Prof. Mantoa MotinyaneNtobela, Thozama2026-10-132026-10-132025https://hdl.handle.net/10566/25583African spirituality places great significance on language. It functions as a channel for individuals to communicate and interact with the divine, ancestral beings, and spiritual entities. In the realm of African spirituality, the use of language in ritual acts serves as a method of creating a relationship with supreme deities or beings. Specific languages are frequently used to invoke and summon our ancestors by means of prayers, chants, and incantations. Language is utilized as a tool for communication and invocation in order to build a connection with and summon the presence of ancestors. Furthermore, the conveyance and conservation of African spiritual knowledge frequently depend on verbal exchange, emphasizing the significance of protecting and respecting oral traditions and customary rites. The main aim of this study is to investigate the impact of television programs, namely Izangoma Zodumo and Gogo Skhotheni, aired on Moja Love and the Mzansi Magic channels, in the commercialization of African spirituality. The secondary objective is to showcase the interdependence of spoken language, human conduct, and nonverbal signals within a social setting through discourse and topic analysis. This involves analyzing the conduct and behaviors displayed by the actors in the chosen TV show. This will entail scrutinizing show critiques and conducting interviews with spiritual healers who have encountered comparable situations to the traditional healers presented on the show. Additionally, the analytical framework of Photovoice is employed as a collaborative research approach that combines photography and narrative to foreground the lived experiences of participants. This approach enables the study to generate visual and narrative representations of participants' experiences of African spirituality. The findings indicate that selected reality television shows contribute to the commodification of African spirituality through their representation of cultural and spiritual practices. These representations may reinforce existing negative stereotypes and misconceptions surrounding Indigenous cultures. The study contributes to scholarship on Indigenous knowledge and media studies by demonstrating how reality television can transform culturally and spiritually significant practices into mediated and commercially consumable representations. It further provides insights that may assist media practitioners in developing more nuanced and culturally sensitive representations of African spirituality.enSocial mediacommodificationcultureAfrican spiritualityubungomaThesis