Ngicela nithi Hooray
South African’s have developed a new unique way of wishing someone a Happy Birthday without really saying it literally “Happy Birthday”. The amapaino music genre has in a way changed the landscape and creativity is brimming. The line “ ngicela nithi Hooray…” meaning (may you please say with me Hooray) is taken from a famous amapaino song title umsebenzi wethu (our doing/job).
This does not go to say that the traditional happy birthday wish is throw out of the window but that we have as black South African have found a new way to wishing or loved one a happy birthday in a different and unique way.
Sizothini syndrome: what shall we say to these things
“It is what it is …” is a ubiquitous phrase used to when someone has no other option or thinks there os no way out of there situation. Sizothini is an isiZulu phrase that means exactly the same as “ it is what it is…” directly translation would be “ what are we going to do”. It would be a fair expression to say that from the past year until now we have been living a sizothini lifestyle speaking from a financial to a general lifestyle, given the pandemic and the pandemonium/ disruption it has cause in contrast to the “normal” lifestyle that we are used to.
We as a nation have assimilated to be inoculated to negative events, take for instance being retrenched and rejection from a job… These things only hit home if you are fairly new to the scene of life being turned outside down but for the ones that are have been facing such, the mentally is merely turned on to “ it is what it is…” mode.
Question is are we allow life to reel before us without us having any contributing factor to how things stand? Or are we manifesting the bad energy and vibes that we have sort conditioned ours minds to. Only time will tell…
Vat n sit is an Afrikaans phrase ( colloquial) mainly used in the township to express; a marriage undertaken without attention to custom. Practically put, “ let us get married on our own without observing any family tradition or/ and the church”.
In our zeitgeist this phenomenon is not really frowned up and has become the norm, given the cost of living and how our lives have been set up generally.
Vat n sit
Now, with winter upon us and the unforgiving cold weather muffling up is not enough if you are a singleton. Cravings of cuddles here and there awakens the soul so they say. Enter vat n sit, even if it’s just to brave the winter storm. Being independent and going about your own business has its level of freedom but a man is not an island is true and vat n sit all of a sudden makes sense.
Millennials and generation z are disrupting what would be called normal way of life and society is slowly but surely accepting of their behaviour to a certain degree of cause. Now in South African we deal with load shedding and how else would one get want only but to consider the vat n sir concept. Yes has heater play a role but having company is better.
