February 24th, 2010

It’s one of those days where the cold, rainy weather mirrors that gloom that permeates your heart and soul. I face this day with hope that things will get better soon. Everyone who loses somebody wants revenge on someone, on God if they can’t find anyone else. But in Africa, in Matobo, the Ku believe that the only way to end grief is to save a life. If someone is murdered or taken from you by a false accusation, a year of mourning ends with a ritual that they call the Drowning Man Trial. There’s an all-night party beside a river. At dawn, the killer is put in a boat. She or he is taken out on the water and they are dropped. They are bound so that can’t swim. The family of the dead or wrong person then has to make a choice. They can let them drown or they can swim out and save them. The Ku believe that if the family lets the person drown, they’ll have justice but spend the rest of their lives in mourning. But if they save them, if they admit that life isn’t always just… that very act can take away their sorrow.