Re-membering Local African History – Translating the Biography of Muhlaba I of the VaNkuna into English

Abstract

This article explores translations and potential functions of a biography of King Muhlaba I (ca 1864-1944) in reshaping memory in local and wider South African history, acknowledging the contributions of the Nkuna people as members of the South African community. Muhlaba I led the Nkuna people (a Tsonga group) from the 1880s into modernity, through the South African War and two World Wars. In their 1957 Xitsonga biography, Nkuna authors P.M. Shilubana and H.E. Ntsanwisi describe this leader as a wise ruler, proponent of education and judge who administered indigenous restorative justice, and negotiated the space between his people’s traditional lifestyle and modernity. The article suggests possibilities for transparent and accountable, and thus ethical, translations of the text within the limitations imposed by the local translation context. It considers the question of why more translations of this text, especially in English, need to become available in a post-colonial context, given that it covers the life of a man in the colonial era, and was compiled during the apartheid era. It also contends that it is important to preserve both the 1957 biography and a 1963 Afrikaans translation as historical artifacts. The article argues that availability of this text in English would widen knowledge of Nkuna involvement in national and international historical events, and would complement academic and popular sources on African perspectives on South African history.

 Opsomming

Hierdie artikel ondersoek vertalings en moontlike funksies van ’n biografie van Koning Muhlaba I (ong. 1864-1944) in die herskepping van geheue in die plaaslike en wyer Suid-Afrikaanse geskiedenis, om erkenning te gee aan die bydrae van die Nkuna as lede van die Suid-Afrikaanse gemeenskap. Muhlaba I het die Nkuna (’n Tsonga groep) gelei van die 1880’s tot in die moderne tydvak, deur die Anglo-Boereoorlog en twee Wêreldoorloë. In hulle 1957 Xitsonga biografie beskryf die Nkuna outeurs P.M. Shilubana en H.E. Ntsanwisi hierdie leier as ’n wyse heerser, voorstander van opvoeding en regter wat inheemse restoratiewe reg toegepas het, en ’n balans tussen sy mense se tradisionale lewenstyl en moderniteit probeer bewerkstellig het. Die artikel maak voorstelle rakende deursigtige en verantwoordbare, en dus etiese, vertalings van die teks binne die beperkings van die plaaslike vertaalkonteks. Dit ondersoek hoekom meer vertalings van hierdie teks, veral in Engels, beskikbaar moet wees in ’n postkoloniale konteks, gegewe dat dit die lewe van ’n man in die koloniale era dek, en dat die biografie tydens die apartheidsera geskryf is. Daar word aangevoer dat dit belangrik is om beide die 1957 biografie en ’n 1963 Afrikaanse vertaling daarvan as historiese artefakte te bewaar. Die artikel bepleit die beskikbaarheid van hierdie teks in Engels omdat dit kennis van die betrokkenheid van die Nkuna in nasionale en internasionale historiese gebeurtenisse sal verbreed, en akademiese en populêre bronne oor Afrika-perspektiewe van Suid-Afrikaanse geskiedenis sal komplementeer.