’s a spiritual reckoning.
00:01 – Colonialism as a social system.
01:43 – Effects of colonialism on African spirituality
05:10 – African spirituality, language culture vs African languages
08:40 – African spirituality vs Christianity practices
10:56 – Nation groups vs ethnic groups
12:40 – Gender grammar in Christianity vs spirituality
15:30 – Christianity vs dictatorship, colonialism, neocolonialism
17:17 – Africa pre-colonial
20:48 – The catholic church and colonization
22:47 – Religion as a patriarchal system vs spirituality
27:15 – The Spirituality practice vs religion practice
29:10 – Christianity is a western system
31:30 – African fundamental practices – Religion is faith spirituality you just know
35:08 – Embracing self as African and African spirituality
38:55 – Mediocrity in African politics
41:15 – Afrocentric leadership for Africa
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YOH🔥🔥🔥🔥 siyabonga Donga✊🏿✊🏿✊🏿💪🏿
I am learning to love myself. I realized that at 44 years young that I have not been loving appreciate my melanin like I should have.
Jesus, the black messiah did not come 2000 years ago to teach religion; Christ came to teach the Israelites to obey torah which in it's purest essence a part of Hebrew African Spirituality. Of course Modern Christianity is a bastardized expression of said heritage cerca 325 A.D. with the Council of Nicea.
Much love my mother's
Thank you for sharing this. Much love from Kenya 🇰🇪
African traditional doctors can heal and bewitch at the same time because as African doctors we use herbs for both healing and bewitching and we are not forbidden to learn to use herbs in either way. African healers sometimes practice witchcraft where they return the bad to the person who bewitched the person they are healing. An African healer knows the herbs which cure flu, a witche also knows the herbs which cure flu. I know I sound crazy but it's true. So the word Doctor isn't a spiritual word but if u had to use the word in this topic translated to African (Sesotho) spirituality would either mean ngaka or moloi.
"Stop wanting to look White, just look black, black is beautiful" 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤 woman, I love you for this!!!!
Christianity is not a culture, is salvation, we don't need African spirituality, we need Jesus because he is the way, the true and life.
Jesus loves you.
Are you sure, your ancestors talk to you? I hope you open your eyes.
"Other cultures and gods must die!"
Why didn't this so called ancestors and African spirituality save Africans from transatlantic slavery, colonialism and exploitation? I hate it with passion, those gods were fake and loosers
Me am a proud Christian, and if you say Christianity is a white man's religion you are the one whose colonised mentally i wouldn't be suprised if next time you tell me not to wear a suit, eat chips & chicken or speak English.
The issue with Pan Africanist is they are obssessed with white people all they talk about is the actions of the whiteman, this is why i left it and decided to be a black nationalists, for us we follow Marcus Garvey who taught us it doesn't matter if its capitalism, Christianity or European attire as long as its gully owned by blacks its well and good.
Because the fallen angels, the Greeks, the Roman's and Seth the Egyptian god all hated their mother, thats why the Bible and all their hierarchy is full of men and be careful they are all homosexuals, that's why the Catholics rape the little boys Because the god zues is homosexual.
Stick to African spirituality needs to be taught here in America so these ppl can get back to what they came from.
South Africans are real indigenous Indians aka Egyptians
https://youtu.be/YLIKU0an4Ns?si=ggxYFggr7Yzs5skR
Absolutely true, colonialism was a system.
I agree with her 90%…
Yhoo this Momy❤
I learned a clear truth from her We thank you Momy❤
Love this. I swore off of organized religion when I was 16, after I was “confirmed” in a Protestant church. I sensed the hypocrisy, patriarchy, and the prescriptive nature of it. Love the distinction the doctor made between tribe and nation group! I’m only 15 minutes in to listening. I wonder if the good Dr. will speak to the fact that colonial Christianity is based on a distortion of the story of Isis and Horus anyway. Africans gave birth to “Christianity”.
