A large number of people over 100 years old live in a village in South Africa. About the art of letting old age happen.
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Her legs were a little wobbly now, but that didn’t stop her from dancing. He loves having life around him – and music, it always has been. Tshikhakhisa Magoro is 105 years old. “My family used to be very large. My husband had 5 wives, but three of them died. Even though there were many of us, we lived together peacefully,” he said.
“God made it possible”
Her husband had also been dead for many years; he no longer knows exactly when he died. He lives with his daughter. Tshikhakhisa Magoro is blind, but everything, he says, still functions perfectly. In his long life, family and cohesion have always been important. And deep faith: he believed that his long life was God’s will and prayed every morning.
God made it possible for me to be here today, I believe He has everything under control. It was the power he gave me. The way you see me now: it’s all God.
Tshikhakhisa Mamashia Magoro, 105 years old
Tshikhakhisa Magoro lives in the north of South Africa – in the Limpopo province, in a small community called Thulamela. Here, among the hills and green fields, there are countless people aged 100 years and over. Today the number is more than 500. Are these the so-called blue zones, namely areas where many people live longer?
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Clean air, calm life
The air is clean, life is calm. Many families live together for generations, growing their own vegetables and sharing what they have.
A simple life, following the rhythm of nature – and characterized by mutual respect. The village head, Chief Matsila, says organic local food has always been favored in the region: “Our ancestors had a lot of livestock. Meat was not something that was eaten as often as it is now. Meat was eaten on special occasions.”
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Most importantly, he says, it’s a life with little stress and a strong village community: “In our culture, we believe in a communal concept that includes parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. We were raised to really care about our relatives.”
People are at peace with themselves and each other. This is a natural phenomenon, very organic, unplanned. That’s because that’s the way we were raised and because that’s the way our ancestors lived in this country.
Chief Livhuwani Matsila, Village Head of Thulamela City
“Blue Zones” are areas of the world where people are expected to live longer than average. Researcher Dan Buettner coined the term “Blue Zones” to refer to five regions around the world where people enjoy “extraordinary longevity and vitality.” This is measured, among other things, by the proportion of the population who reach the age of 100 years.
According to Buettner, the “Blue Zones” include: Okinawa (Japan), Sardinia (Italy), Nicoya Peninsula (Costa Rica), Ikaria (Greece) and Loma Linda (USA).
People in Blue Zones share similar lifestyle characteristics that contribute to their longevity.
- Family as priority
- Do not smoke
- A plant-based diet, especially legumes
- Constant moderate physical activity is an inseparable part of life
- Social engagement – People of all ages are socially active and integrated into their communities.
Gardening at 100 years old
Nyawasedza Nematombeni turned 100 years old in June and is one of the youngest people among the elderly in the village. The first thing he does in the morning is move. He had tended the garden in front of his house himself for as long as he could remember. And see no reason to change anything about it. “I was so tired of just sitting around all day,” he said. “So I’m often outside pulling weeds for exercise.”
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He only eats once a day – in the morning, usually grits and spinach for breakfast. And tea with two spoons of sugar. Simple food, that’s what he did all his life. “I also like to eat rice or sweet potatoes and drink milk. I eat everything my family cooks for me,” said Nyawasedza Nematombeni. “Unfortunately my hands are weak and I can no longer walk well. I used to grow my own vegetables.”
His family includes his son and daughter, as well as his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Four generations in one house, there were 98 years of life between him and his youngest great-grandchild. Nyawasedza Nematombeni gave birth to six children, three of whom have died.
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Inner strength for longevity?
It’s not just external influences that enable people here to grow old healthily, experts say, but also inner strength – the ability to take life as it comes.
It’s about having the right attitude; that you recognize when things cannot be changed.
Bumini Solomon Manganye, health economist at the University of Venda
Bumani Solomon Manganye gives an example: “When you lose a loved one, for example, you go through all the stages of grief to get over it. And you still find a way forward. And you can say to yourself: there is light at the end of the tunnel.”
Family is the elixir of life
Tshikhakhisa Magoro also does not live alone, but with his daughter. The 105-year-old man can no longer function without support. But he himself still did as much as he could.
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That was always important to her mother, says Lydia Mudau: “Through my mother, I learned how important it is to accept the situation and maintain independence. I hope that one day my children can take care of me like I did for my mother.”
Grow old by listening
Tshikhakhisa Magoro takes his own lessons from life. “I reached this age because I realized how important it is to listen. I always listened to my parents, even when they scolded me, because I know that they paved the way for me in life,” he said.
Listen, accept, let go at the right time, move on. Maybe that’s the secret of the Thulamela people: the art of letting old age just happen.
Verena Garrett is studio manager at ZDF studios in Johannesburg.
