Mfecane

IsiZulu nezilimi ezihlobene

IsiZulu saziwa njengolwimi olukhulunywa yiningi eNingizimu Afrika kepha alikhulunywa kulelizwe kuphela. Ngonyaka wesi-1914, eYurophu bawuhlukanisa umuhlaba wase-Afrika ngokuthanda kwabo base benza amazwe anjengoMozambhikhi, Zimbabwe, Nayijeriya, eSenegali nokunye. Ngakho ke, abantu abakhuluma ulwimi olufanayo uvamise ukubabona behlukene besemazweni ahlukene; njengabantu abakhuluma isiSwahili, isizwe esisodwa kodwa sihlukaniswe ngalamazwe enziwa ngonyaka wesi-1914 eYurophu. NesiZulu namaZulu ngokunjalo. Bakhona abakhuluma … Read more

Origin of the Name, Zulu

If you look up the word ‘Zulu’ in the dictionary, it can refer to a variety of things: it can be a reference to the Zulu people (amaZulu); to the language spoken by the Zulus (isiZulu); or, completely arbitrarily, it can refer to the letter ‘Z’, as used in the international phonetic alphabet (i.e. Whiskey, X-ray, Yankee, Zulu)! More … Read more

The Mfecane Wars

In Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, The Long Walk to Freedom, the former South African president talks about the AmaMfengu, people that was formed from groupings that were broken up and dispersed by King Shaka and his armies during the Mfecane wars. The name ‘Mfengu‘ translates to ‘wanderers’ and is a reference to how the AmaMfengu came to be; although today the group have largely … Read more