Stop Portraying Vatsonga In A Wrong Way

In Xitsonga we have a famous saying that goes: “N’wana la nga riliki u fela edzobyeni.” Loosely translated, the expression means, “He who does not complain of ill treatment, will receive no assistance”.

As a proud Mutsonga, I would like to voice out my disappointment on the way our language is being treated on national TV. While I am pleased that there is a bit of Xitsonga on TV these days compared to how it was in the past, I must say that the portrayal of this language in some TV dramas and soapies leaves much to be desired. Xitsonga has been reduced to a cameo language or, even worse, assigned as a grand complement of characters that are depicted as laughing stock, disgrace or embarrassment in the story.

Take nothing from him as an actor, but the portrayal of Obed Baloyi as Tsutsuma in the Ga Re Dumele comedy leaves a sour taste in the mouth. Tsutsuma is a funny character of course, but what is depicted and communicated through his character goes beyond satire, it is rather aimed at ridiculing that character’s thinking, his language and subsequently the Tsonga ethnic group as a whole.

It was Nelson Mandela who once said: “I have no hesitation in saying that each one of us is as intimately attached to the soil of this beautiful country as are the famous jacaranda trees of Pretoria and the mimosa trees of the bushveld.” These words do not seem to be received with the same conscience that Madiba said them with.

In Muvhango, we have a character of Bobo, played by Charles Baloyi, who is Tsonga and also a criminal and murderer of note. In a soapie that is predominatly Venda and Zulu, Bobo’s character is that of a hired thug who can do all stupid and heartless things for money. My problem? His language. Why? Because his character is the only representation of that language in the aforementioned soapie.

In Generations: The Legacy, we have seen Tsonga people being portrayed as homeless shack-dwellers whose shacks were burnt down. They even go as far as acting stupid by declaring that they will forcefully sleep at a tarven. Ever heard of that? No, only in soapies where Vatsonga are sold to the highest bidder. These people are even subjected to insults and bad treatment by the Lucy character, as if they are bunch of people whose thinking capacity is vacant. That does not sit well with us as Vatsonga.

Is it a coincidence that we have little representation on these TV soapies and dramas yet the only time we are given a two-minute slot; we are reduced to the most vulnerable, gullible or brainless souls in the world?

When are we going to accordingly be depicted and portrayed on TV as professionals such as lawyers, doctors, teachers, etc? Does this explain why we do not have our own drama or soapie on TV despite sitting at almost 5% in terms of language representation in the country? Vatsonga deserve better treatment than what we see everyday. This misrepresentation and orchestrated prejudice must come to an end.