“Nibezwe kodwa ningabalaleli” – An Analysis of Hidden Treasures in African Literature

Celimpilo Piety Dladla ORCID iD 

Issue: Vol.5  No.15 Special Issue Article 3 pp.29-42
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20245153 | Published online 4th December, 2024
© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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This study critically explored African literature, focusing on the creative strategies 19th-century authors employed to resist censorship of African literary expression. The paper addresses the prevalent criticisms of African literature by examining Nyembezi’s novel “Inkinsela YaseMgungundlovu,” translated as “The Richman of Pietermaritzburg,” by  Sandile Ngidi. The research highlighted the pivotal role of annotations in uncovering implicit societal constructs shaped by historical limitations within South African literature. Through a qualitative desktop study, this paper systematically analysed selected passages from the novel, employing monolingual and bilingual dictionaries along with scholarly literature to extract deeper meanings. The findings underscored how annotations bridge linguistic and cultural gaps, enriching readers’ understanding of the socio-political contexts embedded in the text. Additionally, the study advocates for the re-evaluation of African ethnic literature and encourages greater engagement among scholars and readers. It further posits that annotations enhance translation by providing crucial contextual information, empowering target readers to engage with the text as intended by its original audience. Ultimately, this research illuminates the hidden treasures within African literature, promoting its broader significance in literary studies and advocating for future analyses that reveal the rich cultural heritage of its people.

Keywords: African Ethnic Literature, IsiZulu Literature, Literary Annotation, Literary Censorship, Translation

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Dr. Celimpilo Piety Dladla is a lecturer in the Department of Translation and Interpreting Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. She has 20 years of experience as an interpreter and translator for the South African government (from English to isiZulu and vice versa). Her undergraduate and postgraduate studies are in Language Practice; Management, Translation and Interpreting Studies; IsiZulu Studies; and African Languages and Linguistics. Her postdoctoral research focuses on the language of teaching and learning in South Africa, lexicography, translation, and interpreting.

Dladla, Celimpilo Piety. ““Nibezwe kodwa ningabalaleli” – An Analysis of Hidden Treasures in African Literature ,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 5, no.15 (2024):29-42. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20245153

© 2024 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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