Africa is endowed with potential in leading spiritual alignment within knowledge production, instead of following the ego-based knowledge production processes that have been perfected.
This ego-based knowledge production was stimulated in the minds through my social media status of a colonial ‘master’ being carried by four Africans while smoking his pipe — discovering Africa through the eyes, voices and footsteps of Africans.
This positioning on a tent stretcher, travelling without touching the ground, represents an excellent ego-based data collection and knowledge production process — while detached from Africa.
This exemplifies the doctrine of discovery and anthropological worldview, eliminating possibilities of spiritual alignment while projecting Western education and religious patriarchy with its power and dominance.
This power and dominance are evident in African books written from a blue-eyed lens — indicative of the doctrine of discovery, enslavement intention and ego-based knowledge production.
Knowledge production is highly contentious and political — which is why I love it more than Parliament politics. Knowledge politics is real and it requires spiritual alignment in order to dismantle the doctrine of discovery, enslavement intentions and ego-based knowledge production.
Hence the Revelation Spiritual Home Integration Model during knowledge production is a futuristic imperative rooted within indigenous cosmology of the Creator, African Indigenous Spiritual Guides in the upward dimension, and on earth tangoma and lidloti in the downward dimension.
INDIGENOUS COSMOLOGY CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
When engaging in spiritual alignment during knowledge production, there must be an appropriate conceptual framework to mitigate ego-based knowledge production risks.
The Revelation Spiritual Home (p45) teaches Indigenous Cosmology — the upward dimension of the Creator, Spiritual Guides (Titfunywa/Izithunywa) and African Indigenous Spiritual Guides. In the middle of the upward dimension is earth, followed by the downward dimension of tangoma (traditional healers) and lidloti, labaphansi.
To mitigate ego-based knowledge creation risks, it is important to understand past narratives during knowledge production. Hence, the role of the downward spirit dimension is crucial — particularly when reading African historical narratives written from the doctrine of discovery, enslavement intentions and ego-based knowledge production.
Acknowledging the pain of the forefather who carried the colonial master on tents is critical.
This brings balance into the knowledge production process, as the researcher and writer heal the forefathers while standing firmly against colonial domination. It symbolises letting go of the non-physical carrying of the colonial master by decolonising African narratives.
Through knowledge production aligned with African Indigenous Spiritual Guides, indigenous knowledge can emerge with mitigated risks of colonial distortions.
The process is painful but crucial — acknowledging both the physical and mental enslavement experienced through history. Spiritual alignment during knowledge production releases ultimate healing from the Creator.
Both colonial masters and Africans are children of the Creator and require spiritually aligned knowledge to heal past, present and future generations.
THE UPWARD SPIRITUAL DIMENSION
A significant lesson from Revelation Spiritual Home (p46) is that the upward spiritual dimension is where spiritual guides (Izithunywa) reveal the Creator’s sacred knowledge (infihlakalo).
The Creator uses spiritual guides through dreams, physical sites and persons to reveal sacred knowledge. This is critical in spiritually aligned knowledge production.
However, knowledge production is not about spiritual pronouncements unsupported by evidence. Sacred knowledge must be transformed through research methodologies during the knowledge creation process.
The upward spiritual dimension is therefore vital for indigenous knowledge preservation and promotion — but must adhere to rigorous research methodologies to contribute meaningfully to the knowledge and creative economy.
The transformation of sacred knowledge through research methodology distinguishes the prophet from the imboni.
The prophet is an inspired teacher who speaks for gods. The imboni is a spiritual guide endowed with foresight and indigenous wisdom, guided by Izithunywa while applying research methodologies in knowledge creation.
This is how Africa will emerge with intellectual property that contributes to the knowledge and creative economy — without constantly seeking permission from external epistemologies.
THE DOWNWARD SPIRITUAL DIMENSION
The downward spiritual dimension of sangoma and lidloti differs from Izithunywa.
As stated in Revelation Spiritual Home (p46), the downward triangle symbolises “working spirits” and ancestors who were once human beings who lived on earth.
In knowledge production, these working spirits and ancestors provide indigenous context no longer physically accessible.
Historically, African narratives were recorded through colonial lenses that inflicted pain upon African forefathers. Spiritually aligned knowledge production requires discerning this pain.
Lidloti can be good or bad depending on the life they lived on earth. Therefore, discernment is critical during spiritually aligned knowledge production to ensure sacred healing knowledge is separated from negating knowledge.
Lidloti communicate with bathandazeli, tangoma, magedla and umndzawe. Their accessibility depends on strict spiritual protocols within defined spaces such as indumba or umsamo.
CONCLUSION
Revelation Spiritual Home entered my spiritual and academic journey while revising the King Sobhuza II legacy book Akusiko Kwami Kwebantfu (2009), published under Prophet LaNdwandwe.
Through research methodology, I have transformed into Dr Ndwandwe — and this transformation must be reflected in the second edition.
The visions of King Sobhuza II were Sithunywa — spiritually guiding me into indigenous knowledge preserved within his 200+ audio speeches.
As King, Head of State and Cultural Custodian, he resisted systemic negation by the colonial state, Western education and religion during the 1900 epoch.
Now, having transcended through research methodology since 2009, it is clear that indigenous knowledge is a futuristic imperative.
The second edition will enrich scholars. The first edition served national pride; the next serves continental and Diaspora application.
Africa and the Diaspora seek applied indigenous knowledge within leadership contexts — and King Sobhuza II provides an appropriate model.
Particularly as custodian during the peak of colonialism post-independence.
Thus, the second edition will present a governance model for decolonisation, Africanisation and indigenisation — Akusiko Kwami Kwebantfu — applicable within government, private sector, NGOs and all institutions serving humanity in the 21st century.
