Page 30 - Research & Innovation Report 2020

HUMANITIES

In the foreward, the students write that the poems seek to can be part of the school curriculum and believes that it can go a
demonstrate the “difficult times” the country finds itself in and also long way in motivating isiXhosa speaking learners to take pride
the conditions under which some people are living. It reads: in their language, especially on learning that the book has been
produced by university students.
“Izinto ekubongwa ngazo zizinto esiphila nazo nezinto
ezithe zavela zantsha ezimpilweni zethu. Lonto ithe “I am also going to write an article about COVID-19, taken from
yavusa umnyele kuthi babhali asakwazi ukuthula those poems, because it is not only one poem that is about the
sagxeka, sancoma ezo zinto zithe zashiya amehlo ethu. pandemic, it is more than five of them. So, I will be able to extract
Le mibongo ibhalwe ngenjongo yokufundisa uluntu ideas from this poem, from that poem and that poem and come
nokuzama ukugcina ulwimi lwenkobe luhlale luhleli. up with a fully fledged article that can be published in an academic
journal,” she says.
(These poems are based on things that we are living
with and things that are new in our lives. Those things Dr Kwatsha says she has been getting emails from other students
invoked something in us as writers and we could at the University wanting to know how they can get their work
not keep quiet, we criticised and praised the things published. These are students who are not studying isiXhosa but
that shocked us. We have written these poems to can write and have an interest in having their work published.
educate people and to also keep our indigenous Because of these enquiries, she plans to extend the next project to
language alive).” the entire university community to afford everyone the opportunity
to write and be published.
Dr Kwatsha says that what also impressed her about the poems was
that all the students have a unique and authentic voice. “Several “isiXhosa cannot be allowed to die,” says Dr Kwatsha. She believes
students wrote poems about the coronavirus, and yet the voices the language can be elevated from school level by having learners
are different. They approach the same thing but in a different way. compete in storytelling, debate and writing poems. “It is so sad
And then the choice of words, the choice of figurative speech to that we have to work hard for the recognition of isiXhosa but if
show some elements about COVID-19 – you find that they show needs be we have to make sure that our writers don’t write books
the same thing but using different symbols. It makes for such a that end up collecting dust on shelves because no-one is buying
beautiful read.” them,” she concludes.

Dr Kwatsha says the book is “powerful” and that it can be used at The book sells for R220 and those wanting to purchase a
any level. For example, she is using it in her honours class, where copy can contact Ncedo Nikelo, one of the authors, on
students are analysing the poems. She also hopes that the book s2200099015@mandela.ac.za

“It is so sad that we have to work hard for the
recognition of isiXhosa but if needs be we

have to make sure that our writers don’t write

books that end up collecting dust on shelves

because no-one is buying them.”

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