My Heritage

Stimela - Hugh Masekela

Photography - Marelize 

Firstly, can you believe it's September already? Secondly, that it's already the 24th of September - meaning we're well on our way to October and before we know it, we'll be singing Jingle Bells and a Ho Ho Ho. So I realise that people across the world are sitting at their desks, earning a living, not in South Africa. We're outchea braaing and sleeping in late because the 24 of September is our annual Heritage Day, aka National Braai Day. But while I will be enjoying a lekke chop later on, I believe that we should all play our part in ensuring that this day is not minimised to a braai day, kodwa sikhumbule imvelaphi yethu. This one is quite a read, so lie back and let me tell you a little something about my heritage. 

I had my first shoot in studio for this post. The neck-piece is a little something borrowed from my mom's collection. And while I had planned on sharing a few things about my Xhosa people, but reading the 16 Things You Didn’t Know About Xhosa on http://afkinsider.com/, I just felt that I couldn't have said it better.

The 18-percent of South Africans who speak Xhosa amount to approximately 7.6 million people. While many don’t consider it their mother tongue, it is still a very common language throughout the country, and is one of South Africa’s 11 official languages. Xhosa has its origins in the tribal group descended from the Bantus, who originated in present-day Cameroon and Nigeria and migrated south from 2000 B.C. to 1000 A.D. Following the migration, the people divided into two language groups – Eastern and Western – early in their history. -

Xhosa is one of the most recognizable Bantu languages, mainly due to the prominence of its click consonants and its intense use of the letter “x,” used to denote some of the clicks. Spoken mostly in South Africa, but also in Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and other areas in Southern Africa, Xhosa is an interesting language with an even more interesting history. (Click the link below if you're not sure what they mean about the “clicks)

Xhosa Tongue Twister

Speakers of Xhosa and Zulu usually understand each other even if speaking in their mother tongues, as both languages are classified as Bantu. These two peoples live side-by-side in many regions of South Africa. Xhosa is common especially in the Western Cape Province and Gauteng. Linguists are still sorting out all the dialects, but the confirmed dialect groups are: Gcaleka, Thembu, Mpondo, Bhaca, Xhosa, Ngqika, Mpondomise, Bomvana, and Mfengu.

Xhosa contains lots of idioms. If you have isandla esishushu, then you have a “warm hand,” which means that you’re generous. Many idioms in Xhosa apply to relationships with plants, such as “udle ingcolo,” meaning “he has drunk the juice of the flower of the wild aloe,” usually said of a sleepy-seeming person.

Although the most widely spoken Bantu language is Zulu, Xhosa is the most widely distributed. It is spoken most commonly in the Eastern Cape, but is also very prominent in the Western Cape. An additional million-or-so Xhosa speakers are scattered throughout the other provinces.The Bantu ancestor of Xhosa did not have clicks An estimated 15 percent of Xhosa is of San origin, which is attributed to the strong historical contact between the two tribes. The San are one of 14 known ancestral population clusters from which all known modern humans descend. The Xhosa language also hosts a collection of borrowed words from Afrikaans and English.

Xhosa speakers were segregated into a Bantustan During apartheid in South Africa, the government ordered black citizens to be segregated into black homelands known as bantustans. It was only in their assigned bantustans that blacks were considered to be citizens — not citizens of the country. Transkei was the non-independent republic bantustan designated for Xhosa speakers.

Xhosa was legislated by the Bantu Education Act of 1953 The use of Xhosa in education was previously governed by apartheid-era legislation known as the Bantu Education Act, which effectively segregated races in schools and allowed for different standards of education. Though schools are now desegregated, the role of African language in South African education remains complex and ambiguous. For the most part, Xhosa is taught in primary school, but then only as a secondary subject in higher levels.

The Cape Frontier Wars had an enormous impact on the Xhosa language The Xhosa people engaged in wars with European colonial powers, specifically the British and Dutch, from 1778 to 1878. Following their defeat, their land was annexed. It was at this time that Xhosa became a written language in the Latin alphabet. - See more at: http://afkinsider.com/59044/10-things-didnt-know-xhosa/13/#sthash.8KACCPhI.dpuf

The first Xhosa Bible translation was done in 1859 Another sign of the colonial influence was the first Xhosa Bible translation, produced by Henry Hare Dugmore in 1859.

“Nkosi Sikelil’ iAfrika,” a Xhosa anthem, is the anthem of several different countries Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika (“Lord Bless Africa” in Xhosa), was originally composed as a hymn in 1897 by Enoch Sontonga, a Xhosa clergyman at a Methodist mission school near Johannesburg. It has since become the anthem of Tanzania and Zambia, and is the former anthem of Zimbabwe and Namibia. The South African anthem had stanzas added to it as time passed, and also had versions that were translated into Zulu, Sotho, and Afrikaans.

Lastly, Xhosa was introduced to pop culture through the vocal stylings of Miriam Makeba Grammy Award-winning South African singer and civil rights activist, Miriam Makeba, helped introduce Xhosa to an international audience with her 1957 hit single, “Pata Pata.” It was one of the first mainstream moments for Xhosa. In an interview she gave in 1979, Makeba discussed the experience of sharing her language with the rest of the world. “Everywhere we go, people often ask me, ‘How do you make that noise?’” she said. “It used to offend me because it isn’t a noise. It’s my language.

I must just mention that I am loving how Xhosa people are incorporating our traditional patterns into modern fashion. From Laduma Ngxokolo's stunning designs to my all time favourite, Sun God and Sun Goddess by Vany and Thando Mangaliso.

Ndingu Manyawuza, Mathahla, Kandayela, uhlamba ngobubende...

Happy Heritage Day everyone.