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- The importance of ritual purity in ancestral ceremonial performance is a research on one of the central themes in African heritage generally and also particularly in Zulu culture. Ritual ceremonial performances constitute a significant life blood and a philosophical outlook of life of a people as they take their rightful place in the cosmos accorded to them by the Almighty. A shift in the attention paid to ritual ceremonial performances and especially less attention paid to ritual purity per se and adverse consequences thereof has prompted this kind of research. The subject has been taken for granted for too long in spite of daily performances by the traditionalists. The research attempts to explore and deeply analyse the fundamentals that underlie the very basic functionality of such performances, as they are an artistic reflection ofa"people's culture and its history. The research purports to present, in a persuasive manner, the proper foundations and characteristics of these performances especially as it is observable that although acculturation strives it is not too powerful to an extent of bringing such practices to extinction. In short, little systematic research has been carried out in this specific field and thus the research pays attention to the procedures of handling these ritual performances. The first chapter of the research tries to introduce, explore and of course analyse the theme, ritual purity. In addition, it reveals the driving force behind the researcher's desire to do this kind of research. It is apparent that research of this kind is very broad hence the subject has been limited to one central theme, which is ritual purity. The last chapter is a conclusion of the study undertaken with the sole aim of re-directing a people's thinking and thus their actions. It is believed that the exposure of a people to this research might help restore correct traditional practices. The content of the research has been divided into six chapters each of which dealing with a certain development in the life of an individual. Chapter two is a philosophical background to the study of African Religion. It focuses on ritual purity that is inculcated in the minds of infants which they in turn internalize in order to arm themselves for future uncertainties. The third chapter has as its focus the restoration of traditional practices with special reference to those rituals that commence at birth and extending right up to puberty stage, their importance and the symbolism attached to them. Basically, ritual purity is a central theme in the above customs that ensures unquestioned qualification from one stage to another in the development of the individual. Chapter four focuses on the performance of the umemulo ceremony and the ritual purity attached to it. It stresses the importance of Virginity to young women as such is the basic reason for such a ceremonial performance. Symbolic actions that are characteristic of this ceremony convey visual images and a clear message to the audience. The performance of the umemulo ceremony is in preparation of the next stage, which is marriage, which is discussed in chapter five. Virginity is also held in high esteem during marriage. This culminates in the wearing of a veil during the actual ceremony which is proof of virginity of the bridegroom. Chapter six deals with the stage that can be regarded as the last stage in the life journey of a person. It looks at the philosophical background regarding death and processes that follow after death, stages that the soul is expected to undergo following its cleansing and ultimately its return into ancestorship of the family. Chapter seven focuses on the changes that are perceptible in the customs discussed in previous chapters. This chapter also looks into causes of such changes. The nature of traditional customs as well as their relevance with respect to recent developments in people's lives is also described in this part of the research. However. it must be pointed out that the researcher has left to the reader to decide on the good and the bad of such changes. Chapter eight is a summary of all chapters dealt with in this research. Of paramount significance about this chapter is that whilst it summarises other chapters it also tries to re-direct a people's thinking with respect to the manner in which they conduct their traditional practices
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