The possibilities of legalizing cannabis for commercial use in South Africa is investigated in this study using desktop research from documents, newsletters, and existing literature. Indigenous communities would gain immensely from the legalization of producing cannabis-infused products, as it would help to enhance the rural economy by producing jobs and create wealth. Cannabis is a significant component of African religion, culture, and beliefs, having been used by indigenous communities for generations and believed to have curative properties. Moreover, legalizing cannabis for industrial use makes sense not only for economic development but also for further medical research. According to the 2022 February speech of the Republic of South Africa's president, Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa, cannabis has the potential to be industrialized and commercialized in South Africa in the near future. The speech came after the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) in 2018 had already decriminalized and permitted cannabis use for both personal and medical purposes, which was previously illegal.
President Cyril Ramaphosa and his government declared a National State of Disaster, and banned large gatherings to help contain the spread of coronavirus on March 21, 2020. Less than a week after he banned large gatherings to help contain the spread of coronavirus. Families were also encouraged to bury their deceased loved ones as soon as possible after they leave the mortuary. This left families with little to no time to grieve and execute certain expected customary rituals, some of which are performed on the deceased. Families were prohibited from handling the remains of their loved ones and assigned people by the government assumed that role. The bodies of deceased COVID-19 patients were carefully transported and covered in body bags, but in terms of custom, they should be wrapped in a cow skin or blanket according to customary rules. According to African customary law, close family members should be present in the same room as the deceased and perform rituals to ward off evil deeds performed by those who encounter the body. The worldviews of South African people towards conducting burials was thus disrupted by the COVID-19 regulations. Embalming was also discouraged to minimize interaction with the remains. This paper relied on secondary data from the relevant literature, such as official documentation, scholarly articles and news articles. The paper asserts that the COVID-19 regulations have altered the way people in South Africa perform their traditional funerals. It also describes the difficulties people faced while burying their loved ones according to the strict COVID-19 guidelines which compromised most of the traditional and customary practices. The paper further looks at the funeral processes post COVID-19 and emphasises that people have been led by the spirit of Ubuntu to continue with their traditional ways of conducting funerals that are centred in African spirituality.
This study uses secondary data to discuss views of indigenous scholars on the importance of using African indigenous philosophies as underpinnings for indigenous research in order to reclaim the dignity of African indigenous knowledge. For many years, African indigenous knowledge has been marginalized and constructed using Western worldviews and methods. African indigenous philosophies were deemed non-existent and non-fitting to be in the academic space by many non-indigenous scholars who believed that indigenous research methods cannot be developed because there are no specific generalized frameworks. In correcting and reclaiming the knowledge and dignity of African indigenous knowledge, this study argues for the decolonization and indigenization of research by utilizing African indigenous philosophies which focuses on African philosophical beliefs and values, that constitute their own way of living, doing, and being. Such research will prevent indigenous people's knowledge from being misrepresented, divided, mystified, commodified, condensed, and misinterpreted.
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