English is not my mother tongue
IT took a lot for me to gather courage and blog today.
I mean so much has happened and critics have been on my case on the blog, the grammar and spelling errors in my other posts.
So much had been said to the point that, I my self lost the confidence and focus of why the blog was started in the first place.
First and foremost, it was so that I can continue write African Stories.
The second point was that, I as a beneficiary of many youth empowerment project that were ran in the 90s and saw me benefit from them, I would also go back to centres like, Youth Alive, Teen Out Reach and the Gifted Child Programme and maybe schools around to teach and learn from the new generation how stories are told.
Of course, English is the universal language but growing up in South Africa before our democracy, I always had an attitude towards it and Afrikaans.
Thanks to the legacy of former statesman and hero of the struggle and not to mention both my parents who were active during their time with African National Congress (ANC), I was amongst the first group of black student to be enrolled at Rand Girls High, a formerly white school but when the government got rid of the apartheid policy it took in black students for the first time in 1996.
Apast from that, I also went to one of the premium high schools in Gauteng, Bracken High School prided itself with 100 % matric pass rate during my time and it has continue with this record over the years.
But not only that, it was in this school that I learnt to read and write proper English.
Our English teacher was so creative that she would go as far as letting us watch inspirational film in order to register a point through.
Yes, I was amongst those kids who studied George Owell's animal farm, Mac Beth, Cry the beloved country, The Suit and Boesman and Lena in my English class and I really got good symbols too considering that it was not my home language and I was doing it on higher grade.
What is my home language you may ask?
Well, I am a mixed breed that was manufactured at a time that black people were rebellious towards apartheid as a result I do not have an English ie slave name.
My father is a Zulu man and if you read Trevor Noah's book, born a crime, you will know that Zulus are proud warriors who once fought the colonial armies that invaded South Africa centuries ago with spears and shield.
Of course, they were murdered in thousands but they never stopped fighting.
My mother though is from another tribe, Amampondo which are also associated with Xhosas.
Nelson Mandela and Mama Winnie are also from this tribe.
They are known to be thinkers and they've also tried their luck with the colonisers and lost.
But their approach however was learning the language of the Whiteman so that they will be able to negotiate with them.
Anyway, in the height of apartheid my parents formed me.
I'm still not sure if they were trying to send out a message to the white man that black people are united when the mission was to divide and rule the black nation then.
Anyway, knowing this little history might give you as a reader a reason why, I write the English language the way I do on this blog.
I mean for 12 years, I was very professional.
Oh, no it's not even 12 years.
It is more than that when I count the years at school and my stint at PE Technikon, the creative and journalism qualifications I obtained at Intec College.
Before I embarked on a 12 year long career as a print journalist.
I started at a community newspaper and received a national within six months of being in the game.
I then wrote for The Herald but the stories were also shared by Dispatch,Sowetan and many other titles under the then Tiso Black Star.
Before I left the company, I counted six awards.
Two were regional and the other four were national.
While the other were a team work, my first and my last stories which got national nods were a sole project.
I even went as far as honouring, Mr Drum, a well known journalist who went all out to tell the truth under the difficult banner of apartheid.
Now, if Im so educated and have had the status quo "Black by nature, proud by choice" on my Facebook profile for over a decade now.
By the way, that was stolen from Nelson Mandela.
Why would I be shaken by what other people say about me.
Because of what they say, do I then forget that I grew up surrounded by educated black men who encouraged me to take education seriously.
Of which I did and still do as I enrolled for law at Unisa and did the Social media marketing and Blogging through Shaw academy as well as learning other creative ways of telling stories.
Why can't I then do what I want to do without caring what the other person say, especially if the criticism is not to build you but rather pull you down.
Why can't I be like Steve Biko and just write what I like?
Anyway if you like my work please follow me on instagram:Khanyiswasa
Facebook: Khanyiswa Ndabeni
You Tube: Khanyi Ndabeni
Twitter: @Ndabenik
I'm more than just a writer, I'm an aspiring actress and tv talk show host. I also make and sell African jewellery
I mean so much has happened and critics have been on my case on the blog, the grammar and spelling errors in my other posts.
