Wetsi's Caves
On the 1st of May I visited Lehaha la Wetsi(Wetsi's Cave) in Monontsha Qwaqwa,
What a beautiful place! It is one of the largest caves I have come across. For those who don't know, Wetsi is the founder of Qwaqwa in back 1836. The name Witsieshoek is a mispronounciation of Wetsi's hoek by whites. This reminded me to write about this part of history sometime, of what happened in Qwaqwa during those times.
I will be going back there soon, especially for writing about this place and taking photographs.
Jwale ke Nako!
It has taken a long time to reach this stage, a stage when I can proudly say: I do WRITE.
In cooperation with Nalane, we are have published several books, with more still to come. Keep checking the "Publications" section on this site for details of published books. Nalane will be redesinged to cater for these publications, watch the space.
Calling on all young and upcoming writers who want to get published to submit their manuscripts.
Alilililiiii!!!
Alilililiiii is a spiritual expression of my people when they are elated, content and fulfilled. It is an expression to express greatfulness to uMdali and the ancestors for the happy occassion.
This is how I feel right now! The families of Futhwa and Mofokeng have concluded Mahadi negotiations on my behalf today, giving rise to my husband status this afternoon. I am officially married, by tradition, although one last stage remains before my wife comes to live with me. Henceforth I will be known as Ntate Futhwa. I had a glimpse of greatness earlier today. Elders are wisest on matters concerning them. I could never have come up with the strategy they executed today.
Ndiyacamagusha ndiyanqula kwelirhatya. Makube chosi kube hele(now I am inclined to break into song!)
Sesotho Dictionary Published
It is with great pleasure to announce the availability of the monolingual Sesotho dictionary by Madiela Chitja.
This has long been coming, and I may add, long overdue. I could see so many possibilities emanating from this superb work from one of our own. The dictionary has over 38,000 entries! Download the dictionary here.
African Traditional Religion
What the heck is African Traditional Religion? I have watched with horror people vying for limelight in pursuit of an intellectual debate(if that is what it is) of defining the belief system of African people.
They have failed dismally to provide us with any meaningful explanation. Primarily for one reason: the belief system of Africans is not intellectual nor academic.
I have found it necessary to provide such an explanation because I am the son of the soil. Here you can read about the elements of Isintu/Setho, the real name of the so called African Traditional Religion.
Qwaqwa Marvels
As always, I got myself busy with the mountain ranges in Qwaqwa this December. This time, I went to Mount Aux Sources, Thaba Tshweu(the name is being contested!) and Golden Gate(Qwaqwa mountain). What a marvel!
Thaba Tshweu. This is the name we got from one of the local elders in one of our escapeds. But now my younger brother is contesting that is not the correct name. He points to another mountain, which I was still looking for its name, as Thaba Tshweu. It is so named, he argues, due to its white stones. Which kinda makes sense. The mountain top is a flat plateau fillied with bush shrubs and forests. It serves as hunting grounds for locals as well as for fire wood. We went up to explore and the sun already up, so we only got to see the brown rabbit and lots of bird species.
Mount Aux Sources. The landmark mountain in Qwaqwa. The Maluti mountains are nothing like the rest of the mountains found in Qwaqwa. The greenery, the sharp granite like rocks. I am happy to report that this time I went all the was to the Mount Aux Sources. This is the end of the Maluti mountains on the Qwaqwa side. The source of several rivers that flows into Qwaqwa and Lesotho. Well, I turned back at the chain crossings. The idea of riding chains to climb a mountain is scary to me. I love life too much! Apparently one must climb the mountain through these chains to see the last part of the mountain. The mountain top itself, the chained crossing to Bergville and Diphororo tsa Badimo(Ancestoral Falls). Because Diphororo tsa Badimo is what I intend seeing, maybe I'll just have to swallow my fear and take the plunge.
Golden Gate. For a change, this was not a hiking trail but a drive through. There is plenty of routes here for driving around to explore the beauty in the comfort of your car. The roads are all tarred.
The Verdict. Qwaqwa you must do. I am trying to organise tours to Qwaqwa for groups who might be interested starting in 2010. For now, feast your eyes on this beauty in the Picture Volumes section. I am yet to publish the latest pictures, but these ones will take your breath all the same.
Multiple Personalities
I grew up knowing that people have more than one talent. While we all might excel at a particular skill, there is always other skills we possess as individuals.
It is against this understanding that I find it difficult to grasp the concept of a profession. People seemingly expect individuals to be good at that which they do for a living. Is that really the correct view of life? I am saying this because the first question one gets is what work do you do for a living.
As someone who grew up in rural areas, people used to be good in at least two skills. One primary, the other secondary. It is against this background that I view people and their talents. I just feel that a profession is a narrow view of what people are capable of.
Am I A Writer?
When I started writing, poetry was my first written word many years ago when I was a teenager. It was a way of expressing myself, nothing else.
Then I picked up writing years later in 1998 when I started Nalane. This served several purposes, one was to dispel myths about African culture and tradition. Secondly, I wanted to write about my belief system, the indegenous African religion(Setho/Isintu). Lastly, I loved writing and it was for pure enjoyment.
I came back to writing late in 2008 with a series of poetry and the publication of my personal site, futhwa.org.za. For me it was something to do, and I enjoy it tremendously. During all this period I have never had aspirations to be published, until recently.
I have always assumed that anyone who writes is a writer. The difference lies in the quality of work produced. So based on this, I thought I was a writer too. Today I read an article by Prof Michael Schimdt, Getting poetry published(page 341), in the Writers and Artists Yearbook 2010, he totally changed my illusion about being a writer. It is a good thing that I got this shock from him, it puts things into perspective for me to focus on what is important to me, writing and not being a writer.
