Nwabisa Gxothiwe
Nominee's Province:
Eastern Cape
Project Name/Description:
African Association for Indigenous Spirituality, Eastern Cape Provincial Chairperson
Nwabisa Gxothiwe is a cultural and spiritual practitioner, as well as an entrepreneur based in the Eastern Cape. Born and raised in Alice, she now resides in a small township called Masingita in King Williams Town. Gxothiwe is involved in selling books, crafts and dry herbs, and she also distributes fruit trees to Masingita and the surrounding areas.
Currently, she serves as the coordinator of Sankofa and is the chairperson of the African Association for Indigenous Spirituality in the Eastern Cape province. Gxothiwe is a trailblazer in the movement to preserve culture, indigenous spirituality and African languages.
In addition to her advocacy work, Gxothiwe is a published author, with her book Unesiduko nje Unetyala, which encourages Africans to reconnect with their roots and preserve their languages. She co-owns Buyelembo Village, a cultural village, artistic hub and tourist attraction. The Buyelembo Village initiative also includes a not-for-profit organisation, which she chairs, focusing on community conversations, dialogues, advocacy, culture and heritage.
As an initiated spiritual healer, Gxothiwe holds a degree in Education specialising in commercial subjects. She is a teacher by profession with 24 years of experience in the education sector and currently lectures at Buffalo City TVET College.
“It is an honour to be nominated for this award. It signifies even more work ahead for me in promoting the preservation of the indigenous. This is the moment our ancestors have long awaited, to witness the recognition of their culture and indigenous spirituality,” Gxothiwe remarked.
