Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Laudatory poetry'

The performance of Xhosa mbongis (no correct English equivalent is available for the Xhosa bard / praise singer) is an interesting art form presentation by some individuals found in the Xhosa community. What is of interest is the fact that such artists are known to be the voices of their communities, heralding socio-cultural and historical norms and achievements. In the olden days, such figures were commonly found in the royal circles of headmen, chiefs and kings. Nowadays, urbanization has brought them into the township where they are gradually assuming different roles of not only focusing on the royal houses, but also in all community leaders as well as non-leaders of the community. Initially they used to earn their reputation through the kings or councils stages / platforms, but these days they also acquire such reputation through media and in any socio-political gatherings. They used to win awards and presents while nowadays they charge appearance fees. It is being changed into a profession albeit without any sort of academic accreditation. In the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan township, a number of such mbongis have mushroomed much against the likings of some purists cultural practitioners. The purists accuse them of being drunk with greed. Perhaps the accusation is justified and perhaps not. What is most notable is the fact that mbongis recite whenever they are asked to do so, something which is not acceptable to purists who believe that an imbongi is called forth to perform when the spirits instruct him or her to stand up and bonga. Whatever the case may be, many of such mbongis appear mostly in funerals, of known and unknown figures and so to many people, they make mockery of such a solemn talent. It is against this background that the researcher felt the need to look into this literary art-form as being presently performed by a township imbongi. The first chapter will deal with introduction, aim of study and method of research. The second chapter will provide a review of oral poetry and a poet in Xhosa writings, the nature of traditional imbongi his or her role in traditional and modern society. The third chapter will give the analysis of content, form and style of two recited poems by two different imbongis. The fourth chapter will provide a brief conclusion on how we view modern traditional imbongis and oral poetry

This thesis outlines the changing role of the Xhosa imbongi in contemporary South African society. The changing socio-economic and political scenario in South Africa, and the way in which the imbongi is adapting in order to accommodate new pressures created by these changes, form an integral part of this thesis. The effects of education and increasing literacy on the tradition are outlined. The interaction between oral and written forms is explored in chapter 2. The role of the imbongi within the religious sphere is included in chapter 3. Xhosa preachers within the independent churches often make use of the styles and techniques associated with oral poetry. Iimbongi who are not necessarily preachers also operate within this context. The relationship between the Congress of South African Trade Unions, the African National Congress and iimbongi has also been researched and forms part of chapters 4, 5, and the epilogue. The modern imbongi is drawn towards powerful organisations offering alternative leadership to many of the traditional chiefs. In the epilogue collected poetry is analysed in the context of Mandela's visit to Transkei in April 1990. Interviews have been conducted with chiefs, iimbongi attached to chiefs as well as those attached to different organisations. Poetry has been collected and analysed. In chapter 5, three case studies of modern iimbongi are included. The problems facing these iimbongi in their different contexts, as well as the power bases from which they draw, are outlined. Finally, an alternative definition of the imbongi is offered in the conclusion

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Folklore and Ethnomusicology, 2008.
Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Oct. 6, 2009). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-02, Section: A, page: 0649. Advisers: John H. McDowell; Hasan M. El-Shamy.

This study investigates the use of modern and izibongo (praise poetry) techniques in representing women in selected isiXhosa poems. The main interest of the study is to determine whether the same techniques to depict men are used when writing about women. It is also the interest of the study to ascertain how gender issues are dealt with in the selected poems. Seminal studies on izibongo by eminent scholars in this field show a serious lack of critique and little recognition of women in African languages’ poetry in general and in isiXhosa in particular. Pioneering studies in Nguni poetry about women have thus recommended that serious studies on poetry about women be undertaken. The analyses of selected poems by established isiXhosa poets show that modern poetry conventions are significantly used together with izibongo techniques. These techniques are used without any gender differentiation, which is another point of interest of this study. There are however instances where images specific to women are used. Such use has however not been found to be demeaning of women in any way. Poems where modern poetry forms and conventions are used tend to deal with subjects who have international or an urban area background. Even though the modern poetry conventions are used with izibongo techniques the presence of the modern literary conventions is prominent. This is the case particularly with poems about women in politics. That some female poet seems to accept some cultural practices that are viewed to be undermining the status of women does not take away the voice of protest against this oppression by some of the selected poets. These two voices, one of acceptance and the other one of protest are used as a basis for a debate around a need for a literary theory that addresses the question of African culture with special reference to isiXhosa poetry about women. The success of the selected poets with both modern and izibongo techniques is a good sign for the development of isiXhosa poetry in general and isiXhosa poetry about women. It is strongly recommended that continued research of a serious nature concerning poetry about, and produced by women, be undertaken.

