What’s in a Name?

As is the case with many cultures, Zulu names have meanings attached to them that reflect how the parents feel about their new-born child (e.g. Thandiwe, ‘Beloved’). Names can also relate to what the weather was like when the baby was born (e.g. Nomvula, ‘Mother of rain’), or reflect the religious beliefs of the parents (e.g. BongiNkosi, ‘Be grateful to God’). Their … Read more

AmaZizi: the Dlamini of Southern Africa

In much of Western society, surnames are simply ways of identifying people, a way of differentiating one person from another, but in Zulu culture a name means so much more – a surname might have a different praise name used to show respect, that tells the story of a person’s lineage, and the importance of their family members. So … Read more

International Conference on IKS and Environmental Ethics

Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) as an area of study has gained serious momentum over the past few years, with more and more learning institutions focusing on IKS based research and innovation. The universities of North-West, Limpopo and Venda are three institutions with an impressive IKS track record, and so it made sense for the University of KwaZulu-Natal to … Read more

Institute of Afrikology

The Institute of Afrikology is hosting a series of lectures on the topic of ‘Afrikology’ and related subjects. The talks will take place at the BAT Centre and are scheduled to run every month for the rest of the year, until December. The Institute is based on the principle of Sankofa, which emphasises the need … Read more

No Shortage of Beer!

The wine farms must be smiling (all the way to the bank) at the moment! While in past years there’s been a global excess of wine in the market, this year’s poor production coupled with a growing demand for the tipple, means that there’s a serious shortage of plonk. But if you’re a traditional Zulu … Read more