What a great way to start our first week at Novalis Ubuntu! As I mentioned in my last blog, Sobonfu Some's second visit to Cape Town proved to be more than we ever imagined. From her visits to our care homes through the workshops and rituals we held at the Institute, her wonderful presence calmed and healed all those who came into contact with her. As for myself, I only wished I had spent more time with her, with so much going on it was hard to keep up with her pace!

Sobonfu's visit began with a warm welcoming at Novalis Ubuntu where, with Robin Goff with other volunteer members of the Light Center and our friendly staff, she dedicated a whole afternoon to meeting with us and sharing her insights in support of the challenges we are currently facing in the lack of funding for our current programs. Then off she went to a tight schedule as she visited the Thembaletu Center, Siyaphambile Orphan Village, Baphumalele Orphan Village, St. Francis Care Center, St. Georges Care Home, Bonnytoun and even the ANC's Veterans League in Khayelitsha! Everywhere she went she was greeted with love and appreciation as she shared her African wisdom and teachings with the recipients of our outreach programs.

As the weekend neared, we held three events at the Institute, all of which I had the privilege to attend. On Thursday she was a special guest at the Spiritual Movie Circle's screening of "For the Next 7 Generations", a film about 13 grandmothers from different indigenous tribes through out the world who are advocating a return to living in harmony with nature. Sobonfu mentioned how she had met the grandmothers and how being around them had inspired her so much. For all of us who were there, the evening was very uplifting. Most grandmothers in our societies are somewhere in a nursing home, whereas these grandmas, or Go Go's as we call them here in South Africa, are still rocking the boat and inspiring the world.

Then on Friday evening Sobonfu shared with us about what its like to "Awaken the Spirit of Ubuntu" inside each of us. Or in another words, how to awaken the Spirit of Oneness in each of us. She mentioned how we can only achieve this by having and being part of a community where we can share the gifts we came to give to the world. Powerful stuff!

Her last event was Saturday morning when she facilitated an "Introduction to the Grief Ritual" workshop. There were 21 of us in the room, and we not only experienced a part of this ritual as taught and performed by Sobonfu's tribe, the Dagaras, but also had a chance to learn how to create a safe space where, either by ourselves or as a community, we can mourn for the things we have lost. "We all have something to mourn" said Sobonfu. The moment of clarity came for me when Sobonfu spoke about how the different ways in which griefs manifests in our societies in the forms of disease and disconfort when not properly expressed, and how allowing a space for regular grieving would help the entire community, even those who were not there. As she said "In a community, we are always connected, whether we want it or not." I'm looking forward with anticipation to Sobonfu's next visit to Cape Town, and deeply grateful for the opportunity to have spent time with this great teacher who went out of her way to spend time with us, and remind us the essence of who we truly are.

muntu ngumuntu ngabantu... a person is a person through other persons... that is Ubuntu!