Zulu Lesson To Dig

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To dig is imba in Zulu. I get scared when I see those monster machines breaking the road with their claws. City Hall calls it maintenance. The public calls it the summer headache.

I-mba. You say the first part as e-mail and the second like ember. Journalists used to dig for the truth, now they do it to increase followers. First Nations of Canada and U.S. were called barbaric because they believe in mother earth, and you don’t hurt it by digging gold, platinum and other metals. Industrial billionaires value mother earth differently. It is called property because real estate is about land, not the house we bought. It can be demolished, but land goes up in value.

There are no digital roses yet, so avid gardeners dig and plant things. I laughed the first time I saw someone gardening with gloves on. It means they've never experienced the sensation of  the soil's  warmth. Maybe they are scared of the tenants: little worms.

Question: What are they doing?

Answer: Ba-mba igolide (They are digging for gold).

Answer: Ba-mba idayimane (They are digging for diamonds).

Answer: Ba-mba amalahle (They are digging for coal).

Answer: Ba-mba amathuna (They are digging graves).

Answer: Ba-mba  umgqwaqo (They are digging the road).

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang. 

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