Giyani woman honours Tsonga heritage at national conference
Ntsako Mabunda showcased Tsonga culture at the National Oral History Conference, celebrating women’s role in preserving tradition.
LIMPOPO – Ntsako Mabunda of Section D2 in Giyani took the national spotlight when she represented the va-Tsonga cultural heritage at the 22nd Annual National Oral History Conference held at The Ranch Hotel in Polokwane from October 7-10.
Showcasing Tsonga culture on a national stage
The event, organised annually by the Oral History Association of South Africa (Ohasa), aims to promote untold stories, preserve heritage, and give voice to marginalised communities through oral testimonies.
Ohasa, an initiative of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, brings together historians, academics, and community storytellers from across the country to share insights into how memory, culture, and identity shape South Africa’s social fabric.
The four-day conference featured presentations, papers, and discussions exploring themes such as cultural identity, oral histories of struggle, dignity in the African diaspora, the resilience of informal settlements, and the broader significance of heritage storytelling in a changing world.
Bringing women’s voices to cultural storytelling
Ntsako presented a narrative that left the audience deeply moved.
She painted a vivid portrait of Tsonga’s cultural heritage in a way that was both refreshing and transformative.
Rather than treating culture as a distant or static concept, she brought it to life by retelling it through the eyes and experiences of a Tsonga woman, a perspective long overlooked in mainstream cultural discourse.
“My aim is not merely to describe, but to trace the life of a Tsonga woman from birth to adulthood, while highlighting the virtues, practices, and responsibilities that define her role in society,” she said.
Quoting the American anthropologist Clifford Geertz, Ntsako added that culture is not merely ornamentation but “webs of significance” that people themselves have spun.
“In Tsonga society, women are among the primary weavers of these webs, shaping not only family life but also communal identity,” she explained.
Preserving heritage through creativity and community work
Ntsako, one of the directors of the NGO Shalamukani Community Project, which specialises in Xitsonga traditional clothing and preserving Xitsonga heritage, won second place in the Greater Giyani Municipality’s Arts and Culture Heritage Competition in the weaving category, which she achieves using beads.
“Tsonga heritage is in my blood,” Ntsako said.
“For me, it’s not about winning competitions but about representing who I am as a Tsonga woman and keeping our traditions alive.”
