Manifestation of cultural diversity in the novel Megokgo ya Lethabo ‘Tears of Joy’

Abstract

Among the South African black communities comprising Venda, Tsonga, Sotho, Nguni and Khoisan, marriage is not viewed as a union of two individuals, but rather as a joining together of a number of families by means of various rituals, practices such as ‘bride wealth’ ilobola and negotiations. This has created a cultural diversity in the communities that we cannot wish away (Magubane, 2001:46). Historically, the black peoples of South Africa have been practising endogamous marriages, which means, for example, that a Motswana would not marry a Xhosa or Zulu (cf. Schapera, 1977:155). This article focuses on how the Northern Sotho writer H.M.L. Lentsoane, in his novel Megokgo ya Lethabo ‘Tears of Joy’, depicts these cultural stereotypes within black South African communities and how marriage, as a cultural institution, is portrayed. The questions asked are: How does this Sotho literary text, Megokgo ya Lethabo ‘Tears of Joy’, contribute to the crossing of conventional socio-cultural boundaries? To what extent are cultural diversities in marriage portrayed? As South Africa is counted among the young democracies of the world, what can be learned from the events outlined in this story? Turner’s (1989) theory, which focuses on the three phases of the rite of passage namely, separation, transition and incorporation, is used to shed new light on the cultural diversity among black communities in South Africa.

S.Afr.J.Afr.Lang., 2006, 3