This thesis aims at defining the argumentative terms and strategies of the rhetoric of praise in printed collected eulogies of women of the first half of the XVIth Century, both in collections of famous women (which celebrate exceptional feminine figures) and apologies of the female sex (which defend womankind through praise). The inquiry starts with the first French printed translation of Boccaccio's De mulieribus claris, entitled De la louenge et vertu des nobles et cleres dames (1493), and ends with the Fort inexpugnable de l'honneur du sexe foeminin (1555) by Francois de Billon, who provides the first historic panorama of the encomiastic tradition. Its specificity lies in the combination of two types of collective eulogy, which up to now have been separately analyzed but which in fact deserve to be taken up in a single interpretative gesture. Our approach, that of rhetoric, is founded in composition manuals and treatises on ancient eloquence, as well as recent theory on argumentation. Unlike other studies which take the rhetorical approach, this thesis deals with a relatively short time span, about fifty years, which allows a reading of the texts in their historical and literary contexts. Through the vantage points of inventio and dispositio, this thesis shows how a discourse praising women collectively was built, at a time when women formed the crux of contradicting discourses and the centre of a topics that crystallized those tensions. Beyond this uncertain discursive situation, this thesis also claims to bring to light a neglected aspect of eulogy: its function as definition of object praised. It offers, therefore, a reflection on epideictic rhetoric from a perspective of the poetics of literary genre. This is seen as a space that is propitious to the exploration of ethical stakes, such as the valorization of individual feminine figures, the fashioning of the author's persona or the introduction of secondary objectives which bear new values.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2005
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study investigates the cosmological context of Pindar' s victory odes, and its importance for their encomiastic purpose. The introductory chapter deals with selected aspects of Pindaric scholarship in order to establish the usefulness of such an investigation. The first part of the study focuses on gnomai as a reflection of cosmological ideas. In Chapter 2 modem scholarship on the proverb and maxim, various ancient texts on gnomai and a number of references in Pindar are analysed in support of the contention that gnomai provide a legitimate basis for an overview of the cosmology revealed in Pindars poetry. The overview presented in Chapter 3 discusses three broad topics. The first concerns the elemental forces, fate, god and nature, the second deals with the human condition and the third considers man in society from the perspectives of the household and family relationships on the one hand and relationships outside the OtKOs on the other. The overview suggests that Pindar's work is founded on a mostly conventional outlook on man and his relationships with both extra-human powers and his fellow man. To complement the overview three epinikia, Olympian 12, Isthmian 4 and Olympian 13 are analysed in Chapter 4. They demonstrate how the complexity of an actual situation compels the poet to emphasise different aspects of the cosmology or even to suggest variations to accepted views. The analyses imply that presenting the cosmological context of a particular celebration in an appropriate way is part of the poet's task. This aspect is further investigated in Chapter 5, which looks at the role of the poet as mediator of cosmology. In some cases the poet demonstrates certain preferred attitudes which in tum presuppose particular cosmological convictions. In others this role involves changing the perspective on the circumstances or attributes of a victor or his family through a modification of cosmological principles. Different approaches to the same theme in different poems show the author Pindar shaping the narrator-poet to represent varying viewpoints in order to praise a specific victor in the manner most suitable to his wishes and circumstances. The fact that the poet's task includes situating the victory in its cosmological context means that the glorification of a victor includes presenting him as praiseworthy in terms of broader life issues, such as the role of the divine in human achievement, a man's attitude to success and his status in society. Pindar's use of cosmological themes in general speaks of pragmatism rather than conformity to and the consistent defense of a rigid framework of values. However, the prominence of cosmology in the odes and the sometimes very conspicuous role of the poet in communicating it also reveal Pindar's abiding interest in man and his position in the world
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek die kosmologiese konteks van Pindaros se oorwinningsodes, en die belangrikheid daarvan vir die gedigte as prysliedere. Die inleidende hoofstuk behandel geselekteerde aspekte van Pindaros-navorsing om die nut van so 'n ondersoek te bepaal. Die eerste deel van die studie fokus op gnomai as 'n bron van kosmologiese idees. In hoofstuk 2 word moderne navorsing oor spreekwoorde en wysheidspreuke, verskeie antieke tekste oor gnomai en 'n aantal verwysings in Pindaros se werk ontleed ter ondersteuning van die stand punt dat gnornai 'n redelike grondslag bied vir 'n oorsig van die kosmologie wat in Pindaros se digkuns na vore kom. Die oorsig aangebied in hoofstuk 3 bespreek drie bree onderwerpe, eerstens die fundamentele magte, die noodlot, god en die natuur, tweedens die menslike toestand en derdens die mens in die samelewing uit die hoek van die huishouding en familieverhoudings enersyds en verhoudings buite die OtKOs ; andersyds. Die oorsig dui aan dat Pindaros se werk gebaseer is op 'n hoofsaaklik konvensionele uitkyk op die mens en sy verhoudings met beide buite-menslike magte en sy medemens. Ter aanvulling van die oorsig word drie oorwinningsodes, Olimpiese Ode 12, lsmiese Ode 4 en Olimpiese Ode 13 in hoofstuk 4 ontleed. Die ontledings toon aan hoe die kompleksiteit van 'n gegewe situasie die digter verplig om verskillende aspekte van die kosmologie te beklemtoon of selfs afwykings van aanvaarde menings voor te stel. Die ontledings impliseer dat dit deel van die digter se taak is om die kosmologiese konteks van 'n spesifieke viering op die gepaste wyse aan te bied. Hierdie aspek word verder ondersoek in hoofstuk 5, waarin die rol van die digter as bemiddelaar van kosmologie bekyk word. In sommige gevalle demonstreer die digter sekere voorkeurhoudings wat op hulle beurt spesifieke kosmologiese oortuigings veronderstel. In ander gevalle behels hierdie rol die verandering van die perspektief op die omstandighede of eienskappe van 'n oorwinnaar of sy familie deur die modifisering van kosmologiese beginsels. Verskillende benaderings tot dieselfde tema in verskillende gedigte wys hoe die outeur Pindaros die vertellerdigter vorm om wisselende standpunte te verteenwoordig sodat 'n spesifieke wenner op die mees geskikte manier in ooreenstemming met sy wense en omstandighede geprys kan word. Die feit dat die digter se taak die plasing van die oorwinning in sy kosmologiese konteks insluit, beteken dat die verheerliking van 'n wenner insluit dat hy voorgestel word as lofwaardig kragtens breer lewenskwessies, soos byvoorbeeld die rol van die goddelike in menslike prestasie, 'n mens se houding tot sukses en sy status in die gemeenskap. Oor die algemeen spreek Pindaros se gebruik van kosmologiese temas van pragmatisme eerder as onderwerping aan en die volgehoue verdediging van 'n rigiede stel waardes. Die belangrikheid van kosmologie in die odes en die soms besonder opvallende rol van die digter in die kommunikasie daarvan openbaar egter ook Pindaros se blywende belangstelling in die mens en sy plek in die wereld.

