Articles tagged ‘Xhosa’
South African folklore: The tiny terror that is the “Tokoloshe”
By Philip | December 9th, 2006 |
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I love hearing strange traditional tales from foreign lands, so I thought I might introduce you to some eccentric South African stories that people grow up with here.
I distinctly remember a time swimming at Muizenberg when some swimmers started screaming and shouting that there was a Tokoloshe in the water.
South African Phrases: - Xhosa
By Philip | December 5th, 2006 | Add a Comment »
South Africa has 11 official languages! Fortunately one of those is English and many people speak it…. However.
Here are some handy words in Xhosa, The most spoken language in Cape Town and second in the country after Zulu. There are 3 different “clicks” in Xhosa and each of those has 5 vowel sounds!
Your Correspondent Takes a Bow (Sniff)
By Ben | September 4th, 2006 | 3 Comments »
T-minus three posts… It’s time for me to say goodbye to SouthAfricaLogue friends and fans. That’s right - today will see the last posts of Your Correspondent flickering out into the BootsnAll blog ether (tho’ I might still float a few through the back door from time to time). It’s been great fun to bring [...]
Happy Birthday, Madiba!
By Ben | July 18th, 2006 | Add a Comment »
South Africa’s iconic hero of freedom and democracy, Nelson Mandela, turns 88 today. Happy birthday, Madiba! He has been showered with tributes and praise from well-wishers across the globe, and is said to be expecting a restful day in his Qunu home, which will likely be the scene of a joyful party this afternoon.
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The Xhosa Circumcision Ritual
By Nozuko | June 30th, 2006 | 1 Comment »
Deaths from ritual circumcision in the Eastern Cape have been in the news recently. Township blogger Nozuko P gives an overview of the practice.
Boys’ Initiation - a Xhosa Tradition
The reason I’m writing about this is because everybody is reading about Xhosa initiations which go wrong. In the month of June, that is what’s in the [...]
Ritual Circumcision Claims More Lives in Eastern Cape
By Ben | June 29th, 2006 | 1 Comment »
According to a news report on national broadcaster SAfm yesterday, eight young men in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province have died from botched circumcisions in the past two weeks.
The winter month of June represents a kind of “circumcision season” among the Xhosa, who predominate in the Eastern Cape, and who use circumcision to mark a [...]
African Thanksgiving Ritual: “The Falling of the Beast” (2/2)
By Nozuko | June 15th, 2006 | Add a Comment »
Township Blogger Nozuko P recently visited her home in the Eastern Cape to perform a ritual of thanksgiving. Here, she explains what that involves. (Part 2/2)
Once the clan members are outside of the hut, the clan elder will address the ancestors and the entire community, repeating what has already been said inside the hut. [...]
African Thanksgiving Ritual: “The Falling of the Beast” (1/2)
By Nozuko | June 13th, 2006 | 1 Comment »
Township Blogger Nozuko P recently visited her home in the Eastern Cape to perform a ritual of thanksgiving. Here, she explains what that involves.
A Xhosa Thanksgiving Ritual
Rituals are holistic in the sense that they address the physical, social, moral and spiritual aspects of individuals. The moral and spiritual teachings within a ritual [...]
Meet Nozuko, Township Blogger!
By Nozuko | April 5th, 2006 | 1 Comment »
Hello SA Blog readers far and wide!
I’m Nozuko, from Khayelitsha (that’s Xhosa for “new home”), a township outside Cape Town. It’s South Africa’s second largest. (Soweto is number one.)
Nozuko P, Township Blogger
In my posts, I’m going to be showing you around Cape Town’s townships, especially Khayelitsha (of course!), Langa, Guguletu, Nyanga, Delft, Montana (no, not [...]
Easy Xhosa: Saying “Goodbye”
By Ben | January 10th, 2006 | Add a Comment »
Here’s the second post in SA Blog’s series of click-free Xhosa lessons. Click free? Yes, and it has nothing to do with your mouse, or your on-screen pointer.
In Xhosa (one of Cape Town’s major languages) clicks are sharp sounds you make with your tongue, and are represented by the X, the C and the Q. [...]
