Gcina Mhlophe-Becker
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Born in Hammersdale Township, also known as Mpumalanga, in 1959, Gcina Mhlophe-Becker is a well-known South African freedom fighter, activist, actor, storyteller, poet, playwright, director and author. She does her most important work through charismatic performances, working to preserve storytelling as a means of keeping history alive and encouraging South African children to read.
She tells her stories in four South African languages: English, Afrikaans, isiZulu and isiXhosa. Mhlophe has appeared in theatres from Soweto to London and much of her work has been translated into German, French, Italian, Swahili and Japanese. She has travelled extensively in Africa and other parts of the world giving storytelling workshops.
Currently, Mhlophe focuses on making books available to poor South African rural communities by making sure that libraries are built and are stocked with locally and culturally relevant books.
The History of Durban |
The timeline of human habitation in Durban goes back to long before the advent of recorded history in the region. While some of the earliest remnants of humanity are found in the nearby Drakensberg, it is now established that prior to the arrival of the Nguni people and subsequent European colonialists, the area was populated by the original people of Southern Africa - now collectively called the Khoi/San. Then, several thousand years later, on Christmas day in 1497, Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama passed the mouth of Durban Bay and promptly named it Rio de Natal (Christmas River), presuming that several rivers flowed into the bay. Back then, before the intrusive advent of industrialisation, the bay was separated from the sea by a sandbar, where crocodiles, hippopotamuses and flamingoes spent their days in the vast waters of the bay while its swampy edges were densely populated with mangroves. Beyond the bay lay a ridge of hills which was home to elephants, hyenas and lions until about a century ago, and now houses Durban’s suburbs. Inhlaba |
Emakhaya lesi sitshalo sisiza ezintweni ezahlukahlukene ngenxa yosizo lwaso olubalulekile. Uma izinkukhu zinomkhuhlanyana ziye ziphuziswe lesi sitshalo; emva kokuphuza ziphenduka imiqemane asize umasiza. Uma ulungiselela ukuphuzisa izilwane lomuthi uwuxuba namanzi bese uyaziphuzisa. Ngisho nezimbuzi imbala ziyawuthanda ngoba zona ziwudla unjalo. Phela utholakala kakhulu eNyakatho neKoloni lapho abafuyi bezimbuzi begcwele khona. Awugcini futhi ngalokho ngoba nezinyanga ziyawusebenzisa uma zenza izintelezi emizini yabantu. Noma uwutshalile imvamisa ugudla umuzi ekuqikeleni ukuwusebenzisa.Kulemihla esikuyo lapho sekunezifo eziningi lomuthi uyasebenza ekulapheni izifo emzimbeni womuntu avuke agqanqule. Ngakhoke kubalulekile ukuqikelela ngemvelo nangezihlahla zendabuko ukuze izizukulwane zizifice zijabule. |
There's something inevitably foolish about reducing hundreds of years of history to a few pages. For one thing, the texture of history evaporates without the countless individuals whose lives have been played out on its sweeping canvas. For another, in a multicultural society such as Durban, many important contributing strands are bound to fall by the wayside. But perhaps a little historical context will nonetheless prove useful to visitors to our fair city who would like to understand, in some way, how we got where we are now.
Inhlaba umuthi obabayo wasehlane lona phela omunye wemithi ekhona kulelizwe esilakhele obaluleke kakhulu. Phela umphilisi lona ongathikameziswa isimo sezulu omila uhlale unyaka wonke. Awufani nezinye izihlahla ngoba uyaphilisa isihlahla sokuphila.
Fatima Meer was born in Grey Street, Durban. Her father, Moosa Meer was the editor of Indian Views, a weekly newspaper aimed at Gujarati-speaking Muslim communities. Fatima was brought up in an atmosphere that was highly conscious of racial discrimination and that shaped her into a tireless defender of the oppressed. Learn more about Fatima Meer. |
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