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study examines the socio-cultural issues in the praise poems of three Xhosa chiefs, namely, Nkosi Whyte Lent Mbali Maqoma of the amaJingqi, Nkosi Doyle Mpuhle Jongilanga of Dushane of Ndlambe and Nkosi Sipho Mangindi Burns-Ncamashe of amaGwali of Tshiwo. What comes out clear in the poems of these chiefs is that they experienced power problems after and before 1994. Their poetry protests about these political influences and calls for the restoration of the dignity of the chieftancy. The socio-cultural aspects of the praise poems of each chief are devoted to a chapter: Nkosi Whyte Lent Mbali Maqoma in Chapter 2, Nkosi Doyle Mpuhle Jongilanga in Chapter 3, and Nkosi Sipho Mangindi Burns-Ncamashe in Chapter 4. Attention is paid to each chiefs genealogy, praise names, names of oxen because of traditional significance in the life of the chief, the chiefs mother, and place names which have historical importance in the life of the chief. As part of the theoretical framework of praise poetry, praise poetry theory is handled in Chapter 1 of the study. It is concluded in Chapter 5 that Xhosa paramount chiefs still play and will playa crucial socio-cultural role in their communities. They are not only concerned about being custodians of culture but also with the development of their nations.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek sosio-kulturele vraagstukke in die prysgedigte van drie Xhosa opperhoofde, naamlik opperhoof Whyte Lent Mbali Maqoma van die amaJingqi, opperhoof Doyle Mpuhle Jongilanga van die Dushane groep van die Ndlambe en opperhoof Sipho Mangindi Burns-Ncamashe van die amaGwali groep van die Tshiwo. Die beeld wat na vore kom na aanleiding van 'n analise van die opperhoofde se prysgedigte dat hulle 'n magsprobleem ondervind het sowel voor as na 1994. Deur hulle poesie teken hulle protes aan oor bepaalde politieke invloede en hulle doen 'n beroep daarop dat die waardigheid van die hoofmanskap herstel word. Die sosio-kulturele vraagstukke wat na vore kom in die prysgedigte van elke opperhoof word behandel in individuele hoofstukke. Hoofstuk 2 ondersoek die prysgedigte van opperhoof Whyte Lent Mbali Maqoma, Hoofstuk 3 die prysgedigte van opperhoof Doyle Mpuhle Jongilanga, en Hoofstuk 4, die prysgedigte van opperhoof Sipho Mangindi Burns- Ncamashe. Aandag word gegee aan die genealogie van elke opperhoof, prysgroetvorme, die name van beeste, op grond van hulle tradisionele betekenis in die lewe van 'n hoofman, die opperhoof se moeder, asook plekname wat 'n historiese belang het in die lewe van die opperhoof. As deel van die teoretiese raamwerk vir die studie word die teorie van die prysgedig behandel in Hoofstuk 1. Hoofstuk 5 gee 'n samevatting van die belangrikste aspekte van die studie en motiveer die gevolgtrekking dat opperhoofde steeds 'n essenstele sosio-kulturele rol speel en ook in die toekoms sal speel in hulle gemeenskappe. Hulle is nie slegs die bewakers van die kultuurwaardes van hulle gemeenskappe nie, maar is ook fundamenteel betrokke by die ontwikkeling van hulle gemeenskappe.
ISISHWANKATHELO Olu luphando ngemiba yentlalo nenkcubeko kwizibongo zeenkosi zamaXhosa ezintathu, uNkosi uWhyte Lent Mbali Maqoma wamaJingqi, uNkosi uDoyle Mpuhle Jongilanga wemiDushane kaNdlambe noNkosi uSipho Mangindi Burns-Ncamashe wamaGwali kaTshiwo. Into evela ngokucacileyo kwizibongo ezingezi nkosi kukuba ngaphambili komnyaka we-1994 nasemva kwawo zifumene ubunzima ekulawuleni abantu bazo. Kwezi zibongo ukukhalaza ngokuphazamisa kwezopolithiko kulawulo Iwazo nelizwi lokubuyiselwa kwesidima sobukhosi kuvela ngokuthe gca. Iveliswa kwisahluko ngasinye imiba ephathelele kwezentlalo nenkcubeko evela kwizibongo zenkosi nganye: uNkosi Whyte Lent Mbali Maqoma kwisahluko 2, uNkosi Doyle Mpuhle Jongilanga kwisahluko 3, noNkosi uSipho Mangindi Burns-Ncamashe kwisahluko 4. Kuqwalaselwe umlibo wenkosi nganye, izikhahlelo zayo, amagama eenkomo ezinentsingiselo kwinkosi leyo, unina wenkosi namagama eendawo ezinentsingiselo kubomi benkosi nganye. Isikhokhelo esiyithiyori yezibongo sinikwe kwisahluko 1 solu phando. Kwisahluko 5 kuphethwa ngokuba iinkosi zamaXhosa zisenenxaxheba enkulu kwaye zisaya kuhlala zinayo kwimiba yentlalo nenkcubeko yabantu bazo. Aziphelelanga nje ekubeni zigcine inkcubeko yoluntu koko zikwanoxanduva lokunyusa umgangatho wobomi babantu bazo.

