IBHUBESI: THE LION
In
this scene, Solomon begins teaching Zulu to John.
John smiled, shaking his head. "How many languages do you speak, anyway?"
"Well, my father and mother were not of the same tribe, so although we lived with my father's people, I also speak the language of my mother's people. And English. Some Xhosa, because of Ruth. Some Swahili, because of my friend." He frowned. "I had to learn Afrikaans in school and it is useful to be able to read things and understand what people are saying. But it is the language of Boers, the Dutch invaders of South Africa." He looked at John seriously and spoke deliberately. "I do not speak it. Ever."
John nodded and waited a respectful amount of time. "I wish I were good with languages."
"Who says you are not?"
John looked at his feet. "Dad."
"I am sure that you could learn Zulu."
"Oh, yeah, sure!"
Solomon extended his right hand. "Sawubona."
John reached out his hand. "Yeah."
Solomon quickly withdrew his hand before John made contact. He slowly put out his hand again, raised his eyebrows and repeated, "Sawubona."
"Sawubona," John said slowly, and reached out his hand again.
"Good! Yes! Yebo!" Solomon said.
Solomon patted the bed he sat on. "Umbhede".
John repeated the word stiffly.
Solomon pointed to John's chair. "Isihlalo."
John sat rigidly in the chair, his hands clenching the arms. He spat out the word before he could forget the order of the sounds.
Solomon tilted his head and looked at John. John felt as if he were looking right through him. "You are just mimicking the sounds with your mouth."
"Isn't that how you learn a language?"
"No! You must hear the sounds, think the words and feel the rhythm to truly live a language. You must put your whole body into it. Stand up. Come on!"
Solomon repeated the greeting, sawubona, several times, standing on tiptoes when his inflection went up and crouching down when his inflection went down. He made John do the same.
"Good! Now, try this." Solomon put one arm against his nose and stretched it out in front of him. He lumbered around the room slowly and awkwardly, shifting his weight from side to side. He turned to look at John. "Indlovu!"
John laughed. "What?"
"Elephant. Now, you do it."
John stood still.
"You are an elephant. Come now, let me see you walk."
John stepped awkwardly from side to side and waved his arm in front of him.
Solomon chuckled. "We must find the doctor for this poor, sick elephant."
"Hey!"
"My apologies, indlovu. Keep trying. OK. Yes, that is better. Now, say 'indlovu.' What? I could not hear you. You are a mighty elephant. You can speak louder than that."
"Indlovu!"
"Ah, good. Now, what am I?" Solomon crouched down on the floor, scratching his armpits and making screeching sounds.
John grinned. "Monkey."
"Right! Inkawu. Let me see you be inkawu."
John did his monkey impression, and voluntarily yelled, "Inkawu!"
"Yebo, yebo!" Next, Solomon pranced around the room, sticking his neck out, flapping his elbows, and pecking at things.
John laughed. "Um, some kind of bird."
Solomon looked at him and suddenly ducked down, putting his head under the bed.
"Oh, ostrich!"
"Idube!"
"Idube!"
Solomon, now on all fours, shook his head back, flinging back imaginary hair, and roared at John.
"Whoa! Lion!"
"Ibhubesi."
"Ibhu--"
"No, I want to see you be ibhubesi."
John got down on his hands and knees and started crawling around the room, stopping to turn and roar at Solomon.
Solomon roared back. "I am ibhubesi."
"I am ibhubesi!" John yelled even louder.