Mercy Manci (born 28 September 1955 in Eastern Cape,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

) is a

Xhosa Xhosa may refer to: * Xhosa people, a nation, and ethnic group, who live in south-central and southeasterly region of South Africa * Xhosa language, one of the 11 official languages of South Africa, principally spoken by the Xhosa people See als ...

sangoma and

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immu ...

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fr ...

from

. She has participated and presented at conferences in a.o.

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west- central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; th ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of G ...

, and

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Early life

Mercy Manci was born in

Pondoland Pondoland or Mpondoland ( Xhosa: ''EmaMpondweni''), is a natural region on the South African shores of the Indian Ocean. It is located in the coastal belt of the Eastern Cape province. Its territory is the former Mpondo Kingdom of the Mpondo peo ...

, the firstborn of a nine children, in the small village of Hlwahlwazi. At birth she was covered with a white substance, which her mother called a "net", which indicated that she was a special child. She was raised by her grandmother, because her mother was a

domestic worker A domestic worker or domestic servant is a person who works within the scope of a residence. The term "domestic service" applies to the equivalent occupational category. In traditional English contexts, such a person was said to be "in service ...

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

; her grandmother was a traditional healer and as a child Mercy would help her prepare

muti Muthi is a traditional medicine practice in Southern Africa as far north as Lake Tanganyika. Name In South African English, the word ''muti'' is derived from the Zulu/Xhosa/ Northern Ndebele ''umuthi'', meaning 'tree', whose root is ''-thi''. ...

. When she was teenager, she was " grabbed" by another family to marry one of their sons, in order to avoid lengthy

lobola Lobolo or lobola in Zulu, Swazi, Xhosa, Silozi, Shona and northern and southern Ndebele (''mahadi'' in Sesotho, ''magadi'' in Setswana, ''lovola'' in Xitsonga), and ''mamalo'' in Tshivenda language, sometimes referred to as "bride wealth ...

negotiations. As she was no longer a virgin, she could not return to her mother, and the marriage became official when the family paid four cows. She has one daughter from this marriage. While she lived in the

Ciskei Ciskei (, or ) was a Bantustan for the Xhosa people-located in the southeast of South Africa. It covered an area of , almost entirely surrounded by what was then the Cape Province, and possessed a small coastline along the shore of the India ...

, and her husband went to work in the mines, she studied nursing through correspondence at

Damelin Damelin is a private college founded by Benjamin Damelin in 1943. Damelin has 17 campuses and is owned by Educor (the Education Investment Corporation Limited) group. Damelin offers degrees, diplomas and other higher qualifications, but is co ...

. However, when her husband came home, he burned her books and destroyed the typewriter she bought. Eventually, after he discovered that she was taking

contraceptives Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...

behind his back, something that was

taboo A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannic ...

at that time, their marriage ended and he sent her back to her family. Instead of returning to her family's home, she went to

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a Megacity#List of megacities, megacity, and is List of urban areas by p ...

and found a job as a Doctor's assistant. While she was living in Johannesburg, she fell sick and began to dream strangely. Eventually a traditional healer would confirm that she need to answer a calling to become a sangoma.

Activism

Mercy Manci founded ''Nyangazeziswe'', meaning ''Healers of the Nation'', an organisation dealing with African traditional healing and HIV. She focussed on giving workshops for other traditional healers in the Eastern Cape, but also internationally, teaching them how to use condoms and how HIV is transmitted. In 2000 Mercy Manci appeared in an episode of ''Siyayinqoba Beat It!'' a television program about HIV, developed and produced by the Community Media Trust in South Africa.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manci, Mercy 1955 births Living people People from the Eastern Cape Xhosa people African shamanism South African animists South African activists South African women activists HIV/AIDS activists