This Thing Called the Future (26 page)

In addition to traveling to South Africa and spending time with a lot of wonderful people, I read a lot of books. There is one scholar whose work proved tremendously helpful: Adam Ashforth. In fact, the direct wording of the sign “Brothers and Sisters, we are abel to cure any sick,” comes from one of his books on witchcraft in South Africa. I also appreciated Jonny Steinberg and Helen Epstein's work on AIDS in Africa.

Writer friends Lora, Amanda, Christine, Annemarie, Ann, and my mother Becky all read this book at various stages and offered suggestions that helped. My agent Jennifer Carlson not only helped with the writing and marketing of this book but also introduced me to her husband Andrew Zolli of PopTech, who put me in touch with several very helpful people in South Africa.

Many thanks to the whole Cinco Puntos gang, for believing in this work and teaming up with me to create one great book.

Last, but certainly not least, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my husband, Chris Gibson, who was always supportive and never once complained about the huge chunks of time we spent apart while I was tracking down people and information in South Africa.

GLOSSARY OF ZULU WORDS

The Zulu language is structurally very different from English. It is organized around the noun. There are seventeen classes of nouns. Because the initial part of the noun is dropped when constructing a sentence, it can be difficult for English speakers to look up nouns in a Zulu dictionary. This initial part of a noun may also be dropped when a person is addressed directly. For example,
amantombazana
means “little girls,” but if you were addressing a group of little girls directly, you would address them as
Ntombazana
.

Please note that though I have often pluralized words the Zulu way, I have made some exceptions. The plural for
sangoma
should be
izangoma
but I have pluralized it the English way by referring to a group of healers as
sangomas
. I have also done this with the word
tsotsi
.

