Award-winning taste of Xhosa culture’s essence
Image: Karen van Rooyen
Zinzi Tofu speaks with passion and pride about Xhosa culture.
Asked why she thinks it’s important to do so, and for others to learn about her way of life, she said simply: “It’s really important because it’s totally different from other cultures.
“In the Eastern Cape, 80% of people are Xhosa. It forms a huge part of the essence of what the Eastern Cape is.”
Tofu and her team host cultural tours at the award-winning Ngxingxolo Cultural Village, welcoming guests in song, with Tofu beating on a drum.
The tour settles down then as Tofu explains various cultural aspects among the Xhosa, including something I’d never heard of before – intonjane, the female rite of passage – courting and the roles of men and women in the home.
She also shows off the kraal, where only men are allowed to enter, and the intonjane hut where a young woman is kept while undergoing the female rite of passage. Unlike the male rite of passage which includes circumcision, there is no physical contact with the young woman during intonjane.
“To people [visiting] it’s complicated but to me, I live in the village,” she said.
“I’m not speaking of something I’ve read in a book. It’s my every day. I live in the village.”
The tour also includes a lunch of traditional Xhosa food, such as umngqusho (samp and beans), steam bread, stew and spinach.
Karen van Rooyen was hosted by the East Cape Parks and Tourism Agency. This article is one of three from that trip. Read more:
