Mitlerin Sahnelenmesi, Cagdsligin Rituellesmesil: Performing myths, ritualising modernity

The European colonial expansion in Africa disrupted and in instances stopped the celebration and development of traditional values in the colonised territories. This disruption is more acute in southern Africa, especially in the South African territory of Zululand, where the European economic and political policies led to a state of apartheid, which existed from 1948 to 1991, and uneven development afterwards. Several of the nations in the formerly colonised areas are trying to re-create and re-form their traditional values. The AmaZulu, who occupy the north-eastern part of South Africa, are a nation of proud antecedents and rich traditional values and they are now evolving practices and ideas to re-create the lost cultural heritage of the people. A part of the cultural rejuvenation is the annual Nomkhubulwana (Nomdede) festival in celebration of the Virgin Queen. This paper highlights some aspects of traditional revival in the 1990s, after the apartheid period when the nation was trying to reform its relevance.