A dissertation submitted in fulfillment for the requirements of the Degree of Master of Arts in the Department of African Languages at the University of Zululand, 2001.
An investigation into Zulu poetry.

D.Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)
The aim of this thesis is to examine praise poetry in Xitsonga (Tsonga) and other related aspects of verbal art. Praise poetry in Xitsonga (Tsonga) covers a very wide field of study as in other South African languages and seven chapters are devoted thereto in this study. In Chapter 1 an overview is given of the aim of the research. A comparative overview of praise poetry in ether African languages is also given. Chapter 2 deals with approaches and the methodology of the research and other topics. The performance approach and other complementary approaches are included. Chapter 3 is devoted to verbal art in general. The purpose of this chapter is to make one aware that praise poetry is a branch of verbal art. A few examples are analysed. Chapter 4 discusses praise poetry In Xitsonga in detail in socio-political, educational, socio-cultural, religious communication and economic contexts. Finally, mass media communication is discussed, for example, boast praise poetry by radio announcers and regular callers. Chapter 5 concentrates on the textual features of praise poetry in Xitsonga. This chapter aims to investigate some of the literary features and other linguistic or stylistic features, to indicate that they are also found in Xitsonga. Chapter 7 is the conclusion of the study, where the findings are summarised briefly.

M.A.
This is a survey of the use of imagery in both traditional and modern Zulu praise poetry. For the purposes of this corpus, emphasis will be placed on izibongo (praise poems) of the Zulu kings, chiefs, prominent figures, and also minor characters. The following are the main figures of speech which are worth mentioning in this study: metaphor, personification, symbolism, metonymy, simile, and hyperbole. The definitions of the aforementioned images by various critics will be given in this chapter. The study does not involve a stylistic analysis of izibongo as a whole; its primary focus is to assess the utilization of certain animals, objects and natural phenomena, as the basis of metaphors. In this study, I will confine myself to two texts. These are IZIBONGO ZULU PRAISE-POEMS, by T. Cope and MUSHO! ZULU POPULAR PRAISES, edited by L. Gunner and M. Gwala. The former contains mostly traditional praise poems of kings, chiefs, headmen, and two promiment women: Mnkabayi kalama and Nandi kaMbengi; the latter consists of izibongo of political figures and of anyone who was deemed praise-worthy. In recent years political leaders have become very prominent. Gunner and Gwala (1991: 11) acknowledge this when they state that, "the freed leaders will be honoured like kings ... and one of the country's most gifted izimbongi (praisers) wants to make sure the released men hear the story of the people's suffering". Often, at political gatherings, where leaders of the different parties are present, praises are recited which are fit for kings. Take the case of the inauguration of Dr Nelson Mandela, where one witnessed the presence of two izimbongi, who were reciting the praises of Mandela. Images of fierce battles and heroism dominate traditional praises, while images of nostalgia and the verbal war characterise modern praises. Most of the images used however, imitate those used in the praises of traditional kings. There are also the izibongo of the ancestors. Such praises are related to clan praises. These are rich in images, for imagery is the essence of poetry: URadebe! uMthimkhulu! uBhungane! uMashwabada Owashwabadela inkomo nezimpondo! UMafuza afulele njengefu lemvula! (Mzolo, 1977: 190) (Radebe! Mthimkhulu! Bhungane! Mashwabada Swallower of a cow and its horns! The stripper and thatcher just like a cloud of rain!) For the purpose of this study however, only the praises of kings, chiefs, political . leaders, prominent figures, and other people in traditional and modern poetry in Zulu will be examined. As mentioned earlier, the figures of speech employed in traditional praises are characterised by images of battle prowess, especially during the Shakan era. In contrast, in modern praise poetry, there is a shift from the idea of physical war. The modern praises do recount deeds performed in the heat of battle, but only as a sentimental memory of things in the past. To a large extent the imbongi incorporates the praises of the praised one's predecessors. Albert Luthuli's izibongo are a case in point: U-u-uDlungwane kaNdaba Odlung' emanxulumeni kwaze kwasa arnanxuluma ebikelana (Gunner and Gwala, 1991: 81.) (Fe-e-erocious One, of Ndaba Who raged among the crowded kraals until dawn and the news spread through the large villages.) Thus Luthuli and Shaka share similar praises; Shaka is: UDlungwane kaNdaba! UDlungwane womBelebele, Odlung' emanxulumeni, Kwaze kwas' amanxulum' esibikelana (Nyembezi, 1958: 19.) (Ferocious one of Ndaba, Ferocious one of the Mbelebele brigade, Who raged among the crowded kraals, until dawn the huts were being turned upside-down.) King Shaka and Chief Luthuli are both known for their heroic actions, hence they share the same praises. The absorption of part of Shaka's izibongo in Luthuli's praises shows that Luthuli like Shaka, was striving to unify various nations. Like King Shaka, he died before he could complete this mission. This corpus has been broken down into five chapters so that one can look more fully at images. Chapter one focuses on the aims and scope of the study. The definitions of the images are given and other related concepts are discussed. Chapter two is concerned with the metaphor, while chapter three focuses on the simile. Chapter four discusses personification, symbolism, and hyperbole, which are dealt with concurrently. Chapter five compares the use of imagery in traditional and modern praise poetry in Zulu and features a general conclusion which states the significance of the study, restates the main idea, unifies the discussion and impresses the main points discussed in the preceding chapters.

