Posted on January 29, 2013
This post, written in Xhosa, has been translated by the author, see below.
UKUBALULEKA KOMVIMBA ABAGCINA AMAFA ETHU
Ndisoloko ndisothuswa kukuqonda nokufumaniswa oko kuba thina bantu bamnyana sibonakala sisizwe esingazanga saba nembali yaso, namasiko nezithethe zethu kwakunye namafa abalulekileyo emakhayeni, ekuhlaleni nasesizweni sethu. Phofu ke kuyinyaniso ukukhumbula into yokokuba sibe sisizwe esagutyungelwa yingcinezelo yabantu basentshona abathe ngelo xesha lalo ngcinezele bayigutyula namathumbu imbali nencubeko yethu sashiyeka sisizwe esingenamva nampahambili nesidelekileyo.
Phaya mandulo uyakufumanisa oko kuba kuthe kwakugaleleka abefundisi basentshona befundisa begxininisa imfundo, ubukrestu kwakunye nempucuko ethe yasekelezelwa kwincubeko yabo babonakala abantu besizwe sakuthi besisiwa kulamajelo emfundo apho bafunde khona izinto ezintsha zasentshona. Kuxa kanye ngeli xesha abantu bethu baye kwezizikolo babangamaxhoba okunyazeliswa ukuba balahle ubuntu, nencubeko nolwimi lwabo.
Ngenxa yalo meko izinto ezininzi ziye zalahlekelwa ngamagama azo, kukubaluleka kwazo emakhayeni nasekuhlaleni. Ezinye izinto zakuthi selezithathwa njengezinto ekungathi zange zabakho kanti nolwazi ngazo selekungathi yinto entsha apha kuthi. Yonke lento yenziwe yingcinezelo yesizwe sakuthi ethe yabangela ukuba sibonakale njengabantu abangenanto iyeyabo koko abaxhomekeke kulwazi lwezinye izizwe zasemzini.
Phaya emakhaya nasekuhlaleni ayekhona yaye asekhona amagama athatyathwa njengamagama abalulekiley abhekiselele kwezi zinto isizwe sethu esizama ukunika ingqwalasela. Umzekelo ukuba uyaphawula amafa nendawo ezigcina amafa asiyonto intsha leyo kwintento, nembali, nencubeko yethu ngoba zonke ezi zinto siphila kuzo yaye siphila nazo. Asiyonto intsha kuthi ukugcina uhloniphe amafa ekhaya afana kunye nembali yelo khaya, umnombo nemvela phi yelo khaya, izinto ezibalulekileyo zelo khaya kunye nencubeko yelo khaya. Umahluko ubusoloko usekubeni ezi zinto zinginwa njani yaye phi. Impendulo ke ithi ezizinto bezisoloko zigcinwa yaye kusabelwana ngazo ngembali yomlomo ethi ngenxa yokuthethwa kwayo amafa elo Khaya agqithiselwe kwisizukulwana ngesiszukulwana.
Ukuba uyaphawula apha phakathi kwentlalo yabantu abamnyama kukho indawo ezihlonitshiweyo kakhulu ngenxa yendima yazo kwimpilo yazo yaye nangenxa yolwazi olugcinekileyo olunqabileyo olukwezo ndawo. Kwalapha emakhayeni okanye ekuhlaleni kukho iindawo abantu abathile abangena kunyathela kuzo, kwakunye nezinye izinto ekufuneka zihlonitshiwe xa zikhankaywa kanti ezinye azibizwa nokubizwa ngamagama azo. Leyo ke yindlela enobuchulo ebinceda kwindlela yokuthetha nokugcina amafa abalulekileyo entlalweni yabantu bethu.
Uyakufumanisa oko kuba ebantwini bethu lento yamafa agcinwa nalangazelelwa ngurhulumente wethu ayibothusi koko iyabadanisa. Ngoba kaloku kubo asiyonto intle ukugcinelwa ilifa ngomnye umntu okanye urhulumente. Yiyo ke lento lamajelo agcina la mafa engathathelwa ntweni ngabantu bethu koko bethembe ingqondo nobuciko babo ekulondolozeni amafa abo. Lamajelo agcina lamafa sele efaniswa nendawo ezigxobhagxobha ukubaluleke kwamafa abantu. Isizathu sesi sithi abantu bethu abawathembanga la majelo akhoyo ngoku sele esoyanyaniswa namajelo asentshona athatha incubeko ekuhlaleni apho imelwe kukuphila khona iyo kuvalelwa kumajelo akude le empilweni yemihla ngemihla yabantu.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF INSTITUTIONS THAT PRESERVE OUR HERITAGE
I am always getting surprised that black South Africans are taken to be people with no history, culture and significant heritage in their homes, communities and in nation at large. In fact, it is true that we had been oppressed by European people who during those hard times had nullified our culture and as a result we were left as wondering in a wilderness.
Our history tells that long ago a group of European missionaries arrived to provide education, teach Christianity and new traditions. It was through these processes that our people went to school where they were taught new ways of life, in particular western traditions and lifestyles. When our people went to these missionary schools they were forced to do away with their indigenous cultures, lifestyles and African languages.
Just because of those circumstances most of indigenous ways of life lost their value, meaning and significance. And most of these aspects were now considered as if they were never part of our everyday lives and even knowledge about them was perceived as something new. All this was mainly caused by a ruthless oppression and self-hate that was instilled in their minds. This scenario presented African people as people who never produced knowledge but who entirely depended on the newly introduced western values and knowledge.
Right within our homes and communities there were words, names that were regarded as significant. If you notice, places that keep our heritage are not anything new in our African language, history and culture because all these ways of life were part of our lives.
If you notice in the life of African people there are sacred and significant places because of their role in our lives and because of rare knowledge kept in those places. In our homesteads and communities there are sacred places that some of us are not allowed to enter and put their foot on. There are also places that need to be respected when they are mentioned whilst others are not even supposed to be mentioned by their names. That had been a way full of rare wisdom which helped communicating and in protecting our significant heritage within our society.
You discover that amongst our people the whole idea of heritage and its preservation and protection by government is not anything new, but they are resistant to having their inheritance/heritage kept by a foreign agent. It is for this reason that heritage institutions are not taken seriously by our people. Our people have gained confidence in their intellect and language in preserving their heritage. The heritage institutions are now taken as places that negatively intervene in family and community histories. Our people have a tendency to view the South African heritage institutions as western institutions that took family and community based histories, cultures and communities. This is informed by the communal shared belief that this culture and heritage is supposed to be preserved and conserved by its custodians.
Vuyani Booi us an Archival Platform correspondent based in the Eastern Cape
