Zulu

Culture, food, literature, and more

Ujeqe (steamed bread) 

Recipe: https://www.zolanene.com/2020/09/02/ujeqe/ 

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Uphutu 

Recipe: https://www.zolanene.com/2020/08/21/uphuthu-crumbly-pap/ 

• • Maize meal is a staple food in Zulu. 

• • It is a crumbly maize meal porridge. It can be enjoyed both cold with amasi or hot with beans or cabbage. 

Amadumbe (Taro)

• • It is like sweet potatoes. They can be boiled, steamed, or grilled. Zulu people often use mashed amadumbe as weaning food but it is also enjoyed by all ages. Nowadays, South Africans fry cut amadumbe strips as a French fry alternative.  

Chakalaka 

• • It is one of the most popular foods in South Africa. It originated from gold mine workers and was later adopted by various tribes including the Zulus. It is made from vegetables, beans, and lots of tomatoes, and served with starchy dishes such as uphuhtu and white steamed rice.

Isitambu  

Recipe: https://www.zolanene.com/2020/09/13/isitambu-samp-beans/ 

• • • Also known as umngqusho, isitambu is a Zulu dish made of maize and sugar beans. It goes well with meat-based Zulu dishes and serves as a staple meal for many South Africans. 

Koeksisters 

• • The word “koeksisters” comes from the Dutch word “koek”, meaning wheat flour confectionery. South African koeksisters are made by frying plaited dough strips in oil and then dipping them in ice-cold sugar syrup.

Meat

• • In Zulu culture, meat allocation is based on gender and age
    (Sikhakhane, n.d.). 
     
  • Men are given “high-status portions” such as iNhloko (head) and iSibindi (liver) cooked in a potjie (three-legged pot), typically served medium rare with salt.

     

  • ‘Boys’ refers to male children, male teenagers, young males, and unmarried males in Zulu culture and they are given portions including amanqina (feet), hind legs, and lungs.

     

  • Women and girls are given usu (tripe) and served it with iDombolo (dumpling) and uJeqe (steamed bread). 

LadySmith Black Mambazo

LadySmith received five Grammy awards and nineteen nominations. The group was formed in Durban, South Africa in the 1960s. They are an entirely male acapella group, performing for about 50 years in the traditional Zulu style, isicathamiya. 

Mbuso Khoza

Izibongo

• • Izibongo refers to praises, praise names, or praise poems in Zulu, Ndebele, and Xhosa cultures. 
    
    
  • It constitutes a form of oral poetry widely used in southern Africa.

     

  • Izibongo are closely related to Tswana praise poems (maboko) and Sotho praise poems (lithoko).

     

  • Izibongo cross genre boundaries and closely related to song, chant, and dance.

     

  • The primary focus of izibongo is naming, identifying, and giving significance to individuals or objects.

     

  • The act of praising focuses on embodying a person’s personality through naming, linking them with their community, lineage, and origins.

     

  • Once a name is given, it becomes an permanent part of parson’s identity, even after death.

     

  • Izibongo have been used to validate marriage ceremonies, express lineage continuities, and for social entertainment.

     

  • In urban areas, izibongo is less prevalent but is still used in ceremonies and social gatherings.

     

  • It has been a way for men working in urban areas to find relaxation in cramped hostels and compounds since the 1920s.

     

  • Izibongo compositions are inspired by biography, self-experiences, and social comments.

     

  • The collection of izibongo features praises from both significant figures and ordinary people, reflecting the diversity of izibongo.

     

  • Words in Zulu may not follow the standardized forms to capture the diversity of dialects, like the thefula dialect around EMpangeni where the medial “l” is often replaced by a “y”.
  • The aim of the written form of izibongo here is to maintain the essence of spoken language, balancing the fast pace of excited speech while ensuring clarity.

Mazisi Kunene  

• • Mazisi Kunene (May 12 1930- August 11, 2006), a poet and activist, was inspired by the history of the Zulu people, the struggle against apartheid in South Africa and the oral tradition of African literature. 

• • His literary contributions were primarily in Zulu, emphasizing the importance of retelling African history in a way that made it relevant and genuine for both Africans and non-Africans. 

• • His writing, such as “Emperor Shaka the Great” and “Anthem of the Decades,” reshaped historical perspectives, earning him recognition as Africa’s poet laureate by Unesco in 1993, and South Africa’s poet laureate in 2005. 

Benedict Wallet Vilakazi

• • Benedict Wallet Vilakazi (1906-47) is widely known as the father of modern Zulu poetry, and a pioneer in Zulu language studies.  

• • He was also a renowned essayist and wrote widely to newspapers like Ilanga lase Natal and others, which established him as a significant intellectual voice in South Africa.  

• • Born on January 6, 1906, in Groutville, Natal, and passed away at the age of 41 on October 26, 1947, in Johannesburg.  

• • Vilakazi was a poet, novelist, and educator who devoted his life to teaching and the study of Zulu language and literature.  

• • He also published the Zulu-English Dictionary with Clement Doke, making a significant contribution to the enrichment of literary intellectual discourse in South Africa. 

Mkhosi woMhlanga (reed dance) 

Youtube: https://youtu.be/m6L0f69lpDk?si=pKsaJLbHvanxU71Y

• • The reed dance ceremony is a traditional annual ceremony that takes place in September, which is the start of spring at the eNyokeni Palace in Nongoma, Zululand. 

     

  • Girls from across the country gather to celebrate through traditional Zulu dress, traditional singing, and dancing. Older Zulu women teach young girls who have to be virgins to participate about how they should act as mature women, respect their bodies and also encourage celibacy until marriage.

     

  • This huge gathering also gives a great opportunity to discuss contemporary social issues that affect them, such as HIV and teen pregnancies.
    
    
  • The highlight of the event is a reed-giving ceremony, led by Zulu princesses.

     

  • The young women, dressed in vividly beaded attire, gather cut reeds and present them to the king. Zulu men also join in this part of the ceremony, singing and mock fighting.

     

  • In Zulu tradition, people believe that their original ancestor came from a reed bed, so the laying of reeds at the king’s feet is a sign of respect for the Zulu culture.

     

  • The reeds are also used to construct traditional Zulu huts and to craft the mats and baskets that are renowned within Zulu culture

Indlamu 

https://danceask.net/indlamu-dance-south-africa/ 

https://youtu.be/sLHbP2v6nOU?si=l8CwPCfD_U7VTbbX 

South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) News

• • [PROMO] The Language Series | IsiZulu  

Ukhozi FM radio 

• • http://listen.ukhozifm.co.za/listenukhozifm/ 

Other Useful links To Explore

• https://global-asp.github.io/storybooks-southafrica/stories/zu/ 
• https://www.ulwaziprogramme.org/ 
• https://zu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikhasi_Elikhulu 
• https://aclanthology.org/C10-1115/ 
• https://repo.sadilar.org/handle/20.500.12185/9

   

  Shakaland Zulu cultural village 

iQukwane

It is a traditional Zulu house, is constructed using mud, leaves, branches and tree poles. It is shaped like a round beehive.