Stories in Zulu
Breaking News. A story i-nda-ba in Zulu.
Stories are history, for example, how ama-Zulu got their name, how the weather is called izulu in their language isi-Zulu, how the sky is called izulu, their beer isizulu and how their kings are called Zulu eliphezulu (the sky above).
#TheLongestMarch, Fred Khumalo’s historical novel is about South Africa. It is based on what happened 120 years ago when 7000 miners marched from Johannesburg to Ladysmith. The Longest March is now another beam of South African literature because the author re-created history in October 2019, when he walked the same distance for 10 days.
Indaba is the story grandmothers tell grand children about how and why they left Ireland, Scotland, Poland, Italy, France, Germany, England, Netherlands, Spain, China, Japan and other countries to settle in places they later called South Africa, Australia, New Zealand,Canada, and the United States. Slavery in the U.S. is a stand-alone story (indaba).
Indaba is gossip and you have somebody in mind who loves izindaba. Stories are things we did at night and are common knowledge the following day. There is even a saying in Zulu about how secrets can never be secrets: stories don’t remain on the ground, they are afraid of dewdrops.
Izindaba are history books and fiction. Publishers publish books for money not charity. That is why they ask former U.S. first ladies like Hilary Clinton and Michelle Obama to write their stories. I can never write a memoir because there is too much I won’t include. Let sleeping dogs lie, as the saying goes.
Cellphones and the internet have brought new stories: tweets, blogs, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube etc. Fake news are stories in themselves.
I-nda-ba. You say the first part like e-mail, the second like Belinda and the last like baba. Stories like television news are, i-zi-nda-ba. You say the first part like e-mail, the second like zinc, the fourth like Belinda and the last like baba.
By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.
Stories are history, for example, how ama-Zulu got their name, how the weather is called izulu in their language isi-Zulu, how the sky is called izulu, their beer isizulu and how their kings are called Zulu eliphezulu (the sky above).
#TheLongestMarch, Fred Khumalo’s historical novel is about South Africa. It is based on what happened 120 years ago when 7000 miners marched from Johannesburg to Ladysmith. The Longest March is now another beam of South African literature because the author re-created history in October 2019, when he walked the same distance for 10 days.
Indaba is gossip and you have somebody in mind who loves izindaba. Stories are things we did at night and are common knowledge the following day. There is even a saying in Zulu about how secrets can never be secrets: stories don’t remain on the ground, they are afraid of dewdrops.
Izindaba are history books and fiction. Publishers publish books for money not charity. That is why they ask former U.S. first ladies like Hilary Clinton and Michelle Obama to write their stories. I can never write a memoir because there is too much I won’t include. Let sleeping dogs lie, as the saying goes.
Cellphones and the internet have brought new stories: tweets, blogs, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube etc. Fake news are stories in themselves.
I-nda-ba. You say the first part like e-mail, the second like Belinda and the last like baba. Stories like television news are, i-zi-nda-ba. You say the first part like e-mail, the second like zinc, the fourth like Belinda and the last like baba.
| ZULU | ENGLISH |
| Ndaba. | A boy’s name meaning story. He was born when the family was going through something. |
| Ndaba. | One of the surnames of Zulu kings. |
| Ugogo enezindaba zakudala. | Grandmother tells old stories. |
| Yini ndaba? | What is wrong? |
| Yini ndaba? Ukhalelani? | What is wrong? Why are you crying? |
| I-zi-ndaba ezibuhlungu azipheli. | Sad stories never end. |
| Bakhuluma nge-ndaba ka President Trump. | They are talking about President Trump. |
| Sikhuluma ngendaba ka Angela Merkel u-Chancellor wase Germany. | We are talking about Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany. |
| U-Mimi uyazithanda i-zi-ndaba. | Mimi loves gossip. |
| U-Nicholas no Pierre bayazithanda izindaba. | Nicholas and Pierre love gossip. |
| Zithini I-zi-ndaba kwi-T.V.? | What do television news say? |
| Izindaba ze-radio. | Radio news. |
Comments