Khoisan culture disappearing and the fact that different South African socio-cultural groups still live in separate areas: those were the two biggest concerns raised by 20 Chinese students who visited Port Alfred last week. The group led by their lecturer at Zhejiang Normal University Dawn Tang was welcomed to Centenary Park by fellow Zhejiang lecturer Arielle Liu. Liu was recently inducted by paramount chief Crawford Fraser as a senior headwoman of the Ndlambe Links tribe of the Korana nation.
The students spent three days and two nights at the municipal reserve which the Ndlambe Links Khoisan community has made their home and cultural base since December 2023. When Talk of the Town arrived Saturday early afternoon, outside the main tent, a small group of students smiled appreciatively as one of their number tried out some new dance moves under the instruction of one of the hosts.
Over at the campsite, a circle of tents around the main fireplace , Talk of the Town was given permission to speak to the students, provided their names or their faces were not made public. This was according to the very strict protocols under which they were visiting the region, Liu explained.
Despite the stringent security protocols, the students chatted freely about their experiences in the week they had been in the country. Talk of the Town asked them what kinds of food they’d eaten in the Khoisan village, what they’d learnt there, what they’d like the most and what things concerned them. Here’s what they said – unattributed, as agreed with their lecturers.
Have you been surprised by anything here – food, customs, attitudes?
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“We’ve eaten chicken, pork, beef. The best was today we had cake because it was someone’s birthday!”
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“It’s a lot more modern than we imagined.”
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”The people here live very close to nature.”
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“People here are very friendly.”
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“Living here is very free. Last night we sat around the fire and sang together. One of the locals was teaching me to play an African drum. I wanted instruction, but he said, ‘Follow your heart and find your own rhythm.’”
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“Here, people respect individual development; they value each person’s unique qualities.”
Are there things you’ve seen or heard that worry you?
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“I worry because the culture of the Khoisan is disappearing.”
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“It worries me that in South Africa people live in separate areas just because they look different from each other.” [they confirmed that they were referring to skin colour].
How do you think we should solve that problem of living in separate areas?
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“I think they should advertise this as a tourist place so more people can see the beauty of the place and the culture.”
“Learning about another culture through experiencing their music, their sports, their food is very valuable for our students,” Tang said. “It opens their hearts and minds.”
The 2019 Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Act (TKLA) was legislated to recognise and regulate Khoisan leadership and communities. In 2023 the Constitutional Court declared the act invalid because of inadequate public consultation. The 2024 bill was introduced to address those deficiencies. When it becomes law, it will provide a legal framework for the roles of traditional and Khoisan leadership structures within the various levels of government. Integral to the recognition of those leadership structures is evidence that traditional communities exist, including practices such as cultural ceremonies.
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This article was first published in Talk of the Town, August 14, 2025. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays.
