imbongi

imbongi

English

WOTD – 22 September 2017

Etymology

A traditional Zulu performance at Mfuli Game Ranch in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Borrowed from Zulu imbongi and Xhosa imbongi. The plural izimbongi is derived from Zulu, while iimbongi is from Xhosa.[1]

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪmˈbɒŋɡi/

  • Audio (UK)

    (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪmˈbɔŋɡi/, /-ˈbɑŋ-/
• (South African) IPA^(key): /ɪmˈbɔːŋɡi/
• Hyphenation: im‧bon‧gi

Noun

imbongi (plural izimbongi or iimbongi or imbongis)

1. (chiefly South Africa) A praise singer, a traditional bard in Zulu culture.
   • 1980, M. O'Connor, “Hebrew Verse Structure”, in Hebrew Verse Structure, Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, published 1997, →ISBN, section 1.7.2 (Constriction in Other Languages), page 157:

     Let us consider the contemporary oral poetry of the Xhosa Bantu […], and its highest form, the praise-poetry of male tradents, who were attached until recently to tribal chiefs. The tradents are imbongi ‘praise poets’ and the genre of their work is the izibongo ‘praise poem.’ “The lines of the imbongi’s oral izibongo do not display either syllabic or quantitative meter … though there is some reason to believe that one may be able to determine certain recurrent intonational patterns that function as meter” ([Jeff] Opland 1975: 194).

   • 1983, Jeff Opland, “Change in the Tradition”, in Xhosa Oral Poetry: Aspects of a Black South African Tradition (Cambridge Studies in Oral and Literate Culture; 7), Cambridge; New York, N.Y.: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 234:

     […] Mbutuma and Manisi are both "traditional" iimbongi, but Manisi's oral poetry is more historical than Mbutuma's – so that the bearer of a tradition is an individual creative artist even though he shares attributes with other participants in the tradition. […] Few Xhosa iimbongi today are untouched by urbanization, literacy, and exposure to mass media. How have these forces affected the tradition? To what extent can modern iimbongi be considered traditional?

   • 1991, Liz Gunner and Mafika [Pascal] Gwala, translators and editors, “Introduction: Izibongo, Power, and the Popular Voice”, in Musho!: Zulu Popular Praises (African Historical Sources; no. 3), East Lansing, Mich.: Michigan State University Press, →ISBN:

     In the national figures this bawdy laughter seems hardly ever to be present; it is only slyly winked at once in the King's praises in the "pillow" reference, but on the whole it is suppressed or censored out by successive izimbongi.

   • 2005, Angela Quintal, “Political Reporting”, in Adrian Hadland, editor, Essays on South African Journalism, Cape Town: HSRC Press, published 2006, →ISBN, pages 55–56:

     Sunday Times Managing Editor, Ray Hartley – a former political correspondent – is brutal about the state of political journalism. He questions the lack of analysis and debate about government policy and dismisses a lot of the writing about President [Thabo] Mbeki and the government as 'hagiography'. While the government may have its media imbongis (praise singers), much of the problem lies with inexperienced political reports and poor newsroom leadership.

   • 2006, Keyan G[ray] Tomaselli, “Orality in African Cinema: Reasoning, Representation and Relativism”, in Encountering Modernity: Twentieth Century South African Cinemas (SAVUSA Series; 4), Amsterdam: Rozenberg Publishers; South Africa: UNISA Press, →ISBN, page 92:

     Modern South African film directors and performers as bards, izimbongi or storytellers have only residues of existing 'traditional societies' to bring to the surface. Where primarily oral cultures elaborate their stories within the epic form, fables and extraordinary heroes and fantasies, the izimbongi in The People's Poet and Songololo are more concerned with cultural loss, oppression, colonisation and emancipation.

   • 2015, Elizabeth A. Eldredge, “Oral Traditions in the Reconstruction of South African History”, in Kingdoms and Chiefdoms of Southeastern Africa: Oral Traditions and History, 1400–1830 (Rochester Studies in African History and the Diaspora; 64), Rochester, N.Y.: University of Rochester Press; Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell & Brewer, →ISBN, page 46:

     Mandhlakazi provided a description of the dress and actions of izimbongi (praise singers) as they recited and performed praises and told Stuart, / I, Mandhlakazi, once asked a son of Magolwana how it was that the Zulu izimbongi were able to remember the praises of kings to so extraordinary a degree […]. He said it was because they were given always tripe to eat. Moreover, they used to eat the drug umklele, […]

   • 2018, Timothy Reagan, “‘A Wise Child is Talked to in Proverbs’: Indigenous Educational Thought and Practice in Africa”, in Non-Western Educational Traditions: Local Approaches to Thought and Practice, 4th edition, New York, N.Y.; Abingdon, Oxon.: Routledge, →ISBN, page 83:

     An interesting exception to the generally formal, apprenticeship-based training assumed for the professions is that of the imbongi, or praise-poet, among groups such as the Zulu and Xhosa in southern Africa. The imbongi is in many ways a unique figure in traditional society; his role is part historian, part counselor, part social and political critic. The imbongi fulfills a role similar to that played by the medieval bard, relying both on the established oral tradition and his own ability to improvise in creating the appropriate izibongo (praise-poem) for the occasion.

References

1. “imbongi”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

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Southern Ndebele

Noun

imbongi^? class 9 (plural iimbongi class 10)

1. bard

Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

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Xhosa

Etymology

From in- +‎ -bonga (“to praise”) +‎ -i (agent noun suffix).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [íᵐb̥o̤ːᵑɡ̊i̤]

Noun

ímbongi class 9 (plural iímbongi class 10)

1. praise singer

Inflection

This entry needs an inflection-table template.

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Zulu

Etymology

From in- +‎ -bonga (“to thank”) +‎ -i (agent noun suffix).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ímboːnɡi/

Noun

ímbongi class 9 (plural izímbongi class 10)

1. A praise singer, a traditional bard in Zulu culture.

Inflection

Class 9/10
	Singular	Plural
Full form	imbongi	izimbongi
Locative	embongini	ezimbongini
	Singular		Plural
Full form	imbongi		izimbongi
Simple form	mbongi		zimbongi
Locative	embongini		ezimbongini
Copulative	yimbongi		yizimbongi
Possessive forms
	Singular		Plural
	Modifier	Substantive	Modifier	Substantive
Class 1	wembongi	owembongi	wezimbongi	owezimbongi
Class 2	bembongi	abembongi	bezimbongi	abezimbongi
Class 3	wembongi	owembongi	wezimbongi	owezimbongi
Class 4	yembongi	eyembongi	yezimbongi	eyezimbongi
Class 5	lembongi	elembongi	lezimbongi	elezimbongi
Class 6	embongi	awembongi	ezimbongi	awezimbongi
Class 7	sembongi	esembongi	sezimbongi	esezimbongi
Class 8	zembongi	ezembongi	zezimbongi	ezezimbongi
Class 9	yembongi	eyembongi	yezimbongi	eyezimbongi
Class 10	zembongi	ezembongi	zezimbongi	ezezimbongi
Class 11	lwembongi	olwembongi	lwezimbongi	olwezimbongi
Class 14	bembongi	obembongi	bezimbongi	obezimbongi
Class 15	kwembongi	okwembongi	kwezimbongi	okwezimbongi
Class 17	kwembongi	okwembongi	kwezimbongi	okwezimbongi