*4.2. Integration of Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Social Work Interventions*

Our fieldwork revealed the importance of integrating indigenous knowledge systems in social work interventions alongside "flexible ethical" practice. Upon our entry, in some of the community halls, we were met with apprehension, with some individuals unwilling to work with us, alleging to have been used for publicity stunts. Therefore, we had to be clear about our role and the importance of our engagement. Offering social work services in the aftermath of a disaster and to individuals who have lost everything meant that they were placed in a position of vulnerability. As a result, they were often visited by different philanthropists, some who were genuine and some who were not offering anything but were tokenistic for the sake of being seen as doing something. Consequently, the overexposure of displaced community members to different stakeholders, whose promises were often not fulfilled, made them cautious and reluctant to receive people who came into their shelters offering assistance.

As we provided "non-tangible" disaster relief (trauma debriefing) to people with tangible needs such as blankets, food, and homes, we had to sensibly negotiate our entry and employ emic strategies to win their hearts. Our competency and fluency in the IsiZulu language and Zulu cultural practices were instrumental in breaking the ice, facilitating communication, providing stress relief, and building and enhancing community resilience. Inspired by the work of Zibane (2017) and other Afrocentric writers (Asante 2003; Mbiti 1990), some of the strategies that were employed were the use of "*ingoma*" (traditional and religious song/chants) and *ukugida* (traditional Zulu dance) which we used to uplift their spirits and to allow for the expression of feelings.

Biko (1987, p. 42) states that "nothing dramatizes the eagerness of the Africans to communicate with each other more than their love for song and rhythm". In song lies Africans' rare ability to find humor and creativity in impossible conditions (Ibid). Zibane (2017), who reflected on her experience of growing up in the township during apartheid, discussed how music and rhythm were important tools to overcome the hardships brought by apartheid. She discussed how music was everywhere,

featuring in all their emotional states, experiences, occasions, and aspirations (ibid). "Any suffering experienced in the township was made much more real by song and rhythm" (Biko 1987, p. 42). Similarly, Flandreau (2016) confirms that traditional African songs are spiritual.

*Ingoma* is indeed "a way through which African people learn about their social world, express emotions, and relax" (Zibane 2017, p. 31). Lebaka (2015) also confirmed that song is one of the instruments that African people have utilized to worship and make meaning of their feelings. Following the indigenous activities, we observed more receptiveness to our individual or group therapy. The experience of using IsiZulu Language, *ingoma* and *ukugida* as part of our disaster relief intervention was very insightful. It reasserted a need for social workers working with indigenous communities to employ decolonial practices and to put the African interests, values, and culture at the center of their interventions. A significant lesson is that as much as social work is a universal profession, the Africanization of interventions is crucial within indigenous settings.
