South African President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers his 2024 State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Cape Town on Thursday, February 8. The speech, at the annual opening of parliament, brings together the National Assembly (NA) and the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) for a joint sitting. Ramaphosa's SONA is expected to cover a wide range of political, economic and social matters. Traditionally, the president also makes key government announcements during the address. -

Zulu Maskandi Music

⁣Elegba is the Messenger between the Spirit and Physical worlds.

⁣Yorùbá Tribute to the late Okunini (Dr.) Edward Nanbigne
⁣Ìbà o o o!
Ọlọ́jọ́ òní mo júbà k'íbà mi k’ó máa ṣẹ
Ìbà lọ́wọ́ Olódùmarè a gb'ọ̀tún
Atẹ́ní lẹ́ bẹ́lébẹ́ ṣagbeji ara
Mo júbà k'íbà mi kó máa ṣẹ
Ìbà apẹ́tẹ́ ọwọ́
Ìbà pẹ̀lẹ̀m̀bẹ̀ ẹsẹ̀
Ìbà àpẹ́tẹ́lẹrísẹ̀ tí ò hunrun tó fi dé pọọlọ itan
Ọlọ́jọ́ òní mo júbà k'íbà mi kó máa ṣẹ
Ìbà alájá t’òun t'ògbóró
Ìbà ẹlẹ́ṣin t’òun t'èèkàn lẹ́ sẹ̀
…bí labalábá bá jáko a sì júbà ẹyẹ oko
Àgbẹ̀ jáko a sì júbà kùẹ̀kùẹ̀
Àgbẹ̀ tó jáko tí ò júbà kùẹ̀kùẹ̀
Ọkọ́ á ṣá wọn lójúgun
Ọlọ́jọ́ òní mo júbà k'íbà mi kó máa ṣẹ.
(Àlàbí 1998)
Homage o o o!
The owner of today I pay homage
Let my homage be acknowledged
Homage to Olódùmarè who claims the right path
The one who flatly spread the mat to cover his entire body
I pay homage let my homage be acknowledged
Homage to the palm of the hand
Homage to the sole of the foot
Homage to the sole of the foot which does not grow hair up to the lap
The owner of today I salute let my homage be acknowledged
Homage to the owner of dog and its chain
Homage to the owner of horse and its chain
When butterfly enters farm it acknowledges the birds in the forest
When farmer enters farm he acknowledges kùẹ̀kùẹ̀
The farmer who enters farm without paying homage to kùẹ̀kùẹ̀ gets himself hit on the shin by the hoe.
Ikú tó pa ojúgbà ẹni-í pòwe mọ́ni
⁣‘‘The death that kills one’s age mate speaks to one proverbially’’.
Aláwo á kú; oníṣègùn á rọ̀run; adáhunṣe ò níí gbéle.
The diviner will die; the medicine man will go to heaven; the magician will not remain forever on earth.

Ikú ogun ní ńpa akíkanjú; ikú odò ní ń pa òmùwẹ̀; ikú ara-ríré níí ń pa arẹwà, màjàmàsá ní ń pa onítìjú; òwò tádàá bá mọ̀ níí ń ká àdá léhín.
It is death related to warfare that kills the warrior; it is the death associated with the river that kills the swimmer; it is the death attendant on preening that kills the beautiful person; wondering whether to stand and fight or run kills the easily embarrassed person; the trade that the cutlass knows knocks out its teeth.
Gbèsè nikú; kò sẹ́ni tí kò níí pa.
Death is a debt; there is no one it will not kill.
Ikú lorúkọ àjẹ́pẹ̀kun.
Death is the name one bears at the last.
Àìsàn là ń wò, a kì í wo ikú.
One treats an illness; one does not treat
Ọ̀nà ọ̀fun, ọ̀nà ọ̀run: méjèèjì bákan náà ni wọ́n rí.
The pathway of the throat, the pathway to the skies: the two are very much alike.
Ogún pa ará, odò-ó gbé iyèkan lọ, àjọ̣bí sọnù lọ́nà Ìkòròdú, a ò tún rẹ́ni bá rìn mọ́, àfi ẹni tí ń tanni.
Death took one’s kin; the river carries off one’s siblings; one’s blood relations disappear on the road to Ìkòròdú; one has nobody left to keep one company save those intent on deceiving one. (An expression of the statement that one has lost all those one could rely on.)
Àìdé ikú là ńso ààjà mọ́rùn; bíkú bá dé á já ààjà sílẹ̀ a gbé aláàjà lọ.
It is when death has not come calling that one ties charms around one’s neck; when death comes calling, it rips the charm away and carries its wearer off.

Ó di ọjọ́ tí aláró bá kú ká tó mọ oye aṣọ tó gbà rẹ.
It is on the day of the dyer’s death that one knows how many pieces of cloth she had taken in to dye.
Òmùwẹ̀ lodò ńgbé lọ.
It is the expert swimmer that is carried off by the river. (Whatever one is addicted to doing is likely to be one’s death.)
Àìdé ikú là ḿbọ Ògún; àìdé ikú là ḿbọ òrìṣà; bíkú bá dé ikú ò gbebọ.
It is when death has not called that one sacrifices to Ògún; it is when death has not called that one sacrifices to the òrìṣà; when death comes calling, death does not heed sacrifices.
There is no medicine or sacrifice to stop death when its time comes.
Àwáyé-àìkú ò sí; ẹ̀rù lásán la fi ń dá ba ara wa.
There is no living without dying; we only scare ourselves [with death].
Ikú ńpa aláwọ̣ ẹkùn, káláwọ agílíńtí ó múra.
Death kills the person clothed in leopard skin; the person clothed in lizard skin had better prepare himself or herself.
Ikú tó pa òwè ń pòwe fún ẹdun.
The death that killed the black monkey sends a proverbial message to the colobus monkey.

Ikú tóbi loba; àrà tó wu ikú nikú ń da. Death is a mighty king indeed; whatever it chooses to do, that it does.
Ọjọ́ a bá kú là ń dère, èèyàn ò sunwọ̀n láàyè.
It is on the day one dies that one becomes an idol; no one is appreciated when alive.
Àtisùn ẹ̀dá à ṣẹ̀hìn Olódùmarè.
A human being’s dying is not hidden from the Creator. (Only Olódùmarè determines the time of a person’s death.)
Kí á jìnnà séjò tí a à bẹ́ lórí; ikú tí yóò panni á jìnnà síni.
One should stand far back from a snake that has not been beheaded; the death that would kill deserves a wide berth. (One should recognize dangerous situations and keep away from them.)

The Battle of Isandlwana on 22 January 1879 was the first major encounter in the Anglo-Zulu War between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Eleven days after the British commenced their invasion of Zululand in South Africa, a Zulu force of some 20,000 warriors attacked a portion of the British main column consisting of about 1,800 British, colonial and native troops and perhaps 400 civilians.

The Zulus were equipped mainly with the traditional assegai iron spears, iklwa and cow-hide shields, but also had a number of muskets and old rifles though they were not formally trained in their use.

⁣Part 1: The xmnw Interviews: Tindaana Kamperga Alemna (Painter)