Sasha and Zamani

[learnteach]

Is this a made up thing? It's a useful concept.


According to societies in Eastern and Central Africa, the deceased are divided into two categories: Sasha and Zamani: "The recently departed whose time overlapped with people still here are the Sasha, the living dead. They are not wholly dead, for they live on in the memories of the living…when the last person knowing an ancestor dies, that ancestor leaves the Sahsa for the Zamani, the dead. As generalized ancestors, the Zamani are not forgotten but revered."

Comments

[vew.livejournal.com]

thank you... I just had a long time friend decide I was disappointing in my life... and not worth the time or effort to be a friend. this helped

[kfitzwarin.livejournal.com]

Wow! That's a cool (and useful) distinction. I'm reminded of a song (my favorite version is by the Flirtations):

Those who have died have never never left
The dead have a pact with the living
They are in the woman's breast
They are in the wailing child
They are with us in the home
They are with use in the crowd
The dead have a pact with the living


Often wish you weren't GU. :-)

[noressa.livejournal.com]

Hm, trying to search on Kiswahili and either Sasha or Zamani bring up a bunch of swahili web pages. >.< One book is coming up, though- Lies My Teacher Told Me that might have more info, but I'm not sure if it's what you're looking for at this point...