A good Zulu tutor is one who not only teaches learners words and utterances in the native African language, but also serves as an awakener who enriches the learners' overall language learning experience.
An inspirational Zulu teacher awakens the senses of their enthusiastic Zulu learners through imagery and sound. That is where poetry fits into the equation as well. Poetry is filled with sensory imagery, comparisons, and carefully considered diction that rouse the mind and keep the poetry reader engaged and stimulated, even when they are reading poems in an unfamiliar language.
Learning Zulu Means Learning About Tradition
If you just started learning IsiZulu, you can be sure that there is a way to pick up on IsiZulu words and phrases through listening to and reading Zulu praise poetry.
Zulu praise poetry is also known as izibongo is a way to celebrate the achievements of characters, families, and nations as well. In paying tribute to historical figures and key events, Zulu praise poetry is meant to teach Zulu learners of the heroic deeds of former leaders, positive qualities of Zulu ancestors, and the core cultural values of older tribes. This type of poetry, in turn, not only seeks to teach the language but to explore cultural values too.
For enthusiastic Zulu leaners, they need to consider novel ways to learn the language by considering Zulu proverbs as well because by familiarising themselves with all aspects of the language, learners are expanding their knowledge of the Zulu culture too. By relying on proverbs, stories, songs, and even praise poetry, second language learners can find the Zulu learning journey to be far more memorable and far more insightful as well.
While children can learn considerably much from who you are other than just what you teach, you need to remember that as a native Zulu-speaking tutor you can share your Zulu traditions and values with those whom you teach. When teaching the Zulu language, it is not only about teaching the language itself but also about teaching about the culture and tradition associated with the people speaking the language. When learning IsiZulu, you are learning the language of one of the traditional African societies.
Tutors can work with their students to enable them to learn more about and to understand Zulu customs and rituals. An ideal poem to use when teaching young children about rituals and traditions from the IsiZulu culture is the rather lengthy but inspirational Shaka praise poem.
There are more or less three stanzas from this Zulu praise poem that speaks about Shaka, the Zulu king, who was able to defeat Dingiswayo, the head of the Zulu clan in 1818. This poem speaks about amazing power and energy and by teaching this particular poem in English and in IsiZulu to second language learners, you can teach learners about the power and energy that the Zulu tribes from the past valued.
Shaka Mandla kaNgome! (Mighty power) He crossed over and founded the Ntontela regiment, They said he would not found it and he founded it.
Extract from the praise poem about Shaka
Shaka is just one praise poem that you can rely on to learn more about Zulu tradition and the history behind the IsiZulu language. Listening to how words sound and the cadence that IsiZulu words make as they bounce off the tongue when reciting poetry can assist considerably.
Since auditory learners benefit much from listening to new words being spoken in the language, IsiZulu students who take better to the auditory learning approach may benefit from learning the language through listening to IsiZulu music and songs as well as through listening to various different praise poems.
Zulu instructors must take note of all the types of learners in their IsiZulu lessons and create lessons that cater to all learning styles. Zulu tutors will succeed if they not only concentrate on teaching words and phrases in the language, but also share traditional and cultural lessons as well.
Some More Praise Poems to Consider
The praise poem entitled Praises of King Mphande Zulu is also a great one to consider for beginner Zulu learners as it focuses on Mphande. Mphande is also called sire throughout the poem and is praised as Ukosi, the Black Mountain eagle, and later as Ingqungqulu, the tumbler eagle.
Both these comparisons or rather words of praise can be learnt by students and used in conversation when referring to great Zulu leaders like King Mphande from the past. In revisiting tales of leaders that were part of the Zulu legacy and by looking at the titles given to great leaders of the past, IsiZulu students can learn how valuable the Zulu language has come to be and the meaning it carries for all.
The good news is that the praise poem of Praise of King Mphande Zulu has an English and Zulu version. This is excellent, as home language English speakers can rely on the English version and translate the Zulu praise poem accordingly. In turn, English language learners can acquire new Zulu vocabulary for the words that they already understand in the English language.
In a study conducted on imagery in traditional and modern praise poetry in the United Kingdom, it was found that imagery assists learners to realise and understand more about an object and in doing so, they help learners to visualise an object, hear what is being said, feel, smell, taste and sense. An example expanded on in this work of literature is the praise poem where Dingane gets described.
"Indiha ebabayo enjengsibhaha, Sona sibaba kuMahashanga"
"A plant that is bitter is isibhaha. Its bitterness is upon Mahashanga."
The comparisons also assists to build the learner's overall language skills as learners should be able to compare people to objects, animals, or shapes that symbolise their strengths, weaknesses, and potential.
When looking at IsiZulu praise poetry, you are also teaching your kids about some key poetry terms that are essential in all languages:
| Poetry feature | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Symbol | Objects known to stand for fixed concepts. |
| Metaphor | A direct comparison where one thing is compared to something else. |
| Simile | An indirect comparison where one thing is compared to something else using "like" or "as". |
| Personification | Giving human qualities to inanimate objects. |
| Metonymy | An image by which one substitutes the cause for the effect, or the effect of the cause. |
| Synecdoche | An image in which a part of an object is used to symbolise a whole. |
By learning about the different figures of speech in the language, you are also expanding your knowledge of figures of speech in the English language as well. There is a variety of praise poems that you can use to explore important figures of speech even further.
transcribed izibongo praise poems
However, there could be many more praise poems since African praise poetry was constantly evolving
Benefits of Roping in a Private Zulu Teacher
Anthony Trevor Cope was a professor at the University of Natal who translated izibongo that were collected by James Stuart. What a great resource for Zulu teachers who want to use praise poems and other devices like traditional stories during IsiZulu lessons!
Exploring praise poetry is a great way to develop your interest in the Zulu language and who better to guide you than a Zulu tutor. On the Superprof site, you can find a private Zulu teachers offering lessons at relatively reasonable prices. You have the option to take private face-to-face lessons as well as private online classes too.
From poems in Zulu to Zulu related diction, the right Zulu teacher will work with you to get you to understand the language more. When you revisit the culture and traditions behind the language, and when you learn how to speak the language properly and fluently, you will become more confident and interested in the language. Within just a few lessons with the right Zulu teacher, you will be able to recite a Zulu praise poem with confidence and in a clear way.
Make sure that Zulu becomes your cup of tea with the help of the right Zulu tutor who will make lessons as meaningful as they are beneficial.
The right Zulu teacher will be able to explore all art forms related to the South African language. In remembering Zulu kings from the past and exploring their positive qualities, we learn the right adjectives to use when speaking Zulu. From adjectives to figures of speech, learning Zulu will become far more interesting if you have the right help by your side.
So take your first Zulu lesson, and if you are not quite ready yet, perhaps read your first Zulu praise poem and see if you become interested in lessons because of the poem.
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