TO GO WITH STORY BY JEAN LIOU
Some of thousands of Shembe men, members of the Shembe Church (Nazareth Baptist Church), a traditionalist Zulu church, clad in leopard-skin dance during a ceremony to worship God on January 26, 2014 in Durban. Leopard skins symbolise pride and royalty to the Nazareth Baptist Church, whose members are encouraged to don the costly dress for customary rituals. But as lost habitat and poaching send the cats' numbers plummeting, church leaders have agreed with conservationists to offer a cheaper, kitty-friendly synthetic alternative."The leopard skin has got a significance, because it shows power," said church spokesman Lizwi Ncwane, adding that "We also see the importance of the conservation of the cat." "For the past four months now, we have been using fake skins, because we are trying to bring awareness among our people," Ncwane told AFP. The movement, more commonly known as the Shembe Church, was founded by religious leader Isaiah Shembe a century ago and joins Christianity with Zulu customs. AFP PHOTO / ALEXANDER JOE
AFP - ALEXANDER JOE