#xhosa

It's getting kinda hard to find images of "iimpundulu zonke ziyandilandela" (Impundulu constantly follows me) by Nicholas Hlobo so I wanted to archive a collection somewhere. Something about this piece is very upsetting and foul to me and I absolutely love it.

Worship song - South African school

Tag game post and shameless advertisement for my incredibly skilled, talented artist and friend, Nick @quinthebard - you're tagged, btw! 🌟

Tempest “Genie” Eugenia Valourheart

As many of you already know.

But what I haven’t shared... is that for the past 300 years, her family has adopted conventional Faerûnian names to better navigate the political world of Baldur’s Gate. Their Katashakan names and heritage are closely guarded secrets, known only within the family. They conceal their origins to protect both themselves and the wider world from the entity lying dormant in their bloodline - a curse inherited from the ancestor who bound himself to an evil purpose and became the instrument of a civilisation’s downfall.

Tempest no longer uses Eugenia, the name given to her at birth. As a Sorceress Adept of the War Wizards, she was required to choose a new name during her proving - one that reflects her combat abilities while obscuring her identity from enemy eyes. The Cormyrian Royal Mages deliberately recruit those without strong family ties, shaping them into instruments wholly devoted to the cause and loyal to the throne.

Inyazi

Her Katashakan name, meaning “lightning” and inspired by the Xhosa & Zulu languages: Unyazi. It is a common practice for the Valourhearts to give their scions names associated with the sky.

Inhliziyo Yonyazi

And, authentic to D&D tradition, Tempest also has a true name - one never meant to be spoken aloud: Inhliziyo Yonyazi, meaning “Heart of Lightning” (Zulu/South African origin). If that doesn’t have destiny written all over it, I don’t know what does.

"Roro" inyoni yezulu

The storm entity dormant within her heart is called Roro, an Easter egg referencing Ororo Munroe. Roro is one of the divine inyoni yezulu (Xhosa/Zulu origins: "bird of the sky"). The storm eagles: rulers of the skies, also known in shamanic tradition as Children of the Sky Mother.

Thank you for tagging me, @saylofwaterdeep & @ceremorph0sis!

Miriam Makeba - Pata Pata 1967

Zenzile Miriam Makeba, nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. She was born in Johannesburg to Swazi and Xhosa parents, and is associated with musical genres including Afropop, jazz, and world music, she was an advocate against apartheid and white-minority government in South Africa.

"Pata Pata" is an Afro-pop dance song, considered by many to be Makeba's signature hit and it has since been recorded by many artists. The song's title means "touch touch" in the Xhosa language, in which the song was originally written and sung. "Pata Pata" was also the name of a style of dance that was popular in the shebeens of Johannesburg's Townships in the mid-1950s. Makeba's "Pata Pata" was originally sung, recorded, and released in South Africa by Makeba's girl group The Skylarks in either 1956 or 1959. In 1967, after establishing a successful singing career in the US, Makeba re-recorded the song with Jerry Ragovoy producing, and with an added spoken part in English. Ragovoy was then billed as the co-writer of the words and music. The single peaked at #12 on the Billboard chart. On the night she died, Miriam Makeba performed "Pata Pata" just before she collapsed on stage.

"Pata Pata" received a total of 75,6% yes votes! Previous Miriam Makeba-related polls: #599 "Makeba".