A Pile of Stones

These are leaves. Just imagine a pile of stones in rural areas. You throw a stone when you pass by. 

It's never discussed. You just do it, because your parents did it. The pile grows.

What are these stones doing here? 

Contribution. I had an uncle who didn’t go to church because of ‘the plate’ ushers passed around after the sermon. Rich church members put paper money in an envelope.

What is my contribution to society? None, because it’s rather difficult to contribute to the world at large, when you don’t know how you’ll contribute to the pot and hydro. We associate contribution with money, not stones.

A heap of stones is called isivivane in Zulu. You say it like see, Victoria, vane and neck. There’s a proverb which says contribute to the heap. You still find them in the country side where ‘development’ has not arrived, and hopefully doesn’t. Nobody knows who started these heaps, but obviously, there was a first stone. There must have been a second, third and fourth person who made the contribution. What is fascinating is that it is inherited knowledge. Two friends stop talking when they see a heap of stones. Each throws a stone and they continue with their journey and conversation. A group of five means five stones.

I don’t know about other African countries, but in Kwa-Zulu where I grew up, they are shaped like pyramids. They are not scattered around like stones in small rivers. Looking back, I like the idea that we did not question their existence, we just made a contribution to isivivane.

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.