Ukusonga

Xa sithetha ngemigobo/imigoqo, sithetha ngantoni? Sigoba ntoni? Kuvele ntoni?

What is bent when we speak of imigoqo? What surfaces when we turn, twist, or fold? This episode dwells in the curves and contours of isiXhosa life—its gestures, refusals, rituals, and dress codes. Through sound, memory, and movement, we enter the layered world of imiphindo, where the fold is not only a form but a practice of returning, refiguring, and refusing reduction.

Here, isiXhosa is not translated—it is lived, voiced, and held with care. The episode privileges a listening practice that is attuned to cadence, silence, and tone, treating language as a tactile and spiritual terrain. We are invited into a space where knowledge is not explained but demonstrated: through the wrapping of cloth, the structuring of speech, the choreography of everyday life.

Imiphindo kwaXhosa affirms the sonic and visual worlds of amaXhosa without apology. It is a bold articulation of interwoven languages, systems, and people. Rather than offering a “view from above,” this podcast honours the everyday as archive, and positioning cultural practice as theory in motion.

CLOSING ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Narrating Voices

Mr Mangaliso Jafta

Azola Krweqe

Ms Nobuhle James

Mrs Nokhaya Jilingisa

Mama Phakani

Zizo Ntukushe

Visual & Video Contributors

Azola Krweqe

Sibabalwe Makeleni

Community Contributors

The James Family – ooXaba

Mrs Kutazwa James

Mrs Nokugcina James (special thanks for the recording of umsebenzi kaMnu. Luphumlo James)

Mrs Ludidi

Ms Phumla James

Ms Nobuhle James

Willowvale Makers Co-op

Kholiswa Magidi

Theko Theo Yinindwa

Philiswa Matutu

Nwabisa Mahlaleshushu

Miranda Siwlabeni

Youth Participants

Zintle Bonakele

Vuyokazi Mncono

Lethu Jilingisi

Nokubonga Hawu

Lisakhanya Poni

Yolande Tskane

Liyabona Ntshobodwana

Buyiswa Beauty Nduwe

Community yakuGatyana

Cebisa Magoqoza

Mzukisi Nketshu

Thando Madwantsi

Thobile Tsutsu

Sikelela Thobigunya

Neliswa Bambintala

Miranda Sihlangu

And the broader community at large

Special thanks to:

Azola Krweqe

Lukhanyo Muluse

Locations Referenced

Willowvale Arts Center, kuGatyane

James Family Home – Elukhanyisweni, eQumbu, eMdeni

Mr & Mrs James’ Residence – Highbury, Umtata

James Residence – Walmer Road Lodge, Beacon Bay, East London

Ngumla Family Home – eGcibala, Tsomo

Mpintsha Family Home – Nkanga, Willowvale

Buffalo City Municipality

Production Team

Executive Producer: Bongani Tau

Curator & Editor: Siviwe James

Content Advisor: Sihle Sogaula

Graphic Design: 2DOTS Space Agency

Video & Sound Editing: Siviwe James

Text: Siviwe James

Xhosa Language Advisor: Ms Nobuhle James

Digital Archiving Support

Art Meets App

Institutional Support

Eastern Cape Department of Sports, Arts and Culture

UN/FOLDING_RE/FOLDING_FOLDED: Imiphindo kwaXhosa © 2023 Created and produced by Siviwe James (James-Laurie) With support from the African Fashion Research Institute (AFRI) and Creative Nestlings Foundation, under the New Narratives Programme (2023).

Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International