NOTES TO POEM:

1. Fish eagle: an eagle with a white head that is a familiar site at watering holes in the South African bushveld. The cry of the fish eagle is a sound that is representative of the African wild.

2. Cicadas: insects that are the source of the buzzing sound as night nears (the noise at disk). Once again, a noise that is so familiar with being on safari and in the African wild.

3. Cape shores: The shores of the “capes” of South Africa. The city of Cape Town, the Cape of Storms, the province of the Western Cape.

4. Tafelberg: the Afrikaans (one of South Africa’s 12 official languages) name for Table Mountain, one of the most recognizable images of South Africa. It is a flat-topped mountain that overlooks the city of Cape Town and is also one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. When the clouds roll over, it looks like a tablecloth adorning the table.

5. Rondawel: Pronounced “ron-dah-vil”. A bungalow with a roof of tightly packed grass (thatch). Typical of safari accommodation.

6. Kameeldoringboom: a tree that is indigenous to several Southern African countries. A familiar sight on the landscape on safari in South Africa depending on what region you are. Scientific name: Acacia Erioloba. Other English names: Camel Thorm / Giraffe Thorn / Mokala Tree.

7. Ubuntu: A Nguni phrase, “umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu” meaning “who a person is, is through other people.” Ubuntu has become a catch phrase for South Africa’s “moral ideals, spirit of togetherness, ability to work together towards a common goal or to refer to examples of collective humanity.” According to Nelson Mandela in “Mandela’s Way: Fifteen Lesson on Life, Love and Courage” (2009), ubuntu is “the profound sense that we are human only through the humanity of others, that if we are to accomplish anything in this world, it will in equal measure be due to the work and achievements of others.”

8. “Lekker” – a word like no other 😊 Originally an Afrikaans word that has become a “South Africanism.” The word covers a wide range of positive adjectives – nice, tasty, delicious, fun, great, awesome etc.

“This food is lekker.”

“How was your trip? It was lekker.”

“How are you doing? Lekker man, lekker.”

“That person is lekker” A fun person.

9. Umhlanga: A Zulu word pronounced “oom-shlanga” and directly translated to “place of reeds.” Umhlanga Rocks is a city in Kwazulu Natal (one of the country’s 9 provinces).

10. Kalahari: a desert region in South Western Africa that spans into South Africa, Botswana and Namibia. The word “Kalahari” is derived from the Tswana word “Kgala” meaning “the great thirst” and “Kgalagadi” meaning “the waterless place.”

11. Biltong: a South African delicacy. Air dried and cured meat that originated in Southern Africa. Like Beef Jerky but much more!

12. Zamalek: slang for a Black Label beer

13. “Woza kimi”: Zulu (one of of the 12 official languages of South Africa) for “Come to me”

14. “Yiza kum”: Xhosa (one of of the 12 official languages of South Africa) for “Come to me”

15. “Kom kuier bietjie by my”: Afrikaans (one of the 12 official languages of South Africa) for “Come visit me for a while”.