M.A. (African Languages)
This research is based primarily on the praise poems of the Bafokeng of Phokeng, and their history. Achievements of the tribe as well as their downfall from the previous Chiefs to the present Chief are documented. The study is divided into five chapters. The first chapter looks at the aim of the study, which is preservation of the history of Bafokeng and their praise poems, both heroic and clan poems. The second chapter is a brief outline of the history of the Bafokeng tribe, their heroic as well as their clan poems. The historical backgrounds of these poems are also outlined, as are performances at different occasions. The third chapter focuses on the divining bones, the actual divination and praises of divining bones as performed by witchdoctors of Phokeng upon consultation. The fourth chapter presents the structural features of these poems e.g. language, repetition, rhythm, eulogues etc. The final chapter of this study looks at the experiences during the time of research, as well as discoveries and recommendations.

D.Litt. et Phil.
Approaches to folklore/oral forms have evolved from an interest in things (texts are included here) to an interest in process, of which performance studies is a prime example. A performance orientation seeks to restore an activity (or a text as part of an activity) to its proper place - not as an extracted, reified entity, but as discourse created by performers in particular circumstances. These circumstances, or context, are detail-rich and have influences on a text, and, in turn, a text is a detail that influences other aspects of the total performance. These theoretical issues are dealt with in chapter I. Ndebele praise poetry manifests itself in many situations as it forms part of a larger oral culture, as can be seen in many regular and ad hoc Ndebele ceremonies. The extent of the oral culture is illustrated in chapter 2. Gunner and Gwala (1991: 7) have remarked that praise poetry 'has been and still is extremely open to appropriation by those who had or wished to have access to political power and influence'. This was particularly evident in the way praise poetry was performed during 1988 at political campaigns. This year was part of the period of political unrest in Ndebele history which started in 1985 when central government announced that Moutse would be incorporated into the former Kw'aNdebele and that KwaNdebele would become independent on 11 December 1986. At the 6 political meetings, during which the anti-independent royalists campaigned against independence, praise poetry was utilised extensively. This background is dealt with in chapter 3. At these meetings praise poetry functioned not only to amuse the crowd, but to introduce speakers, underscore their legitimacy and to lend authority to what speakers were saying. Needless to say, while some iimbongo were 'context ready', others were recontextualised to have something to say about the issues prevailing at the time. The praises that grew from contemporary circumstances were those of the `ama-radicals', as they were called, namely, the princes, sons of Mabhoko, the Ndzundza-Ndebele chief (Ingwenyama) at that time. The praises of Mabhoko himself were largely those of Mabhoko I, who lived between 1800 and 1865. But although these iimbongo originated at that time, they were highly relevant to the circumstances prevailing at the time so that the process of recontextualisation was quite natural. Contextual issues such as these are described in chapter 4. The value of the performance approach is that, while a text is seen as part of a process, it is also recognised as language on display, language presented for enjoyment and as a display of communicative competence. Bauman and Briggs (1990) refer to this process as entextualisation. Language as display, or artistic language use, is characterised by numerous devices. In the Ndebele praise poems the metaphor can be seen to be the privileged trope, occurring more frequently than any other device. Contemporary Ndebele praise poets operate at a time when orality is being replaced by literacy. Very often praise poets document their own poetry, thus allowing for others to learn these praises through the medium of the written word. How does this affect creativity? These issues are addressed in chapter 5. Jimbongo as instances of 'master creative discourse' are meant to influence listeners and achieve practical ends in a time when there are so many other contending types of discourse and means of communication. The study concludes by briefly considering the role of this oral art form in contemporary Ndebele society.

