Mazisi kunene biography in zulu

African poet (–)

Mazisi (Raymond) Kunene (12 May – 11 August ) was a South African poet best known for his translation of the epic Zulu poem Emperor Shaka the Great. While in exile from South Africa's apartheid regime, Kunene was an active supporter and organiser of the anti-apartheid movement in Europe and Africa.

He later taught at the University of California, Los Angeles, and become Africa's and South Africa's first poet laureate.

Early life

Kunene was born in Durban in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa,^[1] to Eva Kunene (nee Ngcobo), a teacher, and Mdabuli Albert Kunene, a labourer.^[2] From very early in his childhood he began writing poetry and short stories in Zulu, and by the age of 11 he was being published in local papers.^[3] He went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Natal in Zulu and history, and later a Master of Arts in Zulu Poetry.^[4] His Master's thesis was titled An Analytical Survey of Zulu Poetry, Both Traditional and Modern.^[3] In it Kunene criticized the changing nature of Zulu literature, and its emulation of the Western tradition.^[3] He won a Bantu Literary Competition in and left for London, England, to study at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, in ^[4]

Career

He opposed the apartheid government as the head of the African United Front.^[4] Fleeing into exile from the country in , he helped push for the anti-apartheid movement in Britain between and ^[1][4] Kunene was closely affiliated with the African National Congress (ANC), quickly becoming their main representative in Europe and the United States in ^[1] He would later become the director of finance for the ANC in ^[4] He became a professor of African literature at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in after lecturing in a number of universities (including the University of Iowa and Stanford University).^[5] as a cultural advisor for UNESCO.^[1] He remained at UCLA for nearly two decades, retiring in ^[1]

Literary works

Kunene wrote and published poetry from very early in his life.

His works were written originally in Zulu and then translated into English.^[4] In , his works were banned by the Apartheid government of South Africa.^[6] In , he wrote an introduction to the translation by John Berger and Anna Bostock of Aimé Césaire's Return to My Native Land.^[2]

In , Kunene published Zulu Poems, an anthology of poems ranging from "moral reflection to political commentary".

Main article: Emperor Shaka the Great

In Emperor Shaka the Great, published in English in , Kunene tells the story of the rise of the Zulu people under Shaka.

World Literature Today contributor Christopher Larson described it as "a monumental undertaking and achievement by any standards".^[4]

Anthem of the Decades:A Zulu Epic published in English in , tells the Zulu legend of how death came to humankind. In , Kunene published a second collection of poems titled The Ancestors and the Sacred Mountain: Poems containing of his poems.^[1] This collection had a particular emphasis on socio-political topics.^[4]

Unodumehlezi Kamenzi was published in on the tenth anniversary of his death.

This book is the isiZulu edition of Emperor Shaka the Great and embraces Kunene's original dream to have his poem published as intended in the original isiZulu form.^[7][8][9]

Late life

Kunene returned to South Africa in , where he taught at the University of Natal until his retirement.

UNESCO made him Africa's poet laureate in and in he became South Africa's first poet laureate.^[1]

Death and legacy

Kunene died aged 76 on 11 August in Durban, after a lengthy bout with cancer.^[1][10]

On 12 May , which would have been Kunene's 92nd birthday, he was commemorated with a Google Doodle.^[11][12]

Bibliography

Poetic works:^[13]

• Zulu Poems.

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New York, Africana Publishing Corporation,

• Emperor Shaka the Great: A Zulu Epic. London, Heinemann, (transcription and translation of traditional epic)
• Anthem of the Decades: A Zulu Epic Dedicated to the Women of Africa. London, Heinemann,
• The Ancestors and the Sacred Mountain: Poems. London, Heinemann,
• Isibusiso Sikamhawu, Via Afrika,
• Indida Yamancasakazi,
• Amalokotho Kanomkhubulwane,
• Umzwilili wama-Afrika, Kagiso,
• Igudu lika Somcabeko, Van Schaik,
• Echoes from the Mountain.
  Mazisi kunene biography of martin luther king However, he was known to splurge on good suits and fine dining, while contrasting his serious public image with a lively sense of humor among friends and family. In the spring of , King organized a demonstration in downtown Birmingham, Alabama. He produced eight major works, in both English and isiZulu, during this time. In May , when King was 12 years old, his grandmother Jennie died of a heart attack.

  New and Selected Poems by Mazisi Kunene, Malthouse Press,

• Unodumehlezi Kamenzi,

References