Insights into the spirit medium

(Demystifying Chivanhu/Isintu/African Tradition with Mbuya VaChinjanja Muroro)

This week, we are going to clear up some misconceptions people have about spirit mediums. Most of us have met someone who is said to be a spirit medium or a n’anga or have heard our neighbours conducting a night-long traditional ceremony called a bira with many spirit mediums in attendance.

Who qualifies to be a spirit medium?

Anyone, despite their education or station in life can become a spirit medium, as long as they were chosen by a particular spirit or spirits to become their medium. One becomes a medium of a spirit of a deceased person who is either their maternal or paternal ancestor. A woman can be a medium of either or both male and female ancestors while it is rare for man to be a medium of a female ancestor. However, higher spirits such as mhondoro and makombwe possess mediums of people that are not related to them. The same applies to spirits of non-ancestors called mashave but these possess a medium in conjunction with an ancestor.

Of particular interest are medical people such as doctors and nurses who are also mediums for the purposes of becoming n’angas. This sounds like a contradiction but it is   possible that they became doctors or   nurses because the urge to follow such career paths was a result of the spirit that possesses them.

When does a spirit possess a medium?
A spirit chooses a medium before the person is born. Contrary to what many people think, after kurova guva it does not automatically mean that the deceased person is ready to possess a medium. As a general rule, the spirit possesses a medium who was born   after death or was very young at the  time of death. In other words the spirit and the medium should not have known each other in real life. This makes sense, otherwise who would believe a person talking in the voice of a deceased person they knew and lived with.

A spirit medium is anti-social and scary
A spirit medium, when not in trance, is just an ordinary person like you and me. Unless their spirit demands that they always wear some regalia or accessories such as beads and bangles or take snuff, you might never know that your workmate or neighbour is a medium. In fact a medium is initiated to be a people person who forgives and forgets and is approachable. Otherwise, how would they carry out their work?

– Mbuya VaChinjanja Muroro is a Development Practitioner with a passion for Cultural Heritage and can be reached at mbuyavachinjanjamuroro@gmail.com