Xhosa culture information

Xhosa culture

Though the Zulu is known worldwide, it is the Xhosa tribe that have tended to dominate politics in South Africa and many cabinet members are Xhosa people. Both Mr. Mandela and Thabo Mbeki of the new democratic South Africa have come from the Eastern Cape, the home of the Xhosa speaking. It can be seen as just reward for it was upon the Xhosa that the longest struggle and main burden of resistance to white penetration from the Cape colony fell.

While Xhosa speaking people are proud of their Xhosa culture or Xhosa tradition, they and other tribes of Southern Africa came to realise that unless tribalism was abandoned, and they as Africans stood united they would never be able to defeat Apartheid.

After eight frontier wars and ravaged by drought and with many of their cattle dying of disease, the vision and prophesies of a teenage girl, Nongqawuse, led to the Xhosa cattle killing episode.

No crops were planted and there was the promise of their ancestors arising from the dead, new cattle appearing, full grain pits and the whites been driven into the sea. Those who went along with it were called believers and those that rejected it were termed unbelievers. This sad episode the Xhosa cattle killing played itself out in 1856-57 and tens of thousands died of starvation. Perhaps in hindsight, the beliefs held by many (until recently around the issue of Aid's) may go down in the history of our country as a far greater tragedy.