Never in Zulu

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Barack Obama, 44th and first black U.S. President.

Never is ‘ngeke’ in Zulu, a language spoken in South Africa. There’s even a proverb: the sun will fall down and be picked up by chickens. Now you know that it will never happen. 2020 will be remembered for things we never imagined would happen.

1. A virus so lethal it forced the whole world to stop work and school, going to basketball, baseball, soccer, and rugby games, carnivals, churches, concerts, sea cruises etc.

2. Donald Trump, the 45th U.S. President claimed his election victory was stolen from him.

3. A domestic terror insurrection by Trump supporters when they stormed Congress on 6 January 2020, while the full session was certifying that Joe Biden is the winner of the election.

Nge-ke. You pronounce the first part as in Serengeti, the second one as in Keke Palmer, the American actress.

ZULU

ENGLISH

Ngeke ngi-kushade.

I’ll never marry you.

Ngeke u-ngi-bulale.

You’ll never kill me.

Ngeke a-ngi-shiye umkami.

My wife will never leave me.

Ngeke inyanga ikhanye emini.

The moon will never shine during the day.

Ngeke abantu balale nezinja.

Humans will never have sex with dogs.

Ngeke ushaka aphile otshanini.

The whale will never live on grass.

Ngeke ukhozi nezinkukhu babe abangani.

The hawk and chickens can never be friends.

Ingane ngeke izalwe namazinyo onke.

A newly-born baby will never have a full set of teeth.


What are some of the things we said they’ll never happen but they did? In some cultures, they said women will never be doctors, and they did.

This is another ‘written podcast’ by Nonqaba waka Msimang. 

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