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Back From The Dead

~ The Rising of an African Spirit

Back From The Dead

Tag Archives: weddings

african praise poetry – izibongo

11 Tuesday Nov 2014

Posted by nativedrum in africa, african, african author, african in america, african poetry, african writer, articles, blogger, cultural, ethnic identity, historical figure, history, identity, indepedent author, indie author, leadership, national identity, opinion piece, pan african, poetry, self publishing, social commentary, tradition, tribal identity, writing

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africa, ancestors, apartheid, Back from the Dead: The Rising of an African Spirit, biko, clan names, frank talk, freedom, funerals, geography, heritage, history, isindebele, isixhosa, isizulu, lineage, mandela, martin luther king jr, mlk, nat turner, nelson mandela, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, poetry, praise poems, praise poetry, rainbow nation, richard sherman, robert sobukwe, sesotho, setswana, siswati, southern africa, struggle, thomas sankara, tributes, weddings

Izibongo is an Nguni term literally meaning ‘clan names’. In SeSotho it is referred to as Dithoko, in SeTswana as Diboko and in SePedi as Diretho.

African oral poetry, the izibongo, are ancient praise poems which are a popular indigenous oral tradition in Southern Africa. Traditionally, it is used to praise kings, queens and all royalty; praise poetry is an essential part of our essence as African people.

It is the vessel of our history, our cultural heritage and our reference point on how to express ourselves.

Africans in general rely on praise poetry to identify themselves because many Africans have clan names which form the basis of our identity. These clan names are bound together in sequence or hierarchy relative to geography, history, lineage and major historical events.

Praise poetry is used to compile and narrate the history, heritage and lineage of a people, family, a nation, etc.

During the struggle against Apartheid in South Africa this ancient tradition was revived and widely used for protest poetry at large public gatherings.

This ancient tradition is also used to praise and celebrate the legacy of individuals of note and record events of great importance – battles, wars, famine, floods, marriage, births, deaths, arrivals of foreigners, freedom, etc.

Excerpt from a translation of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela praises:
It’s a dream of the dead
It’s a dream that people thought would never come true
People have cried till they gave up
How many souls are under the ground?
How many corpses because of Mandela
Mandela Mandela
Mandela Mandela…

In my recently published book, Back From The Dead: The Rising of an African Spirit, I have included three praise poems dedicated to Nelson Mandela (Caught Forever), Martin Luther King Jr (Schooling Us) and Steve Biko (Urban Legend).

I have also written tribute pieces to celebrate the legacies of Thomas Sankara and Robert Sobukwe, and I am currently researching Nat Turner with the intention of writing a tribute piece based on his contribution to the struggle for freedom for all.

Praise poetry is often used to invoke the presence of the ancestors in healing ceremonies, funerals and weddings.

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Back From The Dead: The Rising of an African Spirit

10 Friday Oct 2014

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1976 soweto riots, 4th dynasty, afro, anger, apartheid, babylon, black poetry cafe, black power, blood, bottled letter, bouquet, curse of ages, definition, departures, diaspora, dona richards, drama queen, egypt, export quality, frank talk, great zimbabwe, hammock, houseboy, hurt, i have a dream, jackie o, jfk, jfk's eternal flame, john carlos, john f kennedy, joy, kaffer, kafir, kemet, khafre, khemet, khoi, khufu, kilimanjaro, kings and queens, kunta kente, kwame ture, lava, lollipop, love, marimba ani, martin luther king jr, mbeki, mexico '68, michael jackson, muhammad ali, natives, negro, negro spirituals, nelson mandela, neosoul, obama, oliver tambo, overcome, pain, pebbles, percetion, personal struggle, piece of the past, pyramids, quilt, racism, rasta, revenge, romance, rumble in the jungle, rumours of rain, sambo, san, schoolin' us, segregation, selma, sense of self, sex, slavery, sobukwe, soprano, soul, soweto, steve biko, stevie wonder, stokely carmichael, struggle, teddy pendergrass, The anthology, thug, tommie smith, ultimately, walter sisulu, washington march, waterloo, weddings, wesley snipes, white house, wonder woman

The anthology is a celebration of life, its different seasons and the struggle to overcome.

The book consists of 50 poems; some poems are images of personal struggle, others visualise the celebration of love, and a few are odes to great leaders and historical reflections.
The single message the book intends to transfer to the reader is a sense of self love and appreciation.

Throughout the book references are made to Africa with the sole intention to encourage Africans on the continent and across the Diaspora to reflect on their rich identity, self-concept and to be proud of their heritage, in order to inject a greater sense of self-worth and responsibility in their daily lives.


This book is dedicated to all those that have made a positive impact on my life, whether intended or not, especially those that have emphasized the need to cultivate more love and tolerance in the world.

Posted by nativedrum | Filed under african author, african poetry, african writer, black poetry, blogger, erotic poetry, freestyle poetry, historical figure, history, indepedent author, indie author, poetry, revolutionary poetry, self publishing, sensual poetry

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