Zulu traditions are alive and well in Kwa-Zulu Natal Province (which includes Durban), South Africa

Zulu village huts, near Durban, South Africa

The Zulu today are the largest ethnic group in South Africa, numbering about 11 million people, living predominantly in their homeland of KwaZulu-Natal Province (which includes the major port city of Durban).  The Zulu clan originated in the area in 1709 and rose to fame under their leader, Shaka ka Senzangakhana, or Shaka Zulu (1787 – 1828), who became the first Zulu king.  While acclaimed as a military genius for his inventions (including a long throwing spear and short, stabbing spear) and strategy, he is condemned for the brutality of his reign.  Under King Shaka (1816 – 1828), the Zulu increased their land holdings from 100 square miles to 11,500 acres with the mightiest African armed forces.  In the late 1800s the Zulus, along with the rest of South Africa, were ruled by the British.  The Zulu uprising against the British (Army) in January 1879  (the battle of Rorke’s Drift) was featured in the Hollywood movie “Zulu” in 1964; the Zulus were subjugated in July 1879.

Inanda Valley, home of the Zulus, near Durban, South Africa

On our tour of the Inanda Heritage Route with local guide Greg Garsons, we had the opportunity to visit a Zulu village where we were able to see their arts and crafts, watch a traditional dance, and go inside a traditional Zulu hut to understand domestic life — cooking, eating, sleeping and even taste their home-made liquor.

Hand woven Zulu blankets with contemporary colors

The Zulu dancers wore traditional Zulu costumes and the men had the traditional (Shaka) weapons for battle.

Zulu warriors, Inanda Valley village, Durban, Souith Africa

The dance we saw told the story of a traditional Zulu “boy meets girl” relationship, courtship and marriage.

Traditional Zulu dance – a marriage story

Traditional Zulu dance – the bride-to-be

Traditional Zulu dance – the groom-to-be

After visiting the inside of one of the Zulu homes, a Zulu woman showed us how they cook over an open fire.

Typical Zulu home cooking

Inanda Valley Zulu village with Zulu-style huts and adjacent modern homes

Inanda Valley traditional-style Zulu huts, near Durban, South Africa

Seeds of Democracy — The Inanda Heritage Route, Durban, South Africa (part 1)

Inanda Valley, 15 miles inland from Durban, South Africa

During our visit to Durban, South Africa, we were very fortunate that one of our ship’s concierges is from Durban and knows well Greg Garson, proprietor of Garsons Expeditions, who was available to give us a behind-the-scenes tour of the Inanda Heritage Route on a Sunday, when most historical attractions and monuments are closed.  Greg has a long history as a guide in the area and is world renowned as an expert on Gandhi’s early career (during which time he lived in the Durban area) — in fact, whenever any member of Gandhi’s family visits Durban, he is usually their personal guide.

Traditional Zulu homes in foreground, Inanda region, near Durban, South Africa

eNanda is part of the eThekwini municipality and only 15 miles away from the bustling city center of Durban, but due to its semi-rural character, much traditional Zulu culture is still practiced there. eNanda has always been a place where different cultures co-exist and merge; the unique spirit of the place has evolved through cross-cultural fertilization. Today, eNanda’s culture and heritage consists of a rich diversity of cultural heritage practices that range from traditional Zulu rituals to contemporary South African township culture. The eNanda web site goes on to give the following introduction: “The Inanda Heritage Route takes in some of the most important, albeit little-known, historical sites of Durban. Winding its way through the Inanda Valley, it provides a snapshot of critical South African history as well as, perhaps surprisingly, India’s past. Inanda’s recent history dates back to the early 1800s, when KwaZulu Natal was a Boer Republic. It was a farm then, which passed hands several times as the Boers left and the British arrived, and then when African and Indian farmers came here to farm sugar cane.

“But it was the events that unfolded at the turn of the century that shaped its future. First Mahatma Gandhi, then a lawyer, arrived in the region to represent an Indian client. After being thrown off a train for sitting in a “whites only” section, Gandhi stayed on here and started his passive resistance movement.

“Then, in the 1960s, Inanda became home to the thousands of people displaced from urban areas under apartheid laws. It quickly grew into a shanty town and then, as segregation laws took further hold, a dense informal settlement that was later the site of intense political violence.

“In 1994, Inanda’s outlook changed as democracy was born in South Africa. To mark the occasion, Nelson Mandela cast his vote in this historic election at Inanda’s Ohlange Institute, fitting given that the first-ever president of the African National Congress (ANC), Dr. John L. Dube, established this school in 1901.”

Bust of Mohandas K. Gandhi at the Phoenex Settlement, Durban, South Africa

The bust, above, of Mohandas Gandhi was unveiled on the launch of the centenary celebrations of the Phoenix Settlement (see history, below) on the 28th April, 2004.

