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.[2][3] (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

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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 Indaba[5] and Canonical's Ubuntu Indaba.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "indaba [zu] 1 pronunciations (Zulu pronunciation)". forvo.com. Forvo Media S.L., Rentería (Spain). Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  2. ^ a b Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Indaba" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 14 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 371.
  3. ^ "This simple negotiation tactic brought 195 countries to consensus". 12 December 2015.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ "Africa's Travel Indaba 2023". www.tourism.gov.za. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  6. ^ "Ubuntu OnAir - Indaba - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2023-10-02.