Zulu Lesson Issues/Matter Arising

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Workers on strike. Money and working conditions are always the main issues.

An issue is udaba in Zulu. It’s a noun. Talking is a verb, but the matter or issue under discussion is a noun. U-da-ba. You say the first part as Umar, the second like duck and the last like baba.

1. Udaba is Trump making legal history with four criminal indictments. His latest is by a Georgia grand jury.

2. Udaba is Joe Biden’s age and his capability to hold the highest office in the U.S. is an issue, after falling down at a public function.

3. Udaba is Mitch McConnell, U.S. Senate leader’s age (81). He froze at a press conference on 26 July.

4. Udaba is Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau. They are separated after 18 years of marriage and three kids.

Husbands and boyfriends dread the statement: “We need to talk.” Boyfriends know what’s coming. It’s the issue of marriage. Girls just wanna have fun, but eventually get married. Men just wanna have fun, fun, fun with no expiry date. Husbands can guess the issue, separation leading to divorce. Men like hitting on women. They are not even creative because they approach them with tired lines:

Man: I loved you the first time I saw you.

Woman: You followed me from the store. You saw my backside before you saw my face.

Man: Oh! That? I didn’t notice.

Issues are everywhere. It is called life. We are as sober as a judge in our province at the moment, because government workers that sell us booze walked off the job. What’s the issue? Wages and working conditions. Television writers in the U.S. are on strike. What’s the issue? Working conditions and artificial intelligence (AI).

U-da-ba is a Zulu word for issues, matters arising, concerns, misunderstanding etc.

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.

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