Monstrum

Currently Playing: Blame the Tokoloshe! South Africa’s Most Notorious Goblin

PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateStoried ↓ More info below ↓ Connected to witchcraft, sexual predation, and mischief, the tokoloshe is a dominant myth in South Africa. There are different kinds of tokoloshe/tikoloshe, but one thing remains the same in all versions of the monster: they cause havoc in the lives of all those unfortunate enough to encounter them. A human-like figure of small stature with long ears and a hairy, ape-like body, and supernatural powers these creatures dominate South African folklore. They’re blamed from everything from murder and possession to divorce and debt. With information gathered from local South Africans and even a practicing sangoma, this episode introduces you to another version of the boogeyman. #tokoloshe #tikoloshe #southafrica #MonstrumPBS We are incredibly grateful for the time and knowledge passed on to Dr. Zarka by Sangoma Mzuvukile Ncedani. Additional thanks are due to Dr. Colleen Wright, Dr. Aubrey Madliwa, Sotho, and Ncedani for their personal accounts of the tokoloshe. Written and Hosted by: Dr. Emily Zarka Director: David Schulte Executive Producer: Amanda Fox Producer: Stephanie Noone Illustrator: Samuel Allen Editor: Produced by Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios. Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monstrumpbs/ ----------- BIBLIOGRAPHY: Badstuebner, Jennifer. “Rape and the Tikoloshe: Sexual Violence and Fear in a South African Township.” ARAS, Vol. 29, No. 1&2, 2008, pp. 26-34. Fordred‐Green, Lesley. “Tokoloshe Tales: Reflections on the Cultural Politics of Journalism in South Africa.” Current Anthropology, Vol. 41, No. 5, 2000, pp. 701–712. Jolly, Tamlyn. “Mayoral car abandoned because of tokoloshes—MEC.” Zululand Observer, 18 Feb., 2019. King, Rachel. “Cattle, raiding and disorder in Southern African history.” Africa: The Journal of the International African Institute, Vol. 87, No. 3, 2017, pp. 607-630. Langa, Phumlani. “How to get rid of the tokoloshe.” City Press, 26 Aug., 2018. Mdluli, Zamokuhle. “Sangoma Explains a Tokoloshe!” Daily Sun, 5 Nov., 2015. Mudege, Netsayi Noris. An Ethnography of Knowledge: The Production of Knowledge in Mupfurudzi Resettlement Scheme, Zimbabwe, Brill, 2007. “Needle Implantation Ascribed to ‘Tikoloshe.’” The Lancet, Vol. 342 , No. 8882, 1993, pp. 1304. Niehaus, Isak, et al. Witchcraft, Power and Politics : Exploring the Occult in the South African Lowveld, Pluto Press, 2001. “Tokoloshe, tikoloshe.” Dictionary of South African English, 2018, https://dsae.co.za/entry/tokoloshe/e07240.