00:03:11
God is a Spirit..but God is not from Africa… just because God started life there doesn't mean that He lives there. Satan is also a Spirit who began his earthly beginning in Africa …so..people ….plz use commonsense before you dive into spiritual matters. The Messiah is King of all Kings …and He is not from Africa either…As a follower of Yah i dont need a church building …a culture… or a certian race..or a piece of land to find the truth..because God Himself Is Truth ..and has revealed Himself in the person of Yeshua study Him if you want to know the Truth. From Adam to Abraham to Moses until now the Christ narrative does not contradict and is still today the final message which is repent and come back home to your spiritual source ..not your earthly source . Shalom ❤
The Dr tends stray as she explains issues thus conflating politics, economics and spirituality. It becomes confusing. It is also abhorrent to critically analyse a faith system that you don't subscribe to because you are most likely going to be biased. it is better to explain your own faith system. The corruption of Europeans does not define Christianity. If they were true Christians, they would have conducted themselves like Jesus. That they refer to themselves as Christians is immaterial. The beauty about Christianity is that it is an open book and it is easy to discern between Christian behaviors and actions from an unbeliever's behaviors and actions. So, anyone who claims to be a Christian should be judged on the behaviors and actions but not solely on their claims. The Dr should be comfortable in her choice to pursue African spirituality without castigating other religions or criticizing Africans who choose Christianity in particular. As she points out that even in African spirituality, there are rogue individuals. She doesn't however extend the same criticism as she does Christianity by ascribing these rogue's behavior to African spirituality. Africans are not obliged to practice African spirituality. For someone that claims to know the bible, she should not omit that the Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon and eventually recognized his God. That same God is the God who sends his son to be our saviour. Queen of Sheba was African with origins in modern day Ethiopia. it is not correct to ascribe Christianity's presence in Africa solely to colonialism.
"I've either been a square in the round or a round in a square…because I tend to question things"–I felt that!
I appreciate this conversation. I have always felt that once the diaspora removes the shackles fear by removing the Europeanized Christianity from our consciousness, we will begin to see ourselves in a completely different light. We will no longer be looking for Europeans to freedom, acceptance, praise etc. Religion is the strongest tool to colonize a people because it is deeply tied to your soul. We need to really go back to our roots.
One thing I found interesting as I’m watching this for the 2nd time today was around the 27 minute mark she mentions a custom of praying to the ancestors for individual needs and to the invisible force(God) for a general concern for the community/ nation. I think that’s a major 🔑 and a concept I’ve never heard before
left christianity a year ago. as an african i have nothing to do with that religion, this convo is so enlightening., cant wait to go deeper in african spirituality, back to my roots
This is a feminist, and it only took 20 my minutes for her to finally get to the point.
Feminism.
And feminism will be the end of the West.
Congratulations 🎉
Gendered grammar does exist in Afrikan languages, what she should have said is that it does not exist in all Afrikan languages.
Why do I come across this information thus late. Thank you Doctor for the eye opening information.
I would do anything to meet her in real life 😢❤🎉🎉🎉🎉
All is one.
It's 2026 and people think they are skin,race or religion.
There is only One Truth.
All spirituality is one.
We are all spiritual kinsmen fooled by skin.
Skin blinds those who believe they are this body.
We are Consciousness not African or European.
Africa needs visionaries and enlighten leaders who see beyond skin,who see beyond the limitations of Africa and European religion,race and land.
He or She who sees beyond skin is awakening to Enlightenment.they Know and feel all is one.
Thank you for this 🙌🏾
So my main question is why hold onto government that is a carryover from colonialism. If you’re really serious about it, you should not vouch for having a democratic government. The spirituality of Africa is purely communal. By all standard standards, South Africa doesn’t exist. How can you consult the ancestors regarding the South African government? How can politicians represent using ancestral authority? These are the questions I have hopefully someone can answer them seriously.
I’m very grateful that in America growing up it was easy for me to learn in school to use CE/BCE not BC/AD. That my parents didn’t force Christianity upon me & truthfully that the white Christian’s were so racist and horrible to me that it never appealed 😅. Black women have done so much to maintain education around reclaiming ATR’s and even there is not a glamorization that phd’s and formal education is where deepest knowledge is found. That comes from self-study, community exposure, ancestral knowledge, and maintaining the right to prioritize oneself. The worst crime to me about colonization is that indigenous people were told self-interest was evil, and self-sacrifice was the only holy.
I agree with you Dr Tshabalala but why are our leaders not encouraging African spirituality.