Publishing
Hhmmm, I never knew publishing a book can be such a difficult thing! I always assumed that once you have something ready for publishing, you simply submit it to a publisher, and that's it. Getting your poetry published is super tough.
Afrikan Literature
There are a lot of opportunities out there for people with knowledge of Afrikan languages. So stop being shameful about your heritage and develop your skills in language for a better future. We especially need people who write in mother tounge. Write poetry, short stories, novels and whatever else you can in your language and stop thinking that English is better.
If in doubt, ask me what the heck I am talking about. My email, as always, is fezekile@futhwa.org.za
Tjhebelo pele
I am caught between hard decisions. Which comes first? Updating Nalane, publishing Qwaqwa or continuing to write here?
Since Qwaqwa is the only site that is not live, it seems I will have to work on publishing the site. I hope it will not take me longer than necessary to come up with this site. Keep checking back here for updates.
My Travels
I have republished this page to cover the places of interest I have been to. But the more I write about them, the more fascinated I become with the story of Qwaqwa.
Qwaqwa remains a mystery to many people, it's historical significance that is. So this version of my travels really is a precursor to the story that will unfold regarding Qwaqwa.
Biography
It seems some people believe I am an angry person, this based on some chapters from the biography! Let me explain.
The things that I write about in the biography are my personal experiences. My take is that it is not my responsibility to defend companies I have worked for. My experiences represent my reality with these companies. I am also quite aware that some things can be challenged in court, but that is the nature of democracy I guess.
Of course each chapter can be expanded upon to include more detail, but that is not my intentions at this point in time. I am a very happy person and I hold no grudges against either companies nor individuals from these companies. My role as a writer is to take a particular view when writing, whether some people will like it or not.
As someone who is passionate about BEE, I believe that black companies must always be reminded of their responsibilities in society. Black people should not be expected to go quiet when these companies falter. If anything, we should hold them to the same standard of expectation as the rest of corporate South Afrika.
Diboko/Iziduko
Is there anyone out there who is knowledgeable about diboko/iziduko? Or do you know anyone who does? Do we have proud scholars?
It seems this is a highly desirable focus area where I believe we could establish a worthy relationship with such individuals. Please get in touch: fezekile@futhwa.org.za.
Now I Write
This covers topical discussions around life, history, economy, philosophy and folklore. I am still not sure how to fit in non English writings. I may have to quickly reassess the navigation.
These are the new sections in the Biography following "The Arts - My Passion". I have not yet graduated to the level of writing fiction work. So non fiction will do for now. Let's be lost in the wilderness of the imagination, or is it logic this time.
African Writing Competition
Penguin Books is pleased to announce today a new literary award for writers from the African continent. The Penguin Prize for African Writing has two categories: one each for a previously unpublished full-length work of adult fiction and non-fiction. The prize in each category will be R50 000 and a publishing contract with Penguin Books South Africa, with worldwide distribution via Penguin Group companies.
For details visit http://penguin.book.co.za/blog/2009/04/21/announcing-the-r100-000-penguin-prize-for-african-writing/
Thella Ntjhanyana
In light of the fact that I grew up with Basotho, which makes it difficult for me to identify with amaXhosa culture, herewith my version of my clan praise.
2009 Elections
Following the national general elections yesterday, perhaps I can boldly proclaim my political affiliation. It was a hotly contested election and am elated at the outcome. I have added a page in the biography: Political Home, detailing my stance regarding South Afrikan politics.
The good performance of The Congress of the People must be attributed to the dedication of the leadership, members and supporters of the party. I too can count the number of people who voted for Cope as a result of my direct efforts.
Qwaqwa - A Writers Dream
Qwaqwa is home to some of the best writers. I met the legendary ntate Dr. K.P.D, Maphalla in Qwaqwa in November 2008. He has established a writers organisation named Metjodi Writers, but I am struggling to get hold of them. Anyone who may know Dr. Maphalla or Metjodi Writers, please assist.
Ba re e ne re. Qoi.
As part of a drive to encourage black writers to write, I am looking for people with an interest in writing. If you are an aspiring writer of any form, keep in touch and masithethe. Drop me a line at fezekile@futhwa.org.za.
I'd like to hear from writers organisations too. What I have come to understand is that many budding writers are discouraged by the negative feedback from publishers, especially for African languages. What happened to Lesiba? Does anyone know?
La Vive to Me!
Dumela. Molo. Sawubona. Thobela.
A very warm welcome to the second release of futhwa.org.za. This has been a rather steep journey, one filled with challenges sometimes so intimidating I thought letting things be would have been best. This site has been around now for about four months, realistically, and I am forever greatful at how things have come together. I had, still don't, no plan for the growth or structure of the site; it just sort of paves it's own path.
My humble thanks to all who continue to patronise this site.
What about this site?
This site is really about me as a person. It is the reflection of my inner feelings and thoughts. Above all, it is about my being able to write, however good or bad.
I am really a novice writer, with not much experience in writing publishable work. But since one must start somewhere, this is my beginning. My writings are mostly focused on:
- Poetry
- African History
- African Heritage
- Setho/Isintu - The Indegenous African Religion
My biggest challenge at this moment is coordinating work between all the sites I own. There is a big overlap between them and am tempted to end up with only one site. As a result, you may notice that there is a subtle difference(content wise) between nalane.org.za(heritage), khitsane.org.za(family tree) and qwaqwa.org.za(tourism).
Language
I am an extremely proud son of the soil, who prides himself in the heritage of his people. I am a grand child of the Amatshawe and Bataung ba ha Thulo.
I write in three languages: Sesotho, isiXhosa and English.
Changes
To make the site more usable, I have moved all links to toplevel so that no navigation is required to access any page on the site.
I have removed the Places link and the interesting places to visit will be published on qwaqwa.org.za in due course.