´Arts can heal South Africa,´ Duma Ka Ndlovu

Well-known playwright, creator and director of the famous SABC 2 Tshivenda soapie Muvhango, Duma Ka Ndlovu, says languages are a bridge to unite people and are not meant for division.

Speaking at the University of Venda during his acceptance speech of an honorary Doctor of English degree, awarded to him by university chancellor Kgalema Motlanthe last Friday, he said those of his 1976 generation never thought tribalism would survive after liberation. Ndlovu said language was used to communicate and it could bring peace among warring nations.

He paid special tribute to the Netshitangani family of Tshiawelo for having introduced him to the Tshivenda language. According to him, if it were not for them, Muvhango would not have been conceived. Ndlovu said he was using the arts to heal the ills of society, such as tribalism and ignorance.

“In Muvhango, language is used to reach out to the young people, to teach them about their history, culture and origin," he said.

“It is a model construct, in the shape of drama, that has forced us to listen to one another in our indigenous languages and engender a spirit of openness. This is the same unity that the likes of John Langalibalee Dube, Pixley ka Isaka Seme and others had when they formed the ANC a mere 100 years ago. The same unity that the likes of Dorothy Nyembe, Lillian Ngoyi, and Helen Josephs fought for when they marched 50 years ago and the same unity that Ogopontse Tiro fought for when he died.”

Gatsheni, his clan name, said that while he grew up against a Zulu background, this did not stop him from learning the Tshivenda language and culture, which are used in the popular soapie.

He said he told himself at a young age that he should speak all South African languages fluently, and although he spent more than 10 years in exile in America, he can speak most African languages. His soapie has used English, Tshivenda, Northern Sotho and Xitsonga for a purpose. “Languages, instead of dividing, should be a bridge that unites Africans,” he said.

He also urged the media to be more protective of the gains that democracy had brought to the country. “We cannot afford to have media that spend 100% of their efforts in trying to prove we are a failing nation,” he said.

News - Date: 27 May 2011

Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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