This thesis sets out to examine the role of the poems in Echo (a supplement to the Natal Witness) that were published between 1986 and 1994. I will be exploring these poems in the light of the political conflict that was taking place between Inkatha, on the one hand, and the United Democratic Front/Congress ofSouth African Trade Unions (UDF/COSATU), and later on the African National Congress (ANC), on the other. The introductory chapter will deal with the scope ofmy research. It will outline what it is that I will be researching and the direction of my research. I will also begin to introduce some of the key theoretical assumptions around izibongo (praise poetry) and some of its key definitions as a dominant tradition that influenced some of the Echo poets. Chapter Two will deal with the history of the Echo Poetry Corner itself. It looks at its early beginnings, who conceived the idea and why, and what the editorial policy of this page was. It will also shed some light on how complex issues, such as the originality and authenticity of the poems, were dealt with. The third chapter deals with the background to the political conflict in the Natal Midlands and in Pietermaritzburg in particular. It will be an analysis of violence, its origins and its interpretations, and will show how violence affected the people and the poets around Pietermaritzburg. In Chapter Four I will begin to critically analyse the poems, looking at various themes that were expressed in the poems. I will also define the role that these poems played in the political conflict, looking at whether they engaged with the reality of the time or tried to escape it. In conclusion, Chapter Five deals with my findings on the role that the Echo poems played during the political conflict. It will also address the issue of the role of the poet or poetry in a violent society. The positive role of poetry during war will also be dealt with.
Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2002.

In this thesis I argue that recently recorded izibongo must be read as literary texts that articulate responses to the multiple forces of constraint and possibility at the urban-rural interface. I argue that when scholars transcribe and translate performance texts they release them into new contexts of reception, and that the mediation processes involved in this recontextualisation become an important part of the way in which the texts make meaning for their new 'audiences'. As such, it is imperative that analysis of print-mediated izibongo should take into account both the performance text and context as well as the intervention of literate intermediaries in the creation of a print text. I argue for maintaining a dialectic between performance textuality, which shapes the text as it is recited to a participating audience, and the textuality of transcription. We have thus to keep in mind at least two sets of receivers - those present at, and part of, the construction of the praise poem in performance, and the literate receiver, reading from a new moment and, often, a different social and cultural space. I argue that the scholar in English Studies has an important contribution to make to the recording and the study of izibongo as literary and performance texts. S/he must devise ways in which processes of translation and transcription can more adequately and creatively insist on performance textuality. The English Studies scholar must also read and write about izibongo as texts that have complex meanings and that speak to their changing contexts of reception. Such analysis necessitates attention to individual texts and requires of the critic a willingness to revise her/his learned ways of reading. There is a need in oral literary studies to challenge print-influenced academic discourses in order to make these theories more receptive to the actual ways in which many people make sense of their lives through creative expression. In this thesis I consider the ways in which contemporary postcolonial and poststructural theory might more adequately listen to what postcolonial people say about themselves and others. In this, I argue for an academic approach that privileges cultural interdiscursivity, interdisciplinary co-operation, and an attitude of respect for the different ways in which forms like izibongo construct meaning. This thesis thus has a dual focus: it examines how recently recorded praise poems address the problem of reconstructing identity at the urban-rural interface, while considering the ways in which they speak to the uncertain identity of the scholar who tries to read them. Drawn from a variety of sources, the poems comprise both official and popular praises to suggest not only the variety of the form, but also the ways in which individual and group identities speak to each other across texts. Given the importance of self-expression at the heart of the form of izibongo, I argue that scholars in English Studies must resist the possibility, both in transcription and in criticism, of eliding the individual subjects involved in mediating identity and textuality. I also suggest that English Studies has a duty to write the oral back into institutionally defined literary histories by considering how our writing and ways of reading can better accommodate oral textuality.
Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.

It occured to me that scholars who undertake to explore praises in Zulu have centred much analysis on praises of human beings and very little on those of domestic animals. Domestic animals are very close environmental company to any Black person in South Africa, especially to those who reside in farming areas. This study demonstrates that the domestic animal merits praise because it constitutes a kind of relative and colleague to a Black person. The first chapter gives a general layout of those to follow. What one has to note in the first chapter is the assessment of the extent to which scholars have made studies towards assessing praises of domestic animals. To be more precise, about six books have been identified containing some gleanings on the praises of domestic animals . This scarcity of documented sources for these praises together with the fact that praises of domestic animals are still mainly part of oral tradition constitute the main reason prompting this study. Chapter Two analyses hopefully in depth the social aspect of praises of domestic animals. We deduce from the numerous facts emerging from the inter-relationship between owner and animal that the main reason for the existence of the praises in question, is to forge links that bind poet and animal together. Aspects discussed in Chapter Two are, among others, the purpose of praising which examines the effect of praises on both the animals themselves and the community at large. The chapter also looks at the various poets in this field, the occasions during which domestic animals are praised, and the kind of audience anticipated when praising these animals. Though almost all the poets in this regard are wholly nonliterate, the praises they compose are nevertheless rich in literary constructions. They decorate the praises with all sorts of poetic expressions. One may even imagine that the praises of domestic animals were composed by modern learned poet who composed them by transcription and had all the skills to adopt the most impressive literary forms. Chapter Four sums up the role of praises of domestic animals on society as well as the literary richness that the praises possess. On the other hand this chapter Four is also to be taken as the summary and distillation of the previous ones.
Thesis (M.A.) - University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1992.

