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Short stories about food, names and everyday life from the Southern African languages we teach. Pick a language to start.
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In South Africa it is Xitsonga. In southern Mozambique many say Xichangana. Census data shows how big this cross-border language really is.
Read story: Xitsonga and Xichangana: A Language That Crosses the LimpopoMetsi, amanzi, mvura, madzi, maasi. One everyday word in thirteen Southern African languages, with a say-it-like guide for each.
Read story: How to Say “Water” in 13 Southern African LanguagesLumela, dumela, dumelang, thobela. Three languages, one family, and a 1950s plan to merge them that never happened.
Read story: Sesotho, Setswana and Sepedi: How Close Are the Sotho-Tswana Languages?In 2006 Lesotho swapped a shield, spear and knobkerrie for a Basotho hat. The reason says a lot about how the country sees itself.
Read story: Why Lesotho’s Flag Has a Mokorotlo Hat in the MiddleHappy Independence Day, Botswana. On 30 September 1966 Bechuanaland became Botswana, named after the Batswana, with a currency named after rain.
Read story: Happy Independence Day, Botswana: 30 September and the Setswana Spoken on Both Sides of the BorderIf your family's roots run through Angola's central highlands, Heritage Month is a good time to say your first words of Umbundu. It takes five minutes.
Read story: Heritage Month: Start Umbundu With a Free 5-Minute LessonThis week's word
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From September 2026 · Read the stories
In South Africa it is Xitsonga. In southern Mozambique many say Xichangana. Census data shows how big this cross-border language really is.
Read story: Xitsonga and Xichangana: A Language That Crosses the LimpopoLumela, dumela, dumelang, thobela. Three languages, one family, and a 1950s plan to merge them that never happened.
Read story: Sesotho, Setswana and Sepedi: How Close Are the Sotho-Tswana Languages?In 2006 Lesotho swapped a shield, spear and knobkerrie for a Basotho hat. The reason says a lot about how the country sees itself.
Read story: Why Lesotho’s Flag Has a Mokorotlo Hat in the MiddleFrom September 2026 · Read the stories
If your family's roots run through Angola's central highlands, Heritage Month is a good time to say your first words of Umbundu. It takes five minutes.
Read story: Heritage Month: Start Umbundu With a Free 5-Minute LessonA wrap, a baby carrier, a head tie, a gift, a campaign garment: the chitenje is part of daily life in Malawi, and designers are giving it new life.
Read story: Chitenje: The Cloth That Does EverythingThe famous story says Moshoeshoe I received a blanket in 1860. The documented history involves mines, cattle disease and a very cold winter.
Read story: The Basotho Blanket and Seanamarena: Story and HistoryMost read
When the harvest is good, communities in Botswana carry baskets of sorghum to the kgosi. Dikgafela gives thanks, asks for rain and fills the granary.
Read story: Dikgafela: Bringing the Harvest to the KgosiA country named after a stone city. The usual explanation is 'houses of stone' in chiShona, but archaeologists have offered another reading.
Read story: Great Zimbabwe and the Words ‘Dzimba dza Mabwe’Will you wear a classic pleated xibelani this Heritage Day, or give Tsonga heritage a modern twist? Show us how you wear it this year.
Read story: Heritage Day Outfit: Classic Xibelani or a Modern Twist?Newsletter
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