Izinganekwane explained: Traditional Zulu folktales that teach life lessons and preserve heritage
How Zulu folktales strengthen family bonds and cultural heritage.
Image: Ron AI
Zulu folktales, known as izinganekwane, are being highlighted by University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) academic Professor Sihawukele Ngubane as crucial to preserving culture, teaching moral lessons and strengthening family bonds.
Traditionally told by elders such as grandmothers in the evenings, these stories often feature talking animals, mythical events and trickster characters, while passing down wisdom through oral tradition.
"They carry the spirituality and social fabric of a community in a form of myths, legends and stories. They have moral lessons that build characters of individuals. Izinganekwane are dominated by tricksters, animals. They are rooted in oral traditions and form a cornerstone of culture," Ngubane said.
He added that the tales are more than entertainment, noting that they act as a "Symbolic enabler for unity and ties within families while bridging the past to the present, and preserving languages and history of a nation."
Gcina Mhlophe, one of South Africa's most renowned storytellers, has dedicated her career to preserving and sharing such folktales. Her work blends traditional narratives with inspiring and educational stories for children.
"Stories are our friends, our counselors, and our teachers. They are a means of nurturing a moral culture in the hearts and minds of people," she said.
Examples of izinganekwane:
- The origin of death
The creator sends a chameleon with the message that humans would live forever. Because the chameleon is slow, a lizard carrying the opposite message, that people would die, arrives first.
The story explains mortality while teaching that delay can have lasting consequences.
- Uhlakanyana the trickster
A mischievous spirit who outsmarts cannibals and animals by using wit over strength. In one story, he avoids being eaten by convincing cannibals to fatten him up first, before escaping.
His tales highlight intelligence but also serve as warnings about dishonesty and selfishness.
- The lion and the jackal
To escape death, the jackal convinces the lion to hold up a boulder about to 'fall'. While the lion strains under the rock, the jackal flees. This story, told widely in southern Africa, emphasises how cleverness can outmanoeuvre power.
- Tselane and the izimu (giant)
Tselane learns a secret song from her mother to protect herself at home. An izimu imitates the song to trick her but fails until it magically changes its voice. The giant kidnaps her, but she tricks it by replacing herself with rocks in its sack and escapes.
The tale warns against trusting strangers as one may never know their intentions.
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