A vigorous oral tradition has existed throughout South African history, and in many ways represents our truly original contribution to world literature. Despite this, oral literature is largely absent from accounts of literary history in this country. While the particular oppressions of South African political life have contributed to the exclusion of oral forms, the suppression of the oral in favour of the printed text is a feature of literary studies worldwide, and appears to be related to the critical practices that have been dominant in universities and schools for most of this century. In this study I consider ways of recovering oral forms for literary debate, and offer what I consider to be more appropriate strategies of 'reading'. My aim is to re-establish a line of continuity in South African poetry and performance from the songs and stories of the Bushmen, through the praise poems of the African chiefdoms, to the development of Christianised oral forms, the adaptation of the oral tradition in 'Soweto' poetry of the 1970s, and the performance of poems on political platforms in the 1980s. Recovering oral poetry and performance genres for literary debate requires the development of an appropriate critical methodology. Through a consideration of advances in the study of orality, I aim to suggest ways of reading which grant credence to the specific strategies and performative energies of oral texts while locating the texts in the spaces and constrictions of their societies. A great many oral texts from the past survive only in printed, translated forms, however, and a key aspect of such a critical project is how - while acknowledging the particular difficulties involved - one 'uses' highly mediated and artificially stabilised print versions to suggest something of the dynamic nature of oral performance in South African historical and social life. This thesis also considers how texts address us across historical distances. I argue for maintaining a dialectic between the 'past significance' and 'present meaning' of the poems, songs and stories: for allowing the past to shape our reading while we remain aware that our recuperation of history is inevitably directed by present needs and ideologies. These ideas are explored through five chapters which consider, respectively, the songs and stories of the nineteenth-century /Xam Bushmen, the izibongo of Shaka, the hymns of the Messianic Zulu evangelist Isaiah Shembe, Ingoapele Madingoane's epic 'Soweto' poem "black trial", and the performance poetry of Mzwakhe Mbuli and Alfred Qabula in the 1980s.
Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1995.

This research is entitled "The historical representation of the praise-poetry of the two Zulu kings, Dingane and Mpande." In this study the researcher is trying to explore the ways in which history is portrayed in these two above mentioned kings. This is done firstly by looking particularly at their historical outlooks and secondly by looking at their praises. In traditional Zulu society, every Royal king has to possess praises. Therefore the praises basically contain historical events. The analysis of the findings reveals that king praises contain largely of the heroic deeds, body features and characteristics of the kings. Based on this statement it therefore stands to reason that the king praises cannot be considered merely as a complete history of the Zulu kings. The data collection was carried out through interviews and through reading books for each king. It must be noted that the king praises are only performed by a bard/imbongi. The king praises serve as a mirror that detects how the king live and perform the duties of the nation.
Thesis (M.A)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007.

In this dissertation, I argue that there is a pressing need in post-apartheid KwaZulu-Natal to re-assess the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century histories of the region from the perspectives of people whose ancestry was dispossessed and/or displaced in the wars that took place in that period, particularly those that elevated Shaka to dominance. I suggest that because of their retrospective manipulation by the vested interests of power politics, historical processes over the past two centuries, and in the last century in particular, have invested the figure of King Shaka and 'Zulu' ethnic identities with unitary meanings that have made them close to inescapable for most people who are considered 'Zulu'. I argue that there is, therefore, a need to recuperate the histories of the clans which were defeated by the Zulu and welded into the Zulu 'nation'. Following British-Jamaican novelist Caryl Phillips' strategy, I begin to conduct this recuperation through a process of subverting history by writing back into historical records people and events that have been written and spoken out of them. I argue that literary texts, izibongo ('personal' praises) and izithakazelo (clan praises) in this case, offer a useful starting point in recovering the suppressed or marginalised histories of some of the once-significant clans in the region. In the three chapters of this dissertation, I examine the izibongo of three late eighteenth-/early nineteenth-century amakhosi (kings) in the present KwaZulu-Natal region, Shaka kaSenzangakhona of the Zulu clan, Phungashe kaNgwane of the Buthelezi and Zwide kaLanga of the Ndwandwe. In the first chapter, I read Shaka's izibongo as an instance of empire-building discourse in which I trace the belittling representations granted Phungashe and Zwide. In the second and third chapters, I set Phungashe's and Zwide's izibongo, respectively, as well as the histories carried in and alluded to by these texts, and the clans' izithakazelo, alongside Shaka's and examine the extent to which the two amakhosi's izibongo talk back to Shaka's imperialism. I also follow the later histories of the two amakhosi's clans to determine which individuals became prominent in the Zulu kingdom under Shaka and after, as well as point to the revisions of the past that are being conducted in the present by people of the two clans. The versions of the izibongo I study and the hypotheses of history I present are drawn from sources that include the James Stuart Archive, A.T. Bryant, and oral historical accounts from several people I interviewed. Given the present imperatives in South Africa of bringing justice to the various peoples who were dispossessed under colonial and apartheid domination, I argue that recuperating the histories of the clans that were conquered by the Zulu under Shaka's leadership problematises questions of justice in KwaZulu-Natal: if it is legitimate to claim reparation for colonialism and apartheid, then the Zulu kingdom should be viewed under the same spotlight because of the similar suffering it visited on many inhabitants of the region. In that way, we can transcend divisive colonial, apartheid and Zulu nationalist histories that continue to have strong, often negative, effects on the crossing of identity boundaries constructed under those systems of domination.
Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.

