Tyamzashe reminds us of black excellence

In the 2021 policy budget speech of the Eastern Cape, Cogta MEC Xolile Nqatha announced a collaboration with the department of sport recreation arts & culture to remember and celebrate the life and times of Benjamin Peter Tyamzashe, popularity known as “B-ka-t”.

This will be done through a myriad of events that will include the revamping of his gravesite in Izinyoka village and a music festival in Bhisho.

Indeed, the speech marked a moment of reflection for the people SA, especially those in the Eastern Cape, to consider whether enough is being done to honour the service excellence, education, arts and organic intellectualism that are home-grown in the province.

It is also evoked reflections on the history of the Eastern Cape legends, without further embracing the colonial narrative on what and who is excellent.

“B-ka-t” was a self-taught musician and scholar in a discipline that requires a formal education.

This qualifies him to be classified as an organic intellectual.

His legacy represents great significance because whenever there are conversations about early intellectuals and the ‘Home of the Legends’, his name is frequently mentioned.

Tyamzashe was born in 1890, and though living in an environment riddled with oppression, marginalisation and violence, he lived to determine his attitude and the impact he would later make through the arts and education in our society.

Therefore, Nqatha’s pronouncement is appreciated for a man who belongs to, though is not included on, the Bhisho premiers office wall: home of the legends.

Nqatha’s pronouncement surprised many because the youth know little about him.

This raises questions about how much we know about our history and the curriculum and content exposed to our children.

Subjects such as the creative arts, music and social sciences should help chronicle our history of excellence and the people who have made an impact in the arts.

The failure to do so gives credence to the struggles of students in higher education who are calling for the curriculum to be decolonialised.

Probably, this is an opportunity to also think of decolonising the curriculum, even at the basic education level.

However, the unknown history of “B-ka-t” by the younger generation is a product of a lack of will to transform the education system and to promote the heritage of black people.

Education transformation and effective tourism promotion can help in this regard.

SA’S education system still promotes the colonial narrative, which says excellence is predominantly white and belittles black history.

This is proven among other things by poor marketing and poor maintenance of black historical documents, sites and the infrastructure surrounding them.

A typical example of this is the grave sites of Nkosi Maqoma in Ntabakandoda in Keiskammahoek, and that of SEK Mqhayi at Ntabozuko.

The departure in resolving the abovementioned challenges must begin by taking the responsibility to remind ourselves of black excellence through remembering Tyamzashe and his contribution in music.

The MEC’S speech has given us a wakeup call to remember who we are, where we come from and that our black history matters.

There is no better start than telling the history of our legends like that of “B-ka-t”.

Tyamzashe was the epitome of service excellence.

He was a Xhosa-music composer of many choral songs that include Zwe Liyaduduma and the famous Elibhisho ikhayalam, which includes the lines:

“Eli Bhisholikhaya lam, andisokuze ndiye ndawo. Andilithandi sisimanga” (Bhisho is my home. I shall not go anywhere. I love it so much).

This song expressed his passion, enthusiasm and love for the Eastern Cape administrative and legislative capital.

He also composed Hay Abantu Abanyamo, a highly political choral song on the plight of black people in SA.

Coincidentally, this song was used for the schools’ choral competition in 1989 under the then Ciskei administration.

As bad as the Bantustun government was, at least it recognised Tyamzashe’s message through his music.

Tyamzashe left a good footnote as a conductor and a great organist of his time; a teacher of note who graduated to become a principal, not through union affiliation but academic contribution, skills and knowledge of the isixhosa language and music.

Few black people could be principals then because only the finest were appointed in that position.

Even the colonial and apartheid governments could not ignore his excellence.

Hence they recognised his contribution in the Xhosa people’s cultural development through awards.

The University College of Fort Hare recognised his contribution to isixhosa music by awarding him a Master of Arts degree in music.

Unfortunately, the black-led government has not done enough to acknowledge and accentuate Tyamzashe’s excellence.

This is surprising because the government led by the national liberation movement is expected to do better than the apartheid regime in recognising excellence in the fields that promote black heritage and customs.

Hopefully, recognisingtyamzashe’s life and times, as suggested by Nqatha, will spark the necessity to continue honouring our legends through infrastructural development, education, arts and tourism in the Eastern Cape.

And indeed the legacy of legends should continue to be lived in all spectra of our society.

Vusumzi Vusie Mba is a researcher for the Eastern Cape house of traditional leaders.

He writes here in his personal capacity.

He was a Xhosa-music composer of many choral songs that include ‘Zwe liyaduduma’ and the famous Elibhisho ikhayalam