Amandla	Power, strength. During the war for liberation, black South Africans used this phrase as a rallying cry against the whites in power who suppressed and oppressed them. The response to Amandla is Awethu , which means “to us.”
Amantombazana	Little girls.
Angazi/Angaz'	“I don't know.”
Angiguli	“I'm not sick.”
Awethu	“To us!” See Amandla .
Baba	Father.
Babamkhulu	Grandfather.
Braai	Barbecue, an Afrikaans word.
Cha	“No.”
Dagga	Marijuana.
Gogo	Grandmother. Zulus refer to older women as Gogo, even when there is no familial relationship.
Gogo kaThandi	Thandi's grandmother. Literally, grandmother of Thandi.
Hamba/Hambani	“Go!” “Run!” Adding the “ni” to the end makes the word plural.
Hapana	“No.”
Hawu	An exclamation like “Wow!”
Hayibo	An expression of disbelief or surprise, similar to hawu . It is sometimes spelled haibo .
Hhayi	An exclamation, like “No!” or “No way!”
I-dining	The dining room.
Imbali	Literally, the word means “flower,” but it is also a township located just outside the city limits of Pietermaritzburg.
Impela	“Indeed.”
Impepho	An herb, commonly burned as incense by sangomas.
Impi	An army regiment. Can also refer to a family group, e.g., a father, his brothers, and all their sons.
Impundulu	A lightning bird, sent by witches. It is an evil portent, suggesting that you or one of your loved ones has been bewitched.
Indoda	Man.
Inkosikazi	Mrs. If you address a person directly as Inkosikazi, you must drop the initial “i” on the noun and it becomes Nkosikazi.
Intombazana	A little girl who has not yet menstruated.
Intombi	A girl who has reached the age of maturity, that is, one who is capable of bearing children.
Isithunzi (sake)	One's character, personality, or soul. It can also refer to a person's “shadow,” the level of goodness and strength within, that turns him or her into an ancestor after their death.
Khumbi	Also known as a “taxi,” a khumbi is a minibus that serves as transportation all over South Africa. It is sometimes spelled khombi or combi.
Kwaito	A style of music popular in South African townshipsâa combination of Afropop and hip-hop.
Lapha	“Here, right here.”
Lobola	To pay lobolo.
Lobolo	Bride price.
Masihambe	“Let's go.”
Mfana	Boy. The actual noun is Umfana , but Zulu speakers drop the initial “u” sound when addressing somebody directly as “Boy.” When Thandi drags out the “a” sound, Mfaan , she is just using slang to address her boyfriend as “Boy.”
Mina?	“Me?”
Mntwana wam'	“My child.”
Muthi	Medicine, all kinds. It can be used to heal somebody or for witchcraft purposes, which include poisoning one's enemies. In popular culture, muti (spelled without the “h”) is synonymous with witchcraft potions.
Na mina?	“And as for me?”
Ncese	Shame.
Ndoda	Man. The word is the same as Indoda but the initial “i” is dropped when a person is addressed directly as “Man.”
Ngena	“Enter.”
Ngikhathele kakhulu	“I'm so very tired.”
Ngisuthi	“I'm full.”
Ngiyabonga	“Thank you.”
Ngiyaxolisa	“I'm sorry” or “Forgive me.”
Ninjani?	“How are you and your family?”
Nkosikazi	Mrs. This is the same word as Inkosikazi, but Zulus drop the initial “i” sound when addressing a woman directly as Inkosikazi.
Ntombazana	A little girl who has not yet menstruated. Without the initial “i,” it means the speaker is directly addressing somebody as “Little Girl.”
Ntombi	A girl who has reached the age of maturity, that is, she is capable of bearing children. It is the same word as Intombi but when a girl is addressed directly as Intombi , Zulu speakers drop the initial “i” sound.
Pho!	An exclamation, like “Wow!”
Phuthu	The staple of Zulu meals, a corn meal mush, usually eaten with vegetables and meat.
Rand	South African currency.
Sala kahle	“Stay well.”
Sangoma	Traditional healer. A sangoma is a diviner, distinct from the herbalistâthe inyanga âthough often a sangoma embodies both roles.
Sawubona/Sanibona	“Hello” (singular/plural).
Shebeen	An illegal or unofficial bar, one that somebody has opened in their home.
Shesha/Sheshani	“Hurry.” Adding “ni” makes the command plural.
Sho!	An exclamation, like “Wow!”
Sikhona	Literally, this phrase means “we are here,” but basically means, “we're fine.”
Sisi	Sister. A term of affection but used commonly among men and women of approximately the same age, even if they aren't related.
Siyahamb'	“We are walking in the light of God.”
ekukhanyen'
kwenkhos'
Siyaphila	“We are well.”
Tokoloshe	A small, hairy creatureâmonkey-likeâwho is evil in nature and makes mischief. Witches may curse a person by sending a tokoloshe to cause mayhem in his or her life.
Toyi-toyi	A type of dancing created during South Africa's war for liberation. It is used for both protest and celebration.
Tsotsi	Gangster, bad boy.
Ubuntu	Literally, the word means humanity or mankind, but as a concept in African culture, ubuntu suggests that all humans are connected to each other and that what hurts one human, hurts all humans.
Ukuthwasa	A special illness that men and women (primarily women) undergo when they are called to be a sangoma , usually involving visions, disorientation, wandering.
Umfana	Boy. When Thandi drags out the “a” sound, Mfaaan , she is just using slang to address her boyfriend as “Boy.”
Umnumzana	Mr. Zulu speakers drop the initial “u” sound when directly addressing somebody as Umnumzana.
Umthakathi	A person who sends illness and death. A witch.
Unamanga	“You're a liar!”
Utshwala	Beer, specially brewed for celebrations and rites honoring the ancestors. It has a very low alcohol content and is a nutritious drink.
Uyagula?	“Are you sick?”
Uyakhona nawe?	“Is she with you?”
Uyaqonda?	“Do you understand?”
Vuka	“Wake up.”
Wena	“You.”
Woza	“Come.”
Wozani	“You (plural) come.”
Yebo	“Yes.” It is sometimes used to say “Hello!”
Zionists	One of many Christian sects in South Africa that emphasizes physical healing through prayer, water, and the laying on of hands.

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This Thing Called the Future

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in case of brief quotations for reviews. For information, write Cinco Puntos Press, 701 Texas, El Paso, TX 79901 or call at (915) 838-1625.

Cigarette card,
ZulumÃ¤dchen mit fonderbarer Haartracht
, used by permission of George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Powers, J. L. (Jessica Lynn), 1974-

p. cm.

Summary: Fourteen-year-old Khosi's mother wants her to get an education to break out of their South African shantytown, although she herself is wasting away from an untreated illness, while Khosi's grandmother, Gogo, seeks help from a traditional Zulu healer.

eISBN : 978-1-935-95510-8

[1. SickâFiction. 2. HealersâFiction. 3. Medical careâFiction. 4. Mothers and daughtersâFiction. 5. Zulu (African people)âFiction. 6. BlacksâSouth AfricaâFiction. 7. South AfricaâFiction.] I. Title.

PZ7.P883443Thi 2011

[Fic]âdc22

2010037399

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