Zulu Lesson Take Care

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Take care is nakekela in Zulu. It means to nurture, to watch delicate things grow or to take care of something precious. I’m scared of newly born babies. They are so tiny. What if I sneeze and the baby falls? I’m also scared of eggs, so fragile.

Na-ke-ke-la. You say the first part like numb, the second and third like Kenzo, a Japanese boy’s name, and the last like lark. Once upon a time, families took care of grandparents at home. Cia Professore, an Italian film shows a wealthy big family under one roof, and a grandmother who doesn’t remember faces.

Take care of my heart is the foundation and walls of love songs, otherwise it leads to broken hearts. It’s good that it’s a figure of speech because the heart has more important things to do like pumping  blood.

ENGLISH

ZULU

Take care of my love.

Nakekela u-thando lwami.

Take care of grandma.

Nakekela u-gogo.

Xavier takes care of me.

U-Xavier u-ya-nginakekela.

Amanda looks after kids.

U-Amanda u-nakekela izingane.

Take care of your marriage.

Nakekela umuzi wakho.

Don’t smoke. Look after your health.

U-ngabhemi. Nakekela impilo yakho.

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.

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