WHERE IS YOUR UMBILICAL CORD BURIED? And does that place still connect you to where you come from? For generations, in some African families and communities, the umbilical cord wasn’t simply something that was cut away and discarded after birth. It could be buried in or around the family homestead — returning a part of the newborn to the earth and symbolising a connection to family, ancestry, land and home. But as childbirth has moved increasingly into hospitals and clinics, that practice has changed. The cord is often treated as medical waste, and for many families, there is no longer a physical ritual connecting the newborn to a particular piece of land. So tonight, we’re asking whether something meaningful has been lost — or whether our understanding of home and belonging has simply evolved. Where is your umbilical cord buried? What does that place mean to you? And what happens to that connection when you are born in Johannesburg, raised in Durban, your parents come from Limpopo or Zimbabwe, and you may never even live on the land where your cord was buried?

<p>WHERE IS YOUR UMBILICAL CORD BURIED? And does that&nbsp;place still connect you to where you come from?&nbsp;For generations, in some African families and communities, the&nbsp;umbilical cord wasn&rsquo;t simply something that was cut away and&nbsp;discarded after birth. It could be buried in or around the family&nbsp;homestead &mdash; returning a part of the newborn to the earth and&nbsp;symbolising a connection to family, ancestry, land and home. But as&nbsp;childbirth has moved increasingly into hospitals and clinics, that&nbsp;practice has changed. The cord is often treated as medical waste,&nbsp;and for many families, there is no longer a physical ritual connecting&nbsp;the newborn to a particular piece of land.&nbsp;So tonight, we&rsquo;re asking whether something meaningful has been&nbsp;lost &mdash; or whether our understanding of home and belonging has&nbsp;simply evolved. Where is your umbilical cord buried? What does&nbsp;that place mean to you? And what happens to that connection&nbsp;when you are born in Johannesburg, raised in Durban, your&nbsp;parents come from Limpopo or Zimbabwe, and you may never&nbsp;even live on the land where your cord was buried?</p>

<p>METRO FM Talk with Faith Mangope </p>