Well, it is just recently that I convinced myself that truly
our names have meaning. I am named after my clan – the Thembus, Ngoza,
Mathibane, Qhudeni, Thukela etc. Every time someone would ask me what my name
means I’d say “I’m named after my clan” because I really didn’t know and never
really asked.
It is until recently that I decided to google the meaning of my name
(yhe google me baby) and this is what I found:
1.
a name derived from the verb "tuku"
which means to astonish or to be startled
2.
"the fearsome one"
Best believe I am all of that. I come from a home where identity is
everything. My grandmother always emphasizes that we should know who we are and
what our values are. So my name means the startling one and oh boy am I surprising.
I remember in 1998 when I was staying in King Williams Town,
Eastern Cape – my aunt would bring home guests. At the time she was working for
the South African Communist Party (SACP). So she would invite some of her colleagues
from the communist party and the African National Congress (ANC) to our house. I
was eleven years old at the time and I’d listen through the door and when I
heard they are done talking business; I’d walk into the sitting room and start
singing Magasman by Trompies ft Lebo Mathosa.
I have always wanted to be awesome and be in the spotlight. But
can you blame me? I’m named after the great Thukela River – I’m bound to be
great.
Knowing the meaning of your name is the first step to
knowing yourself – because first it’s your name, the values instilled in you by
your parents, your culture and most endowing – knowing exactly where you come
from.
I know exactly what I want in life because I know what I’ve
been through. In this month dedicated to young people I would urge all young people
to do some introspection.What does it mean to be young? How do you celebrate your
being young? What legacy do you want to leave behind? Most importantly, do you
know who you are? We do not know who we
really are and we get caught up in so many problems – because we don’t stand
for anything.
Who will educate our children about our cultures and our
values if we don’t care to know? What do you believe in? Is it working for you?
What I love about the youth of 1976 is they knew exactly who
they were and what they wanted. Today, we are such duplicates – we want to be
like other people. Our biggest problem though is being clueless about our own backgrounds and cultures.
Yes I’m a modern woman but I have a clue about my culture
and olden values – and I love it. I love it when my family comes together for
Umcimbi (traditional ceremony). I love having a sip of umqombothi.
In this month of June (Youth Month) I will celebrate it by
finding out more about my culture, values and other old things that the youth doesn’t
find interesting anymore or just choose to ignore.
I heard somewhere that there are three types of people on
this earth: “those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and
those who wonder what’s happening.”
I would like to be one of the people that make things
happen. So join me in motivating other
young people in fighting for their identity. Your being addicted to drugs does
not say who you are nor does it determine what you are meant to be – you still have the power to redeem your identity.
“Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life, but define yourself.”
― Harvey Fierstein
Happy Youth Month!
Mamthembu is signing out…. *
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