This study aims to do a comparative analysis of the historical depiction of the Zulu kings namely: King Shaka, King Dingane, King Mpande and King Cetshwayo. In this study comparison is drawn between Dhlomo's historical novels and Nyembezi 's anthology of praise poetry. This research is based on Interpretive paradigm because it emphasizes a need for in-depth reading and analysis of the oral presentation. That is why qualitative research methodology has been employed because it has allowed the researcher to analytical skills on the content and interviews with community members. In the analysis of these books; the researcher read; interpreted, compared and contrasted the contents thereof. In the researchers comparative study; the researcher discovered that there are some similarities and differences of content in the historical novels and praise poetry writings. This research examined the publication (relevant to this study) written by other authors about Zulu kings (these as deemed relevant for this research). The study went on to verify authenticity around the contents of praise poetry regarding these kings. Structured interviews were arranged and conducted; wherein it emerged that most of king Shaka's, king Dingane's and king Mpande's history has somewhat faded from the interviewee's memories. A lot of information was gathered around king Cetshwayo. This study also revealed that most of Zulu king's history is somehow distorted.Theories of Post-Colonialism and Orality were greatly employed during this research. Post-Colonialism theory was deemed relevant because most of these writings were done after the Zulus had been robbed of their land. Since praise poetry is oral art; an oral historian had to be consulted to emphasize the rich heritage contained in orality or oral art. It clearly emerged from this research that there is a lot of deliberate distortions of Zulu kings' history. This distortion is not only by Whites but also some Black African writers who still continue distorting the kings' history. It is suggested that there be a revisitation and rewriting of the Zulu kings' history and this be done taking into consideration past writings and interviews with knowledgeable historians. A lot of knowledge is contained in this thesis that can be helpful to all and sundry interested in historical writings and other literary genres.
Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2008.

Within a southern African literary-historiographical milieu, the corpse of the First World War (1914-1918) either wanders in the ‘darkling’ woods or wades in the ice-mirrored sea of a sinister psychological landscape. The veld, with its moon, flowers, bowers, animals and sea, is a potent South African metaphysical conceit in which both the white and black corpse – the horrific waste product of war – is seemingly safely hidden within euphemistic shadows. However, these shades are metonymic and metaphorical offshoots of an Adamastorian nightmare, which has its inception in a nascent South African literary tradition. This thesis explores these literary-historiographical leftovers within the war poetry of both civilians and soldiers. Both ‘white’ and ‘black’ poetry is discussed in a similar context of dressing the corpse in meaning: a meaning that resides deep within the wound of loss. In tracing this blood spoor in the poetry a highly eclectic approach has been followed. As the title illustrates, both literary and historical approaches were used in analysing the effect of the Great War on the poetry, and by implication, on the society from which it sprung. It is, therefore, a cultural history as well as an intellectual subtext of wartorn South Africa that has been scrutinised, and is revealed in its poetic literature. Archival research and the scouring of individual volumes were the sources of the poems for this study. This is true especially with regards to the ‘white’ poetry, where very few examples of poetry have been published in secondary histories. Various anthologies and studies on ‘black’ poetry considerably lightened the search for war izibongo. A variety of literary theoretical approaches have been most useful in extracting the subtext of early 20th century South African history. The psychoanalysis of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung’s collective unconscious have been most insightful. The poststructuralist theory of Julia Kristeva has cast more light on the recalcitrant corpse, the main waste product of war. David Lewis-Williams’s recent archaeological-anthropological approach has also been crucial in understanding the indigenous izibongo by putting forward Neuroscience as an explanation of the universally held neuropsychological hallucinatory poetic experience. Finally, war poetry in this thesis is seen as verse written by both soldiers and civilians as a response to the reality – or rather surreal unreality – of conflict, in an effort to come to terms with the abjection of both body and mind. Thea Harrington‘s manqué reading of Kristeva’s poststructuralist corpse is used as a referent for the abject, or loss thereof, that is to be found in the war poetry. Throughout the thesis, the term manqué is used to refer to the corpse as a fluid linguistic-psychological signifier saturated with loss. It is the manqué that has essentially remained hidden behind the various political histories of the war.
English Studies

This thesis utilizes the theory of feminism in all its implied branches in an attempt to critically review the subtle and sometimes deliberate subjugation of women in general and South Africa in particular. This occurs, in spite of the fact that there are laws in place that are meant to discourage women abuse. Juxtaposing this is the perspective conception of women, looking at themselves as subjects of virtue who deserve equal treatment to any other human being. It is through some oral forms that this reflection could be tested. Praise poetry, in the hands of a creative artist opens up a world of human emotions that could not be easily seen or felt, and yet it can simultaneously be used to manipulate situations. Language therefore could be seen as a powerful double-edged instrument. The patriarchal system, in this thesis, is exposed as that holy ideology turned unholy to achieve condescending agendas against women. The thin light of respect demonstrated by the traditionalist thinking is made to disappear into thin air, especially when contaminated by Western ideas. It is the resoluteness and the fair obstinacy of some both traditional and modern women that determinedly stood up to conscientise the world in terms of respect for human life irrespective. In this research, an exploration of literary elements within four Nguni languages, that is Siswati, isiZulu, isiNdebele, and isiXhosa reveals the singularity of purpose, for these elements to be manipulated to achieve domineering intentions. Be that as it may, tibongo (praise poems/ praises) of outstanding women who have served in traditional leadership in these language groups give reason to challenge any idea that women should by virtue be relegated to the back seat. Through these tibongo it becomes apparent that because of the women leaders’ stubborn fairness and unparalleled foresight, they have become personifications of democratic values and as such, role models and symbolic hope not only for the empowerment of women, but also for their total liberation from all negative perceptions and oppressions.
African Languages
D. Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)