Tear Like Divorce in Zulu

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Divorce is hard on the kids. They don't understand the explanation 'we love you but .....'

To tear something in Zulu is da-bu-la. The U.S. Supreme Court tore down Roe vs. Wade in 2022. How do I pronounce it? Da-bu-la. You say the first part like darling, the second like boom (soft -b-) and the third one like lark.

Donald Trump ran on a tear up everything former U.S. President Obama had ever done ticket:  Affordable Health Care, immigration, everything.

Letters are old school e-mail that came in an envelope addressed to somebody or Mr. & Mrs.  Girls would receive letters from boys. They could be accepted with a smile or torn up without reading them.

When a couple divorces, friends and family say the marriage certificate is torn up.The British brought the bible to Africa and taught kids about their English ancestor who tore a river up in two.  

We see homeless people with torn clothes. There are many instances where politics tear a country into two because of religion or land disputes.

Da-bu-la also means taking a short cut through houses, something that is common in Asia and Africa where there are no picket fences.  I see it a lot in Yoruba movies. 

ZULU

ENGLISH

Dabula.

A boy’s name.  We don’t know why the family gave the child this name.  Maybe it was torn apart by some family feud or immigration.

Dabulamanzi.

A boy’s name, which means cutting a river into two.

I-ngu-bo ka-Selina i-da-bu-ki-le.

Selina’s dress is torn.

I-bhu-lu-kwe li-ka-Jorges li-da-bu-ki-le.

Jorges’ pants are torn.

Wa-da-bu-la i-ncwa-di yo-msha-do.

She tore the marriage certificate.

He tore the marriage certificate.

Da-bu-la le-receipt.

Tear this receipt.

Da-bu-la le-contract.

Tear up this contract.

Da-bu-la i-shi-di ka-bi-li.

Tear the sheet into two.

Da-bu-la pha-ka-thi kwe-zi-ndllu.

Take a short cut through houses.

U-nga-da-bu-li la.

There is no short cut here (sign outside a house or church).

By:  Nonqaba waka Msimang

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