IsiXhosa Intellectual Traditions (IsiXIT) Digital Archive

IsiXhosa

Inkcazelo

Imvo Zabantsundu (African Opinion) iliphepha-ndaba lokuqala ukuphathwa ngabantu abantsundu eMzantsi Afrika. eLasekwa nguJohn Tengo Jabavu eQonce (King William’s Town) ekwiphondo laseMpuma Koloni. Ushicilelo lokuqala lwaba ngoNovember 1884. Imvo Zabantsundu yaba liphepha-ndaba lokuqala ukunika iqonga kubapapashi beendaba abantsundu. Kwaye yaba liphepha-ndaba lokuqala ukubavumela ukuba banike izimvo ngezopolitiko nezasekuhlaleni ngaphandle kokuphathwa nokukhalinyelwa ngamamishini. Eliphepha-ndaba ladlala indima enkulu ekuphuhliseni ezopolitiko zabantu abantsundu ngeloxesha. Lakwenza oku ngokupapasha malunga namaqela ezopolitiko kunye nokukhuthaza ubhaliso lokuvota lwabantu abantsundu, kunye nokulungelelanisa unyulo kwiPalamente yaseKapa. Eliphepha-ndaba lalibhalwa kakhulu ngesiXhosa, ngamanye amaxesha sasibakhona isiNgesi phantsi kwesahloko ‘Native Opinion’.

English

Description

Imvo Zabantsundu (Eng trans: African Opinion) was the first African owned and run newspaper in South Africa. It was founded by John Tengo Jabavu in King William’s Town, present day Eastern Cape, with its first edition published in November 1884. Imvo Zabantsundu offered the first platform for African journalism, political and social commentary, and opinions which were free from any missionary control or censorship. The paper played an important role in developing African politics of its time, offering a mouthpiece to various emerging African political organizations, and promoting African voter registration and coordination in Cape Parliament elections. The paper was written primarily in isiXhosa and sometimes contained an English section titled ‘Native Opinion’.

Is Referenced By

Switzer, L., & Switzer, D. (1979). The Black press in South Africa and Lesotho: a descriptive bibliographic guide to African, Coloured, and Indian newspapers, newsletters, and magazines, 1836-1976. Hall Reference Books. 40-41

Moropa, K. (2010). African voices in Imvo Zabantsundu: Literary pieces from the past. South African Journal of African Languages,30(2), 135-144.

Collection Notes

Missing editions or pages: Some editions or individual pages of the newspaper are missing from the original physical archive. Where this is the case, it is stated in the metadata formation which we have provided for each edition of the newspaper included on this website. Note that range of editions presented here is in progress and editions for the years 1892 onward will be added in the future.