So much had been said to the point that, I my self lost the confidence and focus of why the blog was started in the first place.
First and foremost, it was so that I can continue write African Stories.
Especially positive stories coming out of the hood or black community of South Africa.
The second point was that, I as a beneficiary of many youth empowerment project that were ran in the 90s and saw me benefit from them, I would also go back to centres like, Youth Alive, Teen Out Reach and the Gifted Child Programme and maybe schools around to teach and learn from the new generation how stories are told.
Of course, English is the universal language but growing up in South Africa before our democracy, I always had an attitude towards it and Afrikaans.
Thanks to the legacy of former statesman and hero of the struggle and not to mention both my parents who were active during their time with African National Congress (ANC), I was amongst the first group of black student to be enrolled at Rand Girls High, a formerly white school but when the government got rid of the apartheid policy it took in black students for the first time in 1996.
Apast from that, I also went to one of the premium high schools in Gauteng, Bracken High School prided itself with 100 % matric pass rate during my time and it has continue with this record over the years.
But not only that, it was in this school that I learnt to read and write proper English.
Our English teacher was so creative that she would go as far as letting us watch inspirational film in order to register a point through.
Yes, I was amongst those kids who studied George Owell's animal farm, Mac Beth, Cry the beloved country, The Suit and Boesman and Lena in my English class and I really got good symbols too considering that it was not my home language and I was doing it on higher grade.
What is my home language you may ask?
Well, I am a mixed breed that was manufactured at a time that black people were rebellious towards apartheid as a result I do not have an English ie slave name.
My father is a Zulu man and if you read Trevor Noah's book, born a crime, you will know that Zulus are proud warriors who once fought the colonial armies that invaded South Africa centuries ago with spears and shield.
Of course, they were murdered in thousands but they never stopped fighting.
My mother though is from another tribe, Amampondo which are also associated with Xhosas.
Nelson Mandela and Mama Winnie are also from this tribe.
They are known to be thinkers and they've also tried their luck with the colonisers and lost.
But their approach however was learning the language of the Whiteman so that they will be able to negotiate with them.
Anyway, in the height of apartheid my parents formed me.
I'm still not sure if they were trying to send out a message to the white man that black people are united when the mission was to divide and rule the black nation then.
Anyway, knowing this little history might give you as a reader a reason why, I write the English language the way I do on this blog.
I mean for 12 years, I was very professional.
Oh, no it's not even 12 years.
It is more than that when I count the years at school and my stint at PE Technikon, the creative and journalism qualifications I obtained at Intec College.
Before I embarked on a 12 year long career as a print journalist.
I started at a community newspaper and received a national within six months of being in the game.
I then wrote for The Herald but the stories were also shared by Dispatch,Sowetan and many other titles under the then Tiso Black Star.
Before I left the company, I counted six awards.
Two were regional and the other four were national.
While the other were a team work, my first and my last stories which got national nods were a sole project.
I even went as far as honouring, Mr Drum, a well known journalist who went all out to tell the truth under the difficult banner of apartheid.
Now, if Im so educated and have had the status quo "Black by nature, proud by choice" on my Facebook profile for over a decade now.
By the way, that was stolen from Nelson Mandela.
Why would I be shaken by what other people say about me.
Because of what they say, do I then forget that I grew up surrounded by educated black men who encouraged me to take education seriously.
Of which I did and still do as I enrolled for law at Unisa and did the Social media marketing and Blogging through Shaw academy as well as learning other creative ways of telling stories.
Why can't I then do what I want to do without caring what the other person say, especially if the criticism is not to build you but rather pull you down.
Why can't I be like Steve Biko and just write what I like?
Anyway if you like my work please follow me on instagram:Khanyiswasa
Facebook: Khanyiswa Ndabeni
You Tube: Khanyi Ndabeni
Twitter: @Ndabenik
I'm more than just a writer, I'm an aspiring actress and tv talk show host. I also make and sell African jewellery
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