Xhosa language newspapers
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This article focuses on the history of 19th century Xhosa language newspapers in South Africa.
Introduction
The first
List of 19th and 20th century Xhosa newspapers
Start date | Name | Translation | Period | Publication |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. 1837 | Umshumayeli Wendaba | Preacher of the news | July 1837 to April 1841 | 15 issues |
2. 1845 | Ikwezi | Morning Star | August 1844 to December 1845 | 4 issues |
3. 1850 | Isitunywa Senyanga | The Monthly Messenger | August to December 1850 | 5 issues |
4. 1862 | Indaba | The News | August 1862 to February 1865 | Example |
5. 1870 | Isigidimi samaXhosa | The Xhosa Messenger | October 1870 to December 1888 | Example |
6. 1897 | Izwi labantu | The Voice of the People | November 1897 to April 1909 | Example |
7. 1884 | Imvo Zabantsundu | African Opinion | November 1884 to August 1901 | Example |
8. 1938 | "Inkundla YaBantu" | (lit. the Court of the People) Territorial Magazine | April 1938 – early 1950s | Example |
9. 2015 | I'solezwe lesiXhosa | Eye of the nation in Xhosa | 30 March 2015 – |
Newspapers
Umshumayeli Wendaba
The earliest known black newspaper in Southern Africa was founded by the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society in
Ikwezi
Founded by the Glasgow Missionary Society and published in association with the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society at Chumie mission station (Chumie Press) near Lovedale in the Eastern Cape. "The items included a story of Ntsikana (the Xhosa prophet), an article on circumcision among the Xhosa, a story of George Washington ...accounts of Christian work in lands beyond Africa, stories of African converts to Christianity and an appeal to Christian parents about the training of their children" (Ngcongco). According to Mahlasela, this magazine contained the earliest known writings in Xhosa by a Xhosa writer. William Kobe Ntsikana (son of the prophet), Zaze Soga, and Makhaphela Noyi Balfour were among those who wrote for the journal.[2]
Isitunywa Senyanga
A newspaper for the "literary and religious advancement of the Xhosa" (September 1850), it was edited by J. W. Appleyard of the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society. The newspaper was published at
Indaba
Founded and published by the Glasgow Missionary Society for African teachers and students at Lovedale, near Alice, Cape. The newspaper was written mostly by Africans from Lovedale, among whom was Tiyo Soga, who wrote under the pseudonym "Nonjiba Waseluhlangeni" (Dove of the Nation). One-third of the newspaper was in English for the "intellectual advancement" of the students.[2]
Isigidimi samaXhosa
October 1870 – December 1875 (as part of The Kaffir Express); January 1876 – December 1888 (as an independent newspaper) monthly, fortnightly (1883–84). After the demise of the first newspapers, European missionaries founded Isigidimi Sama-Xosa (The Xhosa Messenger), which appeared between October 1870 and December 1888. James Stewart, principal of Lovedale and publisher of Lovedale Mission Press, was the founding editor and he later handed the editorial position over to Tiyo Soga's students (Makiwane, Bokwe, Jabavu and Gqoba). [With the death of William Wellington Gqoba in 1888, Isigdimi Sama –Xosa newspaper collapses.] ---> Discontent with the intervention of the missionaries concerning the content of Isigidimi samaXhosa, John Tengo Jabavu founded Imvo Zabantsundu newspaper.[2]
Izwi labantu
Founded and published in
Imvo Zabantsundu
Founded in
Inkundla Ya Bantu
Inkundla Ya Bantu was first published in April 1938 under the name Territorial Magazine. It was subsequently renamed in June 1940. Its distribution area covered at first the rural parts of the Eastern Cape and Southern Parts of KwaZulu-Natal and then later expanded to the Johannesburg and Witwatersrand area. The newspaper was released monthly at first and then in 1943 became a fortnightly publication and for a while it published weekly but in the last two years of its existence it only managed to publish monthly and some months not at all.[8] Inkundla Ya Bantu was the only independent, 100% black-owned newspaper at the time of its inception and for the duration of its lifespan, that played a significant role in African politics. It published articles in both English and Xhosa.
Intsimbi. An IsiXhosa published in and around Umtata in the 1940s
Notes
- ^ "African – literature: Literatures in African languages", Encyclopædia Britannica's Guide to Black History.
- ^ a b c d e f g Donna Switzer 1979, p. 275.
- S2CID 154351826.
- ^ Karis, Thomas; Carter, Gwendolen Margaret (1972), From Protest to Challenge: Protest and hope, 1882-1934, vol. 1, Stanford, Calif: Hoover Institution Press
- .
- ^ "James Rose Innes". Olive Schreiner Letters Online. 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
- ^ "Alexander Macaulay Jabavu", South African History Online.
- ISBN 978-1-59221-332-0.
References
- Les Switzer; Donna Switzer (1979). The Black press in South Africa and Lesotho: a descriptive bibliographic guide to African, Coloured, and Indian newspapers, newsletters, and magazines, 1836-1976. Hall. ISBN 9780816181742. Online available at Black Press Research Collective