Young author on a quest to revive his native language

Cape Town - In a century in which indigenous languages are facing extinction, one man from the Garden Route is trying to reverse this trend by making sure his mother tongue remains relevant in this day and age.

Mzoli Mavimbela is an award-winning author who not only writes in isiXhosa, but is also on a quest to revive his native language, isiMpondo, which is widely spoken in the Eastern Cape, in areas such as Lusikisiki and Ngqeleni.

IsiMpondo is spoken by a sub-group of the Nguni people called the amaMpondo. However, the language is unfortunately not one of South Africa’s 11 official languages, meaning people like Mavimbela have to learn isiXhosa at school.

Mavimbela, who resides in George and works as a social worker, holds a bachelor’s degree in social work, a master’s, and is now currently studying towards a PhD.

He began writing as a hobby before deciding to pursue it professionally after his high school teachers convinced him of his talent.

"I enjoy writing about my culture and, more significantly, I enjoy reading Xhosa poetry."

He said he had seen a gap in the literature, in that there were very few or no books written about the amaMpondo or in isiMpondo. This made him feel his language and people were being marginalised and undermined as a cultural group in the country.

"IsiMpondo is a very rich language and culture, and we don't speak funny Xhosa, as many people would like to believe. This is our language, which is distinct from isiXhosa," said Mavimbela.

Mavimbela said it pained him to see his language dying a slow death, and that he would love for it to continue to exist, as it defined their nation, culture and heritage.

Accordingly, Mavimbela published a book, Amazwembezwembe kaGxuluwe, which he wrote both in isiXhosa and isiMpondo. In this book, Mavimbela explains the genealogy of the amaMpondo, using characters to tell the story of their origin and clear up misconceptions about the culture.

Amazwembezwembe can be loosely translated as "Gxuluwe's Puzzle“ or ”The Ups and Downs of Life“. The book is currently being read on Mondays and Wednesdays at 10pm on Umhlobo Wenene FM by Dumza Maswana.

"To preserve our language, it is important that we continue to write books like these and make sure they are included in the school curriculum, because currently at our schools there are no books written in isiMpondo or about the amaMpondo. I hope this book will be taught in schools for generations to come, so that our children can have an idea of who they are and where they come from," said Mavimbela.

The book was shortlisted by the SA Literary Awards and won the K Sello Duiker Memorial Literary Award.

Recent books by Mavimbela include Zigqitwa kuhlwile, Zibonwe liwuhlabile, and Zezani na ezililo. He is also working on another book written in isiMpondo, which he hopes will be published next year.

He said the everyday experiences of his people and their socio-economic circumstances served as his sources of inspiration. He added that his works aimed to uplift and encourage individuals who had lost faith in life.

“I hope for isiMpondo to be included in the list of South Africa’s official languages, as it is a distinctive language that deserves a place in the country’s linguistic history,” said Mavimbela.