Paul Weinberg South African, b. 1956
There are about 3 million foreign Africans living in South Africa, among which is a group of
about 30 000 Nigerians. On Signal Hill in Cape Town, a group of Nigerians meet daily to pray
and practise their faith. These are not members of the well-known and often large “prophet
healing” Pentecostal churches for which Nigeria is famous and that South Africans often see
on televangelism shows. Using a small pile of rocks as a pulpit and seating themselves in a
clearing around it, these practitioners spend many hours quietly singing and praying in their
native languages. Xenophobia, marginalisation and the need for self-identity all contribute
to the proliferation of small church groups such as these.
