Senkatana

Sophonia Machabe Mofokeng

Description

Senkatana is a dramatisation of an old Basotho legend. The hero, Senkatana, kills a monster that is terrorising people, but is then killed by some of these people.

Senkatana is a Sesotho play which contextualises an old Basotho legend, passed down for many centuries by word of mouth. Mofokeng may have heard it from his grandmother, as storytelling was the task of grandmothers.

The legend of Senkatana concerns a monster called Kgodumodumo which swallowed all the people and animals that lived, except for one pregnant woman who gave birth to a baby boy and named him Senkatana. When the boy became a young man, he killed Kgodumodumo and saved all the people and animals. The people were grateful and made him their king, but soon afterwards they killed him, at the instigation of a member of their society whose wife wanted to settle a family score.

Mofokeng tells the story in dramatic form, allowing the perspectives of the opposing characters to be voiced through a range of subsidiary characters: the protagonist, Senkatana, is supported by three other characters, and Bulane, the antagonist, is urged on by his wife, Mmadiepetsane, to kill the king.

This drama, apart from telling a story, also portrays something about the life of Mofokeng, a committed Christian who believed that those who fight against justice are eventually defeated by it.

Sujets

• Republic of South Africa
• South Africa
• General officer
• Northern Sotho language
• General
• Afrique du Sud

Informations

• Publié par: WITS University Press
• Date de parution: 01 octobre 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781776145454
• Langue: Sotho, Southern

Extrait

SENKATANA
The African Treasury Series, published from the 1940s onwards, consists of works written by pioneers of South African literature in African languages. It has provided a voice for the voiceless and celebrated African culture, history and heritage. The reissue of these foundational texts with new introductions supports ongoing efforts to highlight the importance of writing in indigenous languages, and to remember and celebrate these early giants of African literature.
These reissued texts maintain the orthographic and typesetting fidelity of the original editions published by Wits University Press. New introductions to the texts are included, in the original language and in English.
Several years of concerted effort went into restoring this collection to its rightful place in the canon of African literature. Wits University Press took care to be mindful of the major changes in publishing that have occurred since the works were first published, and undertook several initiatives to reissue these texts. A grant was received from the WiSER Mellon African Digital Humanities project in order to produce the new editions.
Several strong supporters of this project were instrumental in advising, working on and providing the solid basis on which the full print and digital availability of these titles could be completed. It is thanks to the tireless efforts of Nhlanhla Maake, Tuelo Gabonewe, Langa Khumalo, Mike Mahase, Njabulo Manyoni, Sabata Mokae, Fran Saunders, Dumisani Sibiya, Pat Tucker, Mpume Zondi and Karen Press.

