Traditional Zula Wedding for Gay Couple

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

A few months ago, Thoba Sithole and Tsepho “Cam” Modisane were joined as husband and husband in atraditional Zulu weddingin KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. As far as anyone seems to know, theirs is the first traditional wedding ceremony ever held for a gay couple. The ceremony involved a ritual slaughtering of a bull; dancing and celebrating; and gift-exchanging between their families. As Cam says, “[The wedding] is against this idea that being gay is un-African. Being gay is as African as being black.”

Cam and Thoba, both 27, have known one another for 3 years. Cam proposed to Thoba using an engagement ring he crafted himself from a Checkers bag. They plan to start a family.

Mazel tov!

2

Good on them and their families. I’d recommend Thoba take Cam’s last name if they ever decide to move to the U.S., though, because I totally inserted an extra ‘h’ when first reading it.

3

This guy coped. I remember him reasonably well from the 1970s when Zimbabwe had just ceased being Rhodesia, and there used to be a fair bit on the British news about the political situation over there.

As to the other, I had no idea before opening the thread that gay marriage was at all traditional for Zulus, but now I see what you mean.