Komjekejeke

Welcome to Jeke Jeke. Once a year the Ndebele people celebrate their heritage and culture and King Makhosonke II’s birthday, all in a weekend celebration. My school, King Makhosonke II Secondary School (named after the king) was invited to the celebration (though anyone was welcome). I went with Annah who is Ndebele and helped translate for me from time to time. The day was really fun and interesting. I loved the music and dancing; think: happy, happy, joy, joy. The speeches of the dignitaries (fellow kings and chiefs, princes and princesses, and politicians) were a bit long, as they were spoken in IsiNdeble and translated into English and sometimes French too.

It was really interesting to see the many traditional types of clothing. Some Ndebele women wear rather heavy looking blankets as shawls, even in the summer! Annah said her mother did this, and once her mother became used to it, she could not live without it. In addition to the traditional clothing and beads, I loved the music throughout the day. A lot of traditional songs, as well as a fusion of traditional music and jazz which was fantastic. At the end of the day, King Makhosonke II gave his speech; it reminded me of the State of the Union address, about the future of the Ndebele people and culture; he spoke of plans to improve and build up JekeJeke before 2010 (World Cup) and the need to keep traditions alive; for example, not re-naming places that are named after kings and chiefs of old. Overall, a very cool day.