Zulu Culture

Zulu an ethnic group of southern Africa

Introduction

The Zulu are an ethnic group in Africa that had military and political fortunes in the early nineteenth century. They belong to the much larger nation Ngoni; among these they have the Swazi and Ndebele of Zimbabwe. The Zulu are about 11 million and are located mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. They speak the isiZulu, a Bantu language belonging to the subgroup Nguni. Their names are related with AmaZulu, which in isiZulu means people of heaven. The Zulu Kingdom played a major role in the history of South Africa in the nineteenth century. During the regime of apartheid, the Zulu were regarded as citizens of a lower level today are the largest ethnic group in the country and enjoy the same rights as other South Africans.

Thesis Statement

Zulu culture is very different from current era culture; it is mostly complex and different from other ethics groups. They have strong beliefs and strong tradition due to which they are recognized in the world. Moreover, they have elaborated rituals and traditions which make them more diverse from other ethic groups.

History of Zulu

The Amazulu are considered as a direct descendant of the patriarch Zulu from the Nguni people, who lived in the 16th century on the banks of the river Congo in the central area. 400 years ago, they migrated to south to their current location, finding the lands inhabited by the Khoisan. They are those who borrowed many of their customs that incorporate with their own culture. They even included in the phonetics of the language the typical sounds, "click" of the San languages (Lewis, 2006).

During the reign of King Shaka (1816-1828), the Zulu became the mightiest military force throughout South Africa and increased their land from the 200 square kilometers occupying up to occupy over 20,000 square kilometers of new territory . Their successor, King Dingaan signed the first treaties with the English colonists. In these treaties, the Zulu king authorized starting of mining operations but the fact that authorization would transform into a real occupation by the English from the Zulu territory. With their successor, King Mpende and his occupation were consolidated and when he dies in 1872, their successor, King Cetewayo, tries in vain to regain their legitimate authority violated. After years of negotiations to avoid armed confrontation, in 1879 the war becomes inevitable. After some initial successes in which the colonial troops suffered huge losses, the British Empire decided to bet big and send troops like never before had moved to Africa. The English took hold over the Zulu kingdom and forced them to be a part of British sovereignty. In 1906, this situation occurred ending the Zulu loosing tremendous loss (Beall, 2006).

Today, despite the recognition of King Zwelithini by the entire Zulu people, the main political leader is not him, but Mangosuthu, president of the Inkatha Party (IFP), a member of the royal family and former manager of the Natal region under the apartheid system. Buthelezi tried to be hereditary king appointed director in 1995 without success. Democratic elections have shown, moreover, that Buthelezi did not represent the general feeling of the Zulu people, having been an important sector that voted for the ANC ...