Completion Date: 06 Aug 2023
Medium: Paint & ink on acid-free mount-board
Dimensions: 39 x 39″
Inyani means “truth” in IsiXhosa.
The Xhosa people are a Nguni ethnic group whose traditional homeland is primarily the Cape Provinces of South Africa. They are the second largest ethnic group in Southern Africa and are native speakers of the IsiXhosa language.
Presently, over nine million Xhosa-speaking people are distributed across the country. The pre-1994 apartheid system of Bantustans suspended the Xhosa South African citizenship, but assigned them to self-governing “homelands” (native reserves), namely; Transkei and Ciskei, now both a part of the Eastern Cape Province where most Xhosa remain. Many Xhosa live in Cape Town (eKapa in Xhosa), East London (eMonti), and Gqeberha (e-Bhayi).
Written Xhosa uses a Latin alphabet–based system and has some mutual intelligibility with Zulu, especially Zulu spoken in urban areas.
Notable Xhosa: Desmond Tutu, Steven Biko, Nelson Mandela, Winnie Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Albertina Sisulu, Govan Mbeki, Thabo Mbeki, Oliver Tambo
