An imbongi (plural ''iimbongi''), or a Xhosa praise poet, is a member of the

Xhosa Xhosa may refer to: * Xhosa people, a nation, and ethnic group, who live in south-central and southeasterly region of South Africa * Xhosa language, one of the 11 official languages of South Africa, principally spoken by the Xhosa people See als ...

community who performs ceremonial activities at important events. An imbongi is traditionally a male who recites emotive poetry, sings, explains family relationships, re-tells historical events and comments on current affairs.

History

The earliest written record of iimbongi was made by

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

missionary James Whitworth. Whitworth noted in his 6 April 1825 journal entry while visiting

Gcaleka The Gcaleka House is the Great house of the Xhosa people, Xhosa Kingdom in what is now the Eastern Cape. Its royal palace is in the former Transkei and its counterpart in the former Ciskei is the Rharhabe, which is the right hand house of Phalo. ...

king Hintsa: "At sunset, a man proclaimed aloud the transactions of the day, which seems to be the usual custom, ending with 'Our Captain is a great Captain. When the white men came to see him, he received them kindly and gave them an ox to eat'." The imbongi draws poetic inspiration from his

ancestors An ancestor, also known as a forefather, fore-elder, or a forebear, is a parent or ( recursively) the parent of an antecedent (i.e., a grandparent, great-grandparent, great-great-grandparent and so forth). ''Ancestor'' is "any person from w ...

when appropriate. When praising a chief, his poetry includes references to the praise names of the chief and the chief's ancestors. In this way the imbongi seeks to garner favor from

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ancestors for the prosperity of his nation. During the

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era in

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, a now discarded type of imbongi emerged. Unlike 'home' iimbongi, the mine imbongi had no special social standing because their activities were largely informal and unofficial. They helped to reinforce mine rules, and generally discouraged violence, crime, and excessive materialism. Iimbongi help to maintain social harmony by reinforcing accepted norms and Zulu cultural traditions. The South African government incorporated the imbongi into official national events. In 2015, 74-year-old Kgato Masemola became the first female praise singer to be given the honor of heralding the arrival of a President to Parliament. She also serves as Kgoshigadi (queen) Mogoshadi Marishane's official praise poet.

Purpose

An imbongi is often a member of the welcoming party on royal visits, and as such, is referred to as "the poet who walks before any great chief". An imbongi claims to be able to summon the presence of departed ancestors and facilitate communication between them and the living. It is believed that they imbue their poetry with power by invoking the names of departed ancestors. Ceremonial praises of an imbongi are used to ensure the beneficent attention of royal ancestors to the king and to his kingdom. The Xhosa imbongi is not an entertainer, nor is he limited to just performing poetry for the royal family. The imbongi is permitted to criticize communities, use suggestive language, and make outrageous statements that are normally regarded as unacceptable for the average Xhosa man. It is considered shameful to kill an imbongi in battle, even if he actively aggravates soldiers.

Characteristics

The imbongi's performance style is generally aggressive and intimidating, and may include brandishing

spears A spear is a polearm consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to t ...

or fighting sticks and occasionally hurling them into the ground to agitate the ancestors. Imbongi performances can often be cryptic, referring to circumstances or qualities in abstracted,

allusive Allusion, or alluding, is a figure of speech that makes a reference to someone or something by name (a person, object, location, etc.) without explaining how it relates to the given context, so that the audience must realize the connection in the ...

metaphors. They are comparable to the

court jester A jester, also known as joker, court jester, or fool, was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch kept to entertain guests at the royal court. Jesters were also travelling performers who entertained common folk at fairs and town ma ...

in European

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

. As an important aspect of Xhosan political ritual, the imbongi on occasion deliberately bewilders his audience by making outrageous claims or using obscene language. The Xhosa imbongi is often a member of the royal

entourage An entourage () is an informal group or band of people who are closely associated with a (usually) famous, notorious, or otherwise notable individual. The word can also refer to: Arts and entertainment * L'entourage, French hip hop / rap collecti ...

. On significant public occasions, he recites poetry in praise of the chief, referring to the chief's lineage, qualities, and actions. The imbongi may include relevant social or political commentary. Outside of his royal duties, an imbongi performs for his community on a regular basis. Although the majority of iimbongi are male, women and children may take on the role. Only men, however, dress in the traditional garments of an imbongi during ceremonial occasions.

National role

The primary consideration made when selecting a praise poet for the president's address is to rotate between languages to give each of South Africa's indigenous cultures fair representation. Parliamentary presiding officers ultimately decide who will receive the honor. Zolani Mkiva JCB Kirsch

References

Sources

External links

Xhosa Poetry
* *{{Citation, last=The WDB Trust, title=Poet Jessica Mbangeni, url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcZS3p5N5Gg, access-date=2019-01-26 South African poets Xhosa culture Xhosa people Oral poets