In Kenya my brothers and I met a Lozi, from Barotseland in Zambia. Since then, I haven’t lost my fascination for Silozi, his mother tongue. Why? For the simple reason that Mukelabai and all of us are cousins. He speaks Silozi, we speak Sesotho, but we understand each other quite well. Muzuhile cwani? O tsohile joang? We met Mukelabai by chance; we were staying at the same hotel in Nairobi: The Jacaranda Hotel.
Kiwena ma’ni libizo? Lebitso la hau ke mang? (What’s your name) See? I told you. Look at these (Silozi, Sesotho, English):
Amu otolole lizoho. Otlolla letsoho. (Stretch your hand.)
Mwazuba? U oa tsuba? (Do you smoke?)
Ku mumuna. Ho momona. (To suck.)
La Bulalu Laboraro. (Wednesday, literally ‘the third one’)
Kamuso Kamoso. (Tomorrow). In Sesotho we also say ‘hosane.’
Learn more about Silozi and our cousins in Zambia:
Kihande kuziba kuli mushobo waluna wa silozi wa swana ni sisutu. Eni kiniti butu ba Sisutu ki mizwale nili kaizeli za luna - lubatu balibamu =:)
Its interesting to learn you found yet another brother in Kenya who speaks Lozi and you can understand each other quite well.
I’m not surprised myself because I knew this fact long time ago. I’m not sure where you have been living or how old you are but I’m in my 20s and I knew about this similarity between Lozi and Sotho. Firstly Lozi (Silozi) is so widely spoken and its not only in Barotseland of Zambia. Lozi is spoken in Zambia, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zaire (Congo) and some parts of Botswana. Lozi is very similar to Sotho of Lesotho; Tswana of Botswana and slightly similar to Zulu of South Africa. I can understand when Sotho, Tswana or even Zulu speaks. I expected you should have discovered ages ago that Lozi is very similar to Sotho the fact your country is surrounded by south africa where Lozi is spoken. I live in Australia and I have a friend who visited South Africa and she keeps on asking me these words, sentences she heard over heard and I can understand and explain some. I’m not sure where Lozis came from but it should be somewhere in South Africa, although I also hear it was from Congo, whatever. But all in all its a huge discovery you have landed and welcome home my brother/sister.
Muzuhe hande ni Mulimu abe nimina; Mulimu amifuyole! =:)
Comment by Muyoyeta — 14 December 2005 @ 5:54 am
Kea leboha. Ke tsebile ka bo 1980 hore Basotho le puo ea Sesotho ba tsoana le Malozi haholo. Ha motsoalle oa rona a bua Silozi, re utloa hantle hore na o reng. Le ena o utloa puo ea rona hantle.
Sala hantle le oena, Molimo a o boloke.
Comment by Rethabile Masilo — 14 December 2005 @ 7:59 am
Silozi,kipuo yende,mi nako ni niko a nitama musipili kuya kwa south africa,pilu yaka ya lukuluha,kakuli,na ziba kuli ni ka fuma mizwale nili kaezeli.
Comment by sililo john — 4 February 2006 @ 4:59 pm
Excellent to know we have similar languages. What I gather is that a Sotho speaking people settled in western Zambia and the people of that area had a different language about 170 years ago. However the locals married the beutiful women these Sothoes came with and these women passed on their language. Hence Losi is a version of Sotho.
Comment by Walubita Lubinda — 7 February 2006 @ 2:23 pm
kea leboha,na lemuha,silozi ki mushobo o munde ahulu,mi niluna mo mwa-namibia lwa-silobaza ni sesotho habutuku.mi ni lemuha kuli kakuya ka history,sisotho ni sikololo si pangile silozi.kamukwa o cwalo lubatu ba li ba`nwi
Comment by Eliot mowa — 15 February 2006 @ 1:25 pm
Correct. Check the history and movements of Bakololo (Bafokeng)under Sebetoane (Sebetwane) during Lifaqane.
Comment by Setumo Mohapi — 24 March 2006 @ 10:58 am
New comment on your post #29 “Lozi & Sotho”
Author : Tebello Thejane (IP: 216.239.58.136 , 216.239.58.136)
E-mail : tjhee@lekgale.lebala.com
URI : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/user:Zyxoas
Whois : http://ws.arin.net/cgi-bin/whois.pl?queryinput=216.239.58.136
Comment:
Dumela Rethabile. Ke rata blog ya hao . Ana o utlwetse ka Wikipedia? There is a terrible systemic bias because African views are underrepresented. It would do us a huge favour if you could join the project, kapa o ntumedise talk paging ya ka. Buka e nngwe e re Barotse e ne e le leloke (clan) le leng la Basotho le ileng la sala ha Bakone le Basotho ba kgale ba neng ba dula Zambia dilemo tse dikete tse fetileng ba ya Afrika Borwa. Ha ba bangata Barotse mona RSA - ha ke tsebe le ya le mong.
