Hey there people, guess what, Today we are talking about traditional leaders. That topic took you by suprise didn't it? Well our highly opinionated young group was talking the other day, and one of the topics that came up was, in contemporary South Africa, do we still have room for traditional leaders? What role do they play? Pheew... That's a tough one.
After much robust debate amongst members of our group, the differing views were as such:
1. Traditional leaders play a largely ceremonious role, whereby they don't really wield much power.
2. Tradional leaders are the custodians of culture and are part of an interpendent structure within their respective cultures.
3. There is little room for traditional leaders because they are not elected members of any governing institution. Therefore there is very little accountability on their part, which can lead to an abuse of whatever power they may wield.
Well there was really no end to the debate, but the general feeling amongst us bright young things was that they don't really affect our lives personally, professionally or socially, so we do not feel they add much to our lives.
This debate raged on like a fierce and unstoppable inferno. Okay Okay, We're being a bit melodramatic hey alright we'll stop. Chat later.
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10 comments:
You know you're right in saying that this issue of traditional leaders is rather complx, but I honestly think it's a money making scheme, or a quick claim to power! A recent article in the newspapers mentioned that a traditional leader received so many new vehicles to fulfil his duties as a leader. I mean come on!! Is that not an easy way of getting money out of people?
Dude!!! What are you talking about? Please explain how being a traditional leader somehow becomes a money making scheme?
Well, for one, they receive a lot of money for their prominent positions within the tribes. And they get loads of free cars!!! Didn't you read the story? If that doesn't sound like a quick and easy way to make money, then I don't know what is.
People who just blatantly accuse traditional leaders of scheming people are misinformed or rather ill informed about our history; and our present constitution. I challenge anyone to put forward facts and convince me otherwise that we really don’t need traditional leaders. I need someone to build an intelligent and a well-informed argument that is against the existence of the traditional leaders who are recongnised by our democratic constitution. Nkosi
Anonymous no:1, i find your tone very condescending, you have no idea what you're talking about, money, cars and a stupid story is a whole lot of bullshit. Where are your facts?!!!!
I think South Africa, like the rest of the continent, needs traditional leadership more than before. We must look at the as traditional custodians of our social morality. Our people, especially the youth, need moral guidance, which they cant find anywhere else except going back to their roots. I am proud of them and always find it empowering to get feedback on what traditional leaders are saying about certain moral issue. Come on guys, those leaders are important and it will always be like that!
We live in a post-modern society were different beliefs have come to be. Whites,blacks and Indians are not relating to each other the way they used to back in the day.It is a South Africa that is multi-cultural and has no room for traditional leaders. They should get 9-5 jobs and earn a living instead of trying to hold on to thier black culture that existed long before the transformation of Mzantsi...No disrespect but traditional leaders are no LONGER NEEDED IN OUR POST-MODERN SOCIETY..
Mazola
I would like once again to refer people to our history. Africa has always been a victim of foreign ideas imposed on this beautiful continent. Traditional leaders were not exceptional of being painted badly by the former colonisers. Its a pity that some of the young people today still suffer from what Steve Biko (the father of the Black Consciousness) termed as "mental slavery". They continue to believe in the distortion of history that was written by the former colonisers (the West).Ironically they "the West" that our young Africans still look up - still have their own "traditional" leaders in the form of Monarchs, Kings or Queens . Unfortunately Mazola is one of the young people who doesn't know this fact. He believes in the Post-modernism, - a term which is far remove from Africa and is foreign to the continent. Nkosana (nkosana-iwritewhatilike.blogspot.com)
The notion of sustaining the rain of traditional leaders, i believe, excludes the whites,indians and coloureds of our country. Didn't we pledge to live in a Rainbow nation?I don't suffer from mental slavery..and i don't believe that post-modernism is far removed from our beautiful continent..Why is it that Africa wants to separate itself from anything that is western when thier very own leaders have taken drastic measures to blend in with the western ideology? At the end of the day the existence of the traditional leaders will only boil down to race..and we are back were we started as a nation with Ireconcilible differences..?I say no to the exclusion of the other races who don't understand the concept of traditional leaders (not by choice)..Can i remind all that Black Consciousness Movement included some other people of colour who believed in the notion of equal rights..it was not narrowed down to BLACK PEOPLE ALONE..
I'll take it upon myself to hold political schools in this blog. "Mazola" and others who continue to be victims of Western terms such as post-modernism, globalisation which are nothing but rhetorics of colonialism(which will be appealing to Mazola once you call them "post-colonialism" or any anything that says post-something. I must reiterate that traditional leaders are part of Africa, they are part of who we are as Africans. Again, Mazola is narrow-minded to ignore the history of why and how did South Africa come to have multi-races. No one said traditional leaders in Africa must exclude other races, in fact tradiotional leaders in Africa were welcoming and embraced other races when they landed in Africa. In Briatain there is Queen Elizaberth, does this mean they exlud the Blacks, Indians or any other race that live in that country? Well, I leave this to you to decide. I hope Mazola doesn't believe that the other races are being excluded from Britain Monarhcy. For the record, Black Consciousness was not about race. It was and still is about the state of mind.In fact BC was fighting against racism. Black Consciousness is more relevant than ever before in South Africa. I recommend that "Mazola" and those in his support to read the book entitled :I Write What I Like - Steve Biko.
NB: I urge anyone contributing in the debate to be bold enough and put their names on their comments.This is in the spirit of constructive and open debate.- Nkosana
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