Zulu Lesson Our Voice

Lost in translation. The most effective way to learn a language is definitely at its source. Online lessons are just an introduction, but is it really possible to travel to Netherlands to learn Dutch? No, unless you are David Beckham, the soccer millionaire.

I’m having problems with today’s translation. Ours is elethu in Zulu, but it is not ours like our car, our kids, our house, our mayor. It is about collective opinion like what happened in Great Britain (it’s very small actually) before electronic voting. Honourable Members of Parliament (MP’s) shouted “aye” or “nay.”

It is more emotional in Zulu, because workers in a meeting will shout elethu! It means it is our voice, agreement, our consent to what should be done. It could be a strike vote. It is so emotional, workers who don’t want to go on strike also raise their fists and say elethu.

E-le-thu. You say the first part like explain, the second like leg and the last part like tomb. This collective confirmation is common in public protest. It can be on placards. It could come from conductors who shout elethu, and protest marchers repeat it. It cannot be ignored because the government, opposition parties, and Bud Light beer executives listen to the collective “aye.”

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.