An analysis of contemporary IsiZulu performance poetry.

Abstract

Poetry is the most basic and profuse form of emotive expression in Africa. The African manifests feelings through an outburst of song or poem when he loves and when he hates, when he works and when he plays, when he is in peace and when he fights, when the child is born and when death takes its toll. Poetry should be understood as a part of ongoing sets of aesthetic traditions, acts of distinction, and values. These are recognizable genres of expression (in either the ways they actively align, reject, or refigure received traditions of use).This study is an analysis of thematic distribution and poetic features in isiZulu performance poetry and also seeks to explore its socio-linguistic impact in the society. An ethnographic methodological approach was employed in this study. Data collection involved use of interviews, voice recordings and observations of the performance sessions. This is informed by two complimentary theories that served as the theoretical framework. Firstly Bourne (2001) and Tolstoy’s (2001) expressive theory of arts was used as a background theory to provide benchmarks to the understanding of the main aim and appreciation of performance poetry. Secondly, the study used Hyme’s (1981) ethnopoetic theory, where ethnopoetics is concerned with composition in the course of performance. Ethnopoetics is the study of the ways that narratives are structured into “lines” and are thus poetic (Hymes, 1981). The findings demonstrate that most of the poems studied in this research dwelt much on the theme of love but without necessarily ignoring other issues such as women and child abuse, corruption and many other social ills. The researcher also discovered that isiZulu contemporary poetry employs unique linguistic elements in its expression of the diverse thematic issues. Code-mixing or code-switching and borrowing seem to be getting more attention in the composition of performance poems. = Izinkondlo e-Afrika ziyinto elula kakhulu neyindlela ejulile yokuveza imizwa. Abantu abangama-Afrika bakhombisa imizwa ngengoma noma ngenkondlo uma bethanda, bezonda, besebenza noma bedlala, uma benokuthula noma belwa, uma kuzelwe ingane noma kuvele isifo. Kumina izinkondlo zibukeka ziyizixazululo eziwusizo, ezingabukwa njengezingxenye zezinhlanganisela zobuhle besiko, izindlela zokuhlukanisa namazingakuphila. Lezi izinhlobo ezivamile zokuveza imizwa (okungaba izindlela abazihlanganisa ngokunamandla, bazinqabe, noma baphinde bazibhekisise izindlela ezitholakele zokusebenza). Lolu cwaningo luhlaziya izinkondlo zesiZulu ezihaywa bukhoma zesimanje. Lolu cwaningo luhlose ukubuyekeza ukwabiwa kwezindikimba zezinkondlo zesiZulu ezihaywa bukhoma. Okwesibili, ukuhlaziya izici noma iminxa zobunkondlo emkhakheni omusha wezinkondlo zesiZulu, bese luphetha ngokuphenya umthelela walo mkhakha omusha wezinkondlo sesiZulu emphakathini. Kulolu cwaningo kusetshenziswe ikhwalithethivu egxile empilweni yabantu namasiko abo (ethnographic methodological approach) njengendlela yokuqhuba ucwaningo. Ukuqoqwa kolwazi kubandakanya, izingxoxo, amazwi aqoshiwe kanye nokuhlaziywa kokwenzeka kwezinto zinjengoba zinjalo. Lokhu kusekelwa izinjulalwazi ezimbili ezihambisanayo njengesisekelo socwaningo. Okokuqala, injulalwazi yokuzwakalisa imizwa yobuciko (expressive theory of arts), eyethulwa nguBourne (2001) noTolstoy (2001) njengomgogodla oyisizinda sokwazi inhlosongqangi yezinkondlo nokuhaywa kwezinkondlo zeshashalazi. Okwesibili, injulalwazi eqopha imibhalo wezinkondlo ezihaywa ngomlomo (ethnopoetic theory) kaHyme (1981), lapho le njulalwazi egxile esakhiweni senkondlo ngenkathi yenziwa. I-ethnopoetic iyisifundo sezindlela zokuhlela okudluliswayo kube imisho kanye nobunkondlo (Hymes, 1981). Ulwazi olutholakele luveza ukuthi izinkondlo eziningi ezikulolu cwaningo zigxile kakhulu endikimbeni yothando. Ngale kwalokho, kongoti bezinkondlo, osonkondlo noma izimbongi babuka uthando njengengxenye yempilo ehlukile kodwa kuya ngendlela imbongi ngayinye eqonda ngayo izindaba zothando. Umcwaningi uphinde wathola ukuthi izinkondlo zesimanje zisebenzisa izingxenye zolimi lapho ziveza okuthile ezindikimbeni ezahlukahlukene. Ukuxutshwa kolimi nokuboleka kwezinye izilimi kudla umhlanganiso uma kukhiqizwa izinkondlo zeshashalazi.