Published in South Africa by
Wits University Press
1 Jan Smuts Avenue
Johannesburg 2001
www.witspress.co.za
First published by Wits University Press, 1952
Published edition © University of the Witwatersrand, 2021
Introduction © Mike Mahase, 2021
Cover photograph: SM Mofokeng Collection (DCAS 59), UNISA Library, Archives & Special Collections
978-1-77614-041-1 (Paperback)
978-1-77614-042-8 (Web PDF)
978-1-77614-545-4 (EPUB)
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher, except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act, Act 98 of 1978.
Every effort has been made to locate the original copyright holder of the cover image reproduced here by kind permission of UNISA Library, Archives & Special Collections; please contact Wits University Press in case of any omissions or errors.
Proofreader and translation of Introduction: Mike Mahase
Project manager: Fran Saunders and Karen Press
Cover design: Hybrid Creative
Typeset in 10.5 point Plantin
Ka bukana ena ke leboha
MME le NTATE
hodima tsohle tseo ba nketseditseng tsona .
Selelekela
Mike Mahase
Nkg. Sophonia Machabe Mofokeng (PhD) (1923–1957)
Bophelo ba hae bo bokgutshwane o ngotse dibuka tse tharo: Senkatana (1952), Leetong (1954), le Pelong ya ka (1962). Hape o ile a ngola mmoho le Profesa C.M. Doke buka e bitswang A Text Book of Southern Sotho Grammar (1967).
Selelekeleng sa buka ena, Senkatana , Mofokeng o ananela kgothaletso eo a ile a e fumana ho mosebetsimmoho le yena, Profesa Doke, ho ngola buka ena ka selemo sa 1945: ‘Mosebetsinyana ona ke o qadile ka yona nako eo. Ke thabile haholo ha e le mona bukana ena e hatiswa e lee nngwe ya tsa ‘pokello’ e leng matsohong a hae’.
Hape o ananela thuso a ileng a e fumana ho nkgekge ya puo ya Sesotho, Z.D. Mangoaela: ‘O badile mosebetsinyana ona pele o hatiswa mme a nthusa haholo ka ho kenya matshwao ao nna ke neng ke sa a kenya le ka ho fetola lentswe mona le mane’. Thuso ena e ne e hlokahala kaha e ne e le buka ya hae ya pele.
Jwalo ka ha a hlalositse selelekeleng, Senkatana ke tshomo ya ditjhaba tse ngata tsa Afrika. Ke tshomo e fetisitsweng ho mengwahengkgolo e mengata ka ho phethelwana. Mofokeng e ka nna yaba o e phethetswe ke nkgonwae, kaha ona e ne e le mosebetsi wa bonkgono.
Hore mmadi a utlwisisa tshwantshiso ena, ho bohlokwa ho tseba kamoo ditshomo di neng di phetwa mme a bapiswe le tsela eo Mofokeng a e phetang ka yona. E ka bapiswa le e ngotsweng ke moruti wa Mofora, Edouard Jacottet bukeng ya hae e bitswang Litšomo tsa Basotho Buka ea pele e hatisitsweng selemong sa 1908 .
Tshomo ena ya Senkatana e pheta sebatahadi se neng se bitswa kgodumodumo se neng se metse batho le diphoofolo ntle le mosadi wa mokgatjhane a neng a belehe ngwana wa moshanyana mme a mo reha Senkatana. Ha moshanyana e se e le mohlankana, a bolaya kgodumodumo mme a pholosa batho le diphoofolo. Batho ba ne ba tletse teboho mme ba mo etsa morena wa bona. Empa nakwana kamora moo ba ile ba mmolaya. M.M.R. Dube (1996: 11) o hlahisa mohopolo wa momanolli wa dingolwa, P.R. S. Maphike ha etsa papiso e hlollang ya Senkatana le Kreste.
Selelekela sa tshwantshiso se etswa ke diboni, tseo e leng bannabaholo ba tsamayang ka mare le ho itshetleha ka ona ha ba eme. Dibone di tshwana le dinohe kapa baprofeta. Di lelekela tshwantshiso ka tsela e latelang:
Seboni: Ke bona sebata sa setonanahadi. Ke seo se metsa batho kaofela. Ke seo se metsa phoofolo tsohle; Se metsa tsohle tse phelang!
Ho pholohile mosadi a le mong to!
Moboni: Matsatsi a feta, dikgwedi le tsona.
Seboni: Mosadi o belehile ngwana moshanyana. Pholo ya letlaka, kabelwamanong.
Moboni: Dikgwedi di a feta, dilemo le tsona.
Seboni: Moshemane o hodile, moshemane ke monna.
O hodile, thabo ya bongwana e fedile. E fedile, ho fihlile bothata bo boholo.
Phapano dipakeng tsa tshomo ena Senkatana bukeng ena le bukeng ya Litšomo tsa Basotho Buka ea pele e kamoo pale e phetwang ka teng. Bukeng ya Jacottet pale e phetwa ke motho eo e boelang e ba mophetwa paleng. Mofokeng o pheta tshomo ka tsela ya tshwantshiso moo ho nang le mophetwa wa sehlooho le mohanyetsani wa mophetwa wa sehlooho. Sekankatana, mophetwa wa sehlooho o tsheheditswe ke Maswabi, Masilo le Monyohe mme Bulane, mohanyetsi wa mophetwa wa sehlooho, o tsheheditswe ke Hlabakwane, Marailane, Mokebe le ba bang.