“It was after I went to South Africa that I became what I am now.” — Mohandas K. Gandhi

International Printing Press founded by Gandhi in 1903 in the Phoenix Settlement, Durban, South Africa

Phoenix Settlement (where Gandhi lived and worked) was founded by Gandhi in 1904 after he visited the Trappist community at Mariannhill and read John Ruskin’s “To This Last”.  Phoenix represented a belief in the equality of all labor, the value of manual work and a simple communal lifestyle.  The newspaper “Indian Opinion” was printed at Phoenix (see above photo of the press building) until its closure in 1961.  Throughout its long history, Phoenix Settlement has always been at the forefront of the struggle for justice, peace and equality.  It was an important site of resistance during Aprartheid.  Activists from all over South Africa came to the Phoenix Settlement for political education and training programs.  During the “1985 Inanda Riots” much of the settlement was burnt to the ground, but after 1994 (post-Apartheid) it was carefully reconstructed.  Gandhi’s house, Sarvodaya, the printing press building (today a community clinic), and the Phoenix Interpretation Center all form a part of the Phoenix Settlement.

Gandhi family home (built 1904) at the Phoenex Settlement, Durban, South Africa

“That the good of the individual is contained in the good of all.” — Mohandas K. Gandhi

Gandhi’s home, named Sarvodaya — “Well Being for All” — was built in 1904 when the Phoenix Settlement was established.  It was was quite an adjustment from the city for Gandhi’s wife and sons to adjust to a communal life with no running water and no electricity, miles from the city of Durban.  The original Sarvodaya was a corrugated iron house, rebuilt in 1950 when it became a prayer hall, and now serves to tell the history of Gandhi in South Africa.

Gandhi home\museum, Phoenix Settlement, Durban, South Africa

“I have not the shadow of a doubt that any man or woman can achieve what I have if he or she would make the same effort and cultivate the same hope and faith”.  — Mohandas K. Gandhi

Gandhi formulated and first practiced SATYAGRAHA in South Africa in the early 20th C

The term SATYAGRAHA was created and developed by Mohandas Gandhi in South Africa from “satya” (truth) and “agraha” (insistence), meaning “insistence on truth”.  It is today commonly referred to as nonviolent resistance.

Parting thoughts at the M. Gandhi Museum, Phoenix Settlement, Durban, South Africa

“Even though it was impossible at that time to predict the profound influence Gandhi, Dube and Shembe (see our blog on the Inanda Heritage Route, part 2) would have on the religious, social and political landscape in South Africa, THE SEEDS OF DEMOCRACY WERE SCATTERED HERE, to slowly take root and spread.  eNanda was a place that held the promise of a different kind of society; one where diversity is celebrated rather than feared, and where all people are free, equal and empowered to reach their full potential”. — quoted from the Gandhi museum at the Phoenix Settlement.

Zulu art

Zulu art — black and white motifs

We were fortunate to visit the African Art Centre on Florida Road in the heart of central Durban during our visit.  The Centre is the major retail gallery for local Zulu artisans.  Their description of the organization:  “The Durban African Art Centre Association provides thousands of unemployed artists and craftspeople with opportunities of self-employment and economic upliftment and the ability to earn a sustainable living. We reach out to some of the poorest communities in KwaZulu Natal; the youth, rural women, the disabled, the unemployed and persons affected by HIV and AIDS. We have built a reputation for supplying specialized, high quality products hand crafted products. Every purchase made from the African Art Centre provides a sustainable income for more than 1,000 crafters supported by the Centre.”

Zulu art — three tribal character dolls

According to Wikipidia, “The Zulu are a Bantu ethnic group of Southern Africa and the largest ethnic group in South Africa, with an estimated 10–11 million people living mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.  Small numbers also live in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania and Mozambique.  Their language, Zulu, is a Bantu language; more specifically, part of the Nguni subgroup.”  We also had the opportunity to travel inland to visit Zulu towns and watch a traditional Zulu dance troupe; stay tuned for an upcoming blog post…

Zulu art — colorful starburst basket

The Center explains the colorful basketry:  “Telephone wire basketry is an indigenous South African art form which has grown from the basket weaving skills of the Zulu people of KwaZulu Natal. The craft is said to have originated in the 1950’s when night watchmen working in the cities would weave telephone wire around their wooden walking sticks whilst working at night. Originally the wire was sourced from leftovers lying around, however when telephone wire started being ripped off and stolen off telephone poles, a supplier came on board and started producing the plastic casing specifically for the telephone wire producers.
“The majority of our weavers are from the Greytown and New Hanover areas in Central KwaZulu Natal.  This group of almost 60 male and female basket weavers consistently create baskets in various shapes and sizes, including bowls, vases and other functional items. In addition to functional items, wire weavers supported by The African Art Centre produce vibrant, colourful telephone wire earrings, brooches, bracelets and bangles.”

Zulu art — colorful textile panel

The embroidery pictured above is a relatively new craft for the Zulus.  The Centre notes:  “In view of the high levels of unemployment, the production of craft has become a significant source of income particularly within rural and low-income communities in KwaZulu Natal. For more than 50 years, The African Art Centre has committed itself to facilitating and implementing relevant, strategic programmes and projects aimed at addressing the concern of unemployment.  One such project was an embroidery project initiated by the African Art Centre in 2004 for a group of 7 young unemployed single mothers living in KwaZulu Natal.  The group named themselves the Ntokozo Group. The word Ntokozo loosely translated means “happy” and the embroidered panels of bold images and exuberant colour speak of personal stories, the environment and the hopes and aspirations of the crafters. The group which has grown in number continues to produce a range of embroidered products, including embroidered panels, aprons, dishtowels, placemats and stuffed animals.”

Zulu art — tribal character doll and basket