An indaba (/ɪnˈdɑːbə/; Xhosa pronunciation: [íⁿd̥a̤ːɓa]1) is an important conference held by the izinDuna (principal men) of the Zulu and Xhosa peoples of South Africa.23 (Such meetings are also practised by the Swazi, who refer to them using the close cognate indzaba.) Indabas may include only the izinDuna of a particular community, or they may be held with representatives of other communities.2
The term "Indaba" comes from the Zulu and Xhosa languages. It means "business" or "matter".4
Usage
The term is used by various organisations around the world for their meetups or conferences; for instance, the Wiki Indaba, South African Tourism's Africa's Travel Indaba5 and Canonical's Ubuntu Indaba.6
References
References
- "indaba [zu] 1 pronunciations (Zulu pronunciation)". forvo.com. Forvo Media S.L., Rentería (Spain). Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 14 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 371.
- "This simple negotiation tactic brought 195 countries to consensus". 12 December 2015.
- Pettman, Charles (1913). Africanderisms; a glossary of South African colloquial words and phrases and of place and other names. Longmans, Green and Co. p. 225.
- "Africa's Travel Indaba 2023". www.tourism.gov.za. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
- "Ubuntu OnAir - Indaba - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2023-10-02.