Comment by Rethabile Masilo — 26 March 2006 @ 11:58 am
Hey! Why didn’t my last message(s) show up on its own? And why haven’t you said “Hi” @ Wikipedia? Ke ne ke mpa feela ke o hopotsa ka Sesotho.web.za ya Jako - guess who the “Tebello Thejane” and “Rethabile Masilo” mentioned on the site are. I’ll give you 3 guesses… I’m not in America btw (whois) - but my cellphone is using Google to translate websites, thus the American IP. Hantle-ntle ke dula Gauteng. O (ne o) etsa’ng Fora?
Comment by Tebello Thejane — 3 April 2006 @ 6:47 pm
Tebello,
Email ea hau ha e sebetse. Ke lekile ho u romella molaetsa, empa ka hloloa.
Ke phela mona Fora. Cheers
Comment by Rethabile Masilo — 24 May 2006 @ 2:59 pm
Hela beso ke mpa ke lumelisa. Ke sebetsa mona NUL ke le Chaplain. Ke le rata bohle.
Comment by Maqebo Rabasotho Moshoeshoe — 14 June 2006 @ 5:14 pm
ke bona molaetsa oaka o sa bonahale. Mohlomong ke hona ho ba nku ea thaba e sa tsebeng letho ntle ho matsiri. Ke ne ke lumelisa feela hle Bashoeshoe!
Comment by Maqebo Rabasotho Moshoeshoe — 14 June 2006 @ 5:17 pm
Sebetoane (Sebetwane) was the King of the Makololo or commonly known as Bafokeng Ba Patsa in Lesotho. Remnants of the Bafokeng Ba Patsa can still be found in present-day Lesotho. They are sometimes known as Mamphane-a-Matšo (normally used in traditional praise songs). Sebetwane left the Free State (South Africa) shortly before the Lifaqane (Mfecane) wars and settled around Mosi-oa-thunya. I knew about this history when I was in primary school. One Sesotho book (Paliso Tsa Sesotho) chronicles this history very well. A friend of mine had a Lozi girlfriend and I always enjoyed conversing with her because of the similarity of Lozi and Sesotho.
Comment by Motsotuoa Makoa — 5 September 2006 @ 1:28 am
The fascination continues. For instance this song is familiar with most Basotho I’ve come across. only substitute Bulozi with Lesotho. It’s by the Paris Missionary Society who preached in western Zambia from their base in Lesotho. It goes like:
Bulozi ‘fasi la Bo Ndata luna
‘hali amafasi le linde ki lona
ki mo lu pepezwi
ki mo lu hulezi
‘fasi la Ndate
Ba lichaba ni ha ba ka linyaza
lu luna ki hae mi lwa ilata
ki mo lu pepezwi
ki mo luhulezi
‘fasi la Ndate
Comment by Dan Tebuho Kabika — 14 March 2007 @ 2:23 pm
mohlolo!! ke kgetlo la pele ke bona blog ena, mme ke a dumela jwale hoba selemong se fetile mong wa metwalle ya ka o ne a ile DRC mme a bolela ka moo puo ya bona e tshwanang le sesotho ka teng, empa ka hobane yean ke moXhosa etswe le sesotho sa hae ha se so hlake, ka nahana hore o ipuela ditsiebadimo.
jwale ke swabile nko ho feta molomo empa ke motlotlo ke ithutile seo kajeno.
ke na le kopo ho basotho ba kgabane le ho bohle ba ka thusang!!! ke kopa hore ya nang le tsebo ka nalane ya Bafokeng ba Mahau (Bakgoele)le seboko sa bona a ke a nthomelle tsona hle ka kopo. haufi ke tla be kele Ntate mme bana baka ba ke ke ba tseba moo ba tswang ha le nna ke sa tsebe. seo ke se tsebang feela ke hore ba babang ba baholo baka ba ile ba aha moo ho thweng Ke Mazenod, kwana lesotho mme mabitso a bona ke boMotlohelwa,boPoulo, boMosipidi, BoMmahohale!
ka kopo hle ya ka tsebang ka hona ake a nthomelle lesedi on my E-mail: adresscourtesymofokeng@yahoo.com
ke LEBOHA HO MENAHANE
Comment by LEHLOHONOLO MOFOKENG — 19 June 2007 @ 11:21 am
ka nnete ha ke dumele seo ke se bonang… this is by far the most exciting discovery of my day… i’d love to learn more of Silozi
Comment by maine Thabang mofokeng — 31 March 2008 @ 4:49 pm
Ni fumani blog ye ka chance fela. Hape nitabela ahulu kuitita Sesotho.
Comment by Situmbeko Sitwala — 20 July 2008 @ 7:47 pm
Le nna ke thabela ho ithuta Silozi. Re na le group ea Basotho, haeba u batla ho bua le rona: http://groups.google.com/group/sotho
Sala hantle
Rethabile
Comment by Rethabile Masilo — 20 July 2008 @ 9:07 pm