Zulu Lesson Air/Wind

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Great news. I found a Zulu word you can learn because it has an English equivalent. Air/wind is u-moya- in Zulu. You say the first part like uber, the second like Mormon and the last like yard chicken.

Moya: a boy’s name, maybe it was windy when the baby was born.

No-moya: a girl’s name, same as the boy, it was windy.

Uno-moya: she has the spirit (Jesus Christ). I once accompanied someone to her church. I was amused to see how people pretend to have the spirit and ‘speak’ in tongues.

When it’s too hot, we complain that there’s not even some wind. Rich people go to docks where their boats are moored, and sail away, enjoying the cool ocean breeze. Wind is bad news during wild fires, because it gives fire speed. We still have the memory of the blanket fire in Maui, Hawaii.

Storms come with ferocious winds that pull roofs and electric poles down. What is scary is how quiet it is after the storm, when we inspect the damage. No wind, just our heart beat reminding us what we want to sweep under the carpet. Climate change is real. I woke up this morning to a video of floods that entered the Hong Kong subway.

Talking nonsense

Some people talk for the sake of talking, nothing serious u-moya (just air).  It happens at home when couples stop loving each other. One will talk for twenty minutes or more without the other one responding. Why? My husband/wife is just air u-moya.

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.

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