Education and drug abuse in two selected isiXhosa poems produced by Anelisa Thengimfene

Abstract

The poetry of Anelisa Thengimfene, through scholarly critique, certifies that applicatory subjects may be enacted in isiXhosa modern literature. Such applicatory subjects breathe pertinence to social issues that predominantly affect the South African youth and other organs of social anatomy. Using Anelisa Thengimfene’s two selected isiXhosa poems (Imfundo and Iziyobisi) , issues concerning education and drug abuse are critiqued in terms of content or subject matter in order to unmask their interfacing meanings. Textual analysis alongside qualitative research methodology is appointed to operate in a synergetic relationship. The principal objective of this article is to exhibit that education and drug addiction are social problems that continue to sabotage the lives of many young men and women in South Africa and elsewhere. The findings and discussions underscore that isiXhosa modern literature should be employed for the fact that it contests contemporary issues that are valuable and worth theoretical and practical debates. As a direct consequence of that, the closing remarks recommend a maintained scrutinisation of isiXhosa modern poetry. The contribution of this intellectual discourse can be pinned on the fact that Anelisa Thengimfene is an emerging isiXhosa literary writer, and therefore, new insights can be enacted from her literary art.