Samuel Edward Krune Mqhayi (1875-1945) was the most prominent South
African imbongi of his day, a Xhosa oral poet who declaimed his
impromptu poetry on occasions of significance to his people. The author
of numerous works of poetry, fiction and non-fiction, biography,
autobiography, and translation, Mqhayi's contributions to Xhosa-language
newspapers remains unparalleled in scope and volume. This book reclaims
and assembles a chronological sequence of Mqhayi's occasional poems, for
the most part now unknown. Sixty poems celebrate significant events in
the calendar, on occasions of national or international importance. They
constitute Iziganeko zesizwe, a chronicle of the nation, between 1900
and 1943: poetic responses to events from the perspective of the
greatest figure in Xhosa literature. Wars feature prominently in these
occasional poems-the Boer War, the First World War, the invasion of
Abyssinia, and the Second World War-as do political deputations to
England, visits from British princes and the death of British kings, the
appearance of Halley's Comet, and meetings with Ministers of State.
Running through the collection is Mqhayi's proud and fierce
determination to maintain an identity rooted in custom and history in
the face of territorial dispossession, the loss of title deeds and the
vote, and the steady erosion of human rights. Throughout these years,
Mqhayi remained constant in offering praise and encouragement to his
people, in celebrating their achievements, and in expressing Christian
consolation and an unflinching faith in the future liberation of South
Africa's black population from foreign control. (Series: Publications of
the Opland Collection of Xhosa Literature, Vol. 4) [Subject: African
Studies, Poetry]