Senkatana o ne a bonwa ke batho ba bangata a hloka leeme dikahlolong tsa diqwaketsano, hobane one a tlisa poelano mahareng a ya entseng hampe le a ya etsweng hampe. Le ha ho le jwalo Bulane o ne a etsa sa mohlana eka ho se utlwane ha hae le Senkatana ho bakwa ke mokgwa oo a dihang dikahlo kateng, ha kwana a ne a hlohloletswa ke mohatsae, Mmadiepetsane, hore a bolaye Senkatana ka taelo ya badimo ba hae. Ha a bolelle Bulane hore tabakgolo ke ho rata ho phetetsa qwaketsano ya kgale mahareng a lapa la bo le la boMmaditaolane, mme wa Senkatana.
Kgodiso ya baphetwa ya Mofokeng e atlehile. Mohlala, o tshwantsha Maswabi lekgetlo la pele a robetse mme eka o tahilwe, metswalle ya hae Masilo le Monyohe ba a mo soma mme ba mmona e le sehole. Maswabi o feela a shebahala jwalo ka sehole mme ebile o shebahala a sa tsotelle seo batho ba se buang kaha a tahilwe kapa a robetse.
Ha tshwantshitso e tswela pele Maswabi o ba haufi le Senkatana mme o mo kumela ka momori wa Bulane wa ho mmolaya. Le ha Maswabi e ne e le thatohatsi ya Senkatana, ka dinako tseding ba ne ba qhwebeshana hobane ba sa dumellane dinthong tse itseng, mohlala, ha Maswabi a ne susumetsa Senkatana ho ahlola Bulane ka lebaka la momori wa ho mmolaya, Senkatana ha a ka a dumellana le yena: a re, ‘boiphetetso ke bokgopo’.
Kamora lefu la Senkatana, Maswabi ke motho a fetohileng. Makgabane a tshwarelano ao e neng e le qwele ya Senkatana o bonahla a e rwetse. Bulane o tliswa kapele ho yena mme o a ipolela hore o qobeletswe ke mohatsae ho bolaya Senkatana. Kamora moo Bulane o shwa a ka lebaka la tjhefu eo a e nweleng pejana, o shwa ka sikarilwe ke Maswabi. Mmadiepetsane le yena o tlwiswa kapele ho Maswabi, mme batho ba re a bolawe ka lebaka la ho ba le seabo momoring wa polao ya Senkatana. Le ha Mmadiepetsane a ne a sa bontshe ho inyatsa le ho kopa tshwarelo, Maswabi o re ho batho:
Baheso, re lahlehetswe ke senatla, ke mopholosi. Re tseba seo a neng a tla se etsa ka mosadi enwa. Nna ke re, re hlomphe ya ileng ka ho tshwarela enwa ya tshollotseng madi a hae. Ha re sa etse jwalo re tla be re halefisa ya mose ho lebitla. O tla bona hore dithuto tsa hae ha di a kena dipelong tsa rona. Re tla be re bolaelang mosadi eo ya seng a le madimabe hakaale? Kotlo ya hae ha se e tla fela ha batho ba sa phela: Thohako. E lekane.
Buka ena e ngotswe nakong e thata nalaneng ya Afrika Borwa: e ngotswe nakong ya mmuso wa leano la kgethello ha batho ba ne ba arotse mme ba qobellwa ho phela ka karohano. Mofokeng, o ile a ya ithuta Yinivesithing ya Fort Hare, eo neng e le le setsi sa dipolotiki tsa tokoloho moo baetapele ba bangata ba Afrika ba ithutileng teng. Le ha ho le jwalo, diphuputso tsa boithuto tsa dingolwa tsa hae le nalane ya bophelo ba hae e ngotsweng ke mosebetsimmoho le motswalle wa hae, Profesa Doke, ha ho letho le bolelang boitshunyako ba hae dipolotiking. Kereke ya hae ya Fora (Dutch Reform Church), e ne e nkwa e tshehetsa leano la karohano la mmuso kaha le diphutheho tsa yona di ne di arotswe ho ya ka merabe. Ho na le kgonahalo ya hore Mofokeng, jwalo ka setho sa makgonthe sa kereke o ne a sa batle ho itshilafatsa kerekeng ka ho itshunyaka dipolotiking. Le ha ho le jwalo, serapa se lateng se qotsitsweng hona bukeng ena ya Senkatana , se bontsha takatso ya hae ya tokoloho:
Bohle re a hlora, re hloka kgotso. Re labalabela dintho tse fapaneng !
Ba hloretse tokoloho, ho phela tokolohong.
Ho boha tsohle tse kgahlisang, tse bonwang kganyeng;
Le rona re nyoretswe tokoloho. Tokoloho ya ho thaba, ho nyakalla. Thabo e ke ke ya phethahala re le bang.
Bohle re bopetswe tokoloho, ke tokelo ya rona. Bohle re bopetswe ho phela le ba bang;
Ho boha le bona tse thabisang.
Ho nyakalla le bona, ho phedisana le bona ! Ka ntle ho bona tokoloho ya rona ke lefeela. Ke sesosa sa maswabi le dillo.
Ha se tokoloho, ke tlamo e bohloko! Ke lefifi le tebileng ka ho fetisisa. Lefifi kganyeng! Maswabi nyakallong! Dillo thabong, tlala naleng!
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