Young poets Akhona Mafani and Esethu Siyolo were thrilled to have the opportunity to honour King Zwelonke Mpendulo C “Aaah Zwelonke” Sigcawu during his visit to Grahamstown on Wednesday 9 November.
Young poets Akhona Mafani and Esethu Siyolo were thrilled to have the opportunity to honour King Zwelonke Mpendulo C “Aaah Zwelonke” Sigcawu during his visit to Grahamstown on Wednesday 9 November.
Mafani, who is studying computer courses at the Eastern Cape Academy of Technology, and Siyolo, who is in Grade 10 at Nathaniel Nyaluza Secondary School, both live in Vukani, are both active poets, and both greatly admire the amaXhosa king greatly.
At the opening of two exhibitions at the Albany History Museum, The amaXhosa Kingdom, and The Landscapes of the Eastern Cape, they performed their praise poems for the king, directly after his own official imbongi introduced King Aaah Zwelonke to a VIP audience at the Museum on Wednesday.
Praise poet Akhona “Bhodlingqaka” Mafani was born and grew up in Grahamstown “on the dusty streets of Vukani”.
“This has been a great event,” he said at the VIP event on Wednesday night.
“I’m seeing the king for the first time in my life. I’ve seen him on TV and stuff – so the fact that I was given the chance to praise him, as young as I am − I’m so happy.”
Esethu “Gxobhinzolo” Siyolo was born in Cape Town and grew up in Grahamstown.
“It’s a pleasure to praise a well-known king − the king of us, the Xhosa people,” Siyolo said. “It was so special because it was my first time to praise a king. It’s given me encouragement to keep on doing what I’m doing. I think it’s going to get me to big places − maybe, somehow…”
In a programme that began with a reception at the City Hall by the Mayor, Nomhle Gaga, in the morning and ended with music, poetry and refreshments well into the evening, the Albany Museum, in conjunction with the Department of Sport, Recreation, and Arts and Culture and Makana Municipality, hosted the king and his entourage.
The occasion was the opening of the amaXhosa Kingdom exhibition at the Albany History Museum, along with the Landscapes of the Eastern Cape exhibition, jointly by the king and the mayor.
Linda Dyani, marketing and communications office at the museum said the exhibition formed part of a series of Transformation Agenda Exhibitions of the museum.
“It will be carried out in three phases,” Dyani said in a media release.
"The first phase profiles the king, his coronation, family tree, and his tenure of leadership. The second phase will deal with historical information and references of the past and present. The third phase will be in the form of painted or sculptured information and photos on stained glass.”
King Zwelonke Mpendulo C “Aaah Zwelonke” Sigcawu is the current reigning monarch of the greater nation of amaXhosa speaking people of South Africa.
He is the 22nd monarch, 10th in the lineage of amaGcaleka from King Phalo Great House.
“He was crowned on 15 May 2015 by President Jacob Zuma. His coronation is the first after the dawn of democracy in South Africa,” Dyani explained.
Wednesday night was a celebration of local culture, as along with the imbongi were traditional dancers, as well as a performance by Grahamstown tenor S’bu Mhkize.
VIPs included a delegation from Saxony, Germany, which is in a twinning relationship with Makana Municipality.
• To hear the two young Grahamstown poets, as well as the king’s official imbongi in action on Wednesday night, watch:
To view the exhibitions, The amaXhosa Kingdom, and The Landscapes of the Eastern Cape, visit the Albany History Museum Monday to Friday, 9am to 4.30pm.
