LISTEN | Heading for the homestead? Best you up your game
Thembela Mputamputa and Hombakazi Mercy Nqandeka explore heritage, memory and changing social values
In this episode of Jonathan Ball Publishers' Pagecast podcast, publicist and book lover Thembela Mputamputa is in conversation with Hombakazi Mercy Nqandeka, author of Don’t Upset ooMalume! A Guide to Stepping Up Your Xhosa Game.
Returning to the family homestead in the Eastern Cape for the holidays, worrying your city ways and less than perfect knowledge of Xhosa culture will get you a wagging finger in the face from ooMalume, the uncles?
No need to fret. Don’t Upset ooMalume! captures the essence of Xhosa heritage and culture, while exploring village life. It covers a range of topics, from major life ceremonies and traditional clothing to the significance of uronta (the rondavel) and ubuhlanti (the kraal). Not forgetting the importance of traditional food, the author describes popular dishes, edible forage and even medicinal plants.
This book was born from Nqandeka’s concern that aspects of Xhosa heritage will be lost to future generations. By interweaving her guide to Xhosa culture with stories from her daily life in the Mqele and Bulungula villages, and her mother and late grandmothers' lessons, she hopes to reconnect Xhosa people to their roots.
Listen to their conversation here: