Tokoloshe Time ...

[jones jones]

A new South African movie called "Blood Tokoloshe" will soon be released. The catch phrase is "There's something under the bed that has to be fed."

In case anyone is wondering what exactly a Tokoloshe is ....

The indigenous peoples of Africa have a tradition of folklore, rites of passage and beliefs that have been brought down through the ages and are still very relevant to them today.

In the area where I am based the Ama-Xhosa (pronounced Ama-Corsa) are the dominant tribe. Among their many traditions is a strong belief in the Tokoloshe (pronounced Tock-Or-Loshy.)

The Tokoloshe is a leprechaun/gollom/goblin-like creature that is generally blamed for all manner of evils & mischief. A gazillion Africans claim that they are dwarf-like, hairy little men … a kinda evil spirit who have the power to cause all sorts of mayhem.

I had a domestic worker who lived on my property and her bed was raised on two bricks under each leg of her bed. When I asked her about the bricks, she explained to me about the Tokoloshe, saying that her bed was raised so that it could not climb onto her bed.

Apparently the Tokoloshe can become invisible by swallowing a pebble and at best he can scare kids and at worst cause the death of a victim. Another belief is that they are recreated out of the dead bodies of people and animals, given life and forced to serve the witchdoctor that created them. Both of these theories are based on stories and neither have been proved as true.

The way to get rid of a Tokoloshe is to call in the n’anga or witch doctor who has the power to banish him from the area. The Witch doctors' spiritual weaponry includes making a magical substance from the body of a dead Tokoloshe, which makes the Tokoloshe visible and paralyzes him, allowing the witch doctor to kill him. This ‘muti’ (medicine) is sold throughout Africa as protection against Tokoloshes and the genuine article is reported to leave a cold mark on the skin where it is applied.

It seems incredible to most of us that there could be any truth in the legend of the Tokoloshe. But they do exist in some parts of Africa where superstition and legend is very much alive and well. Although the Tokoloshe is seen by many as an imaginative being created by village elders to scare children or as just a part of the rich vivid African folklore, every year cases crimes in the name of Tokoloshe are reported, many with fatal outcomes.

So the next time something breaks or disappears without reason … watch out, it might be the Tokoloshe