Ashamed of my Venda heritage?

 

Vho tanganedzwa! O amogelesegile! Welcome!

 

 

I moved to makhuwani the city to pursue a higher education qualification about 5 years ago after completing my matric. I stayed in Bloemfontein for few months then moved to Port Elizabeth. Staying in a predominantly Xhosa-speaking city, i became acquainted with a different culture, language which i can altogether call 'a beautiful life experience' , but at the same time i was exposed to the prevailing stereotypes about Vhavenda people.

In my first year as a University student, i secretly felt bitter about being Venda. My accent and pronunciation of various English words was different, i wasn't exposed much to the "City" life as were my classmates who were far ahead of me in almost everything, their proficiency in English was top-level, their fashion sense was more hip 'n evolved and they just appeared 'cooler' than me, a village girl.

Friendships with various people groups were developed, most of which ended when my culture was continuously used as an outlet for tribalism. Most of the time i had to endure listening to people who have never set foot outside Eastern Cape educate me about the high level of witchcraft in Venda- this stereotype is mostly supported by the representation of Vhavenda on the SABC 2 daily drama Muvhango ( never mind the fact that the writer and producer Duma Ka Ndlovu is a Zulu man).

Some of my friends would ask me if i have ever eaten Mopani worms and if my reply was a 'yes' it would be met with disgust and wonderment. Some girls i stayed with over the years used to be alarmed that i knew how to cook the same food as they do. I was unaware that i had been reduced to a Mopani worm-consuming acquaintance.

A friend of mine from Kwazulu-natal once asked me if they issued me with a red passport in order to enter South Africa. At first i didn't take offense but as i contemplated on the matter i then realized the damage that the separation of tribal groups into Homelands had caused. There is a lot that needs to be done not only to bridge the gap between different racial groups in South Africa but also different tribes.

Just as i am no longer ashamed of being a black person in a post-colonial society, i have begun taking pride in my Venda heritage. There is nothing to be ashamed of. The Venda tribe is not inferior nor superior to any other in South Africa (or the entire globe for that matter).

This New blog is dedicated to debunking some myths and erasing stereotypes about the Vhavenda people. I hope you will enjoy reading, begin taking pride in your heritage as a Venda person and if you are not, my hope is that you will be equipped and enlightened about my culture!

Lets take this journey together.
Gudi, xx