Mbalango wa Alice eTikweni ra Swihlamariso
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in Shangani

By Lewis Carroll, translated into Shangani by Peniah Mabaso and Steyn Khesani Madlome

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“Eka tlhelo leriya,” ku vula N’waXimanga a karhi a fambisa rhuva ra yena ra xinene ku endla xirhendzevutana, “ku tshama N’waMfenhe: naka­mbe eka tlhelo lerita,” a tlangisa voko rin’wana, “na kona ku tshama N’waMpfu­ndla. Vhakela loyi u lavaka: havu­mbirhi ka vona va penga.”		“In that direction,” the Cat said, waving its right paw around, “lives a Hatter: and in that direction,” waving the other paw, “lives a March Hare. Visit either you like: they’re both mad.”
“Kambe a ndzi swi lavi ku tihla­nganisa na tihlanyi,” ku vula Alice.		“But I don’t want to go among mad people,” Alice remarked.
“Yoo, u nge vuli tano,” ku boxa N’waXimanga: “hinkwerhu ha tipengela. Ndza penga. Na wena wa penga.”		“Oh, you ca’n’t help that,” said the Cat: “we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.”
“Uswi tiva njhani leswaku ndza penga?” ku vutisa Alice.		“How do you know I’m mad?” said Alice.
“U fanele u karhi u penga,” ku vula N’waXimanga, “kumbe a u nga ta va u tile haleno.”		“You must be,” said the Cat, “or you wouldn't have come here.”
Lewis Carroll i vito ro duvulela: kasi Charles Lutwidge Dodgson a ku ri rona vito ra mutsari ra xiviri naswona a a ri muleteri wa swa tinhlayo eChrist Church, edorobeni ra Oxford. Dodgson u sungurile marungula lama hi siku ra vumune ra n’hweti ya Mawuwani hi lembe ra 1862, loko va khomile rendzo ra byatso enambyeni wa Thames eOxford na Mufundhisi Robinson Duckworth, na Alice Liddell (loyi a ri na khumi wa malembe) n’wana wa Muangameri wa Kereke ya Christ Church, xikan’we na sesi na ndzisana, lava ku nga Lorina (wa malembe ya khumenharhu), na Edith (wa malembe nhungu). Tanihilaha swi paluxiweke hakona eka xitlhokovetselo emasungulweni ya tsalwa, vanhwana lava nharhu va komberile Dodgson leswaku a va garingetela kambe yena eku sunguleni a va nyika ntsheketo hi ndlela yin’wana ya khale. Ku na tindlela tinyingi leti nga riki erivaleni leswi hetisekeke leti kombetelaka eka maendlelo ya ntlhanu ya tsalwa leri ri nga ta khandziyisiwa hi lembe ra gidi madzana nhungu makumekaye-ntlhanu (1865).		Lewis Carroll is a pen-name: Charles Lutwidge Dodgson was the author’s real name and he was lecturer in Mathematics in Christ Church, Oxford. Dodgson began the story on 4 July 1862, when he took a journey in a rowing boat on the river Thames in Oxford together with the Reverend Robinson Duckworth, with Alice Liddell (ten years of age) the daughter of the Dean of Christ Church, and with her two sisters, Lorina (thirteen years of age), and Edith (eight years of age). As is clear from the poem at the beginning of the book, the three girls asked Dodgson for a story and reluctantly at first he began to tell the first version of the story to them. There are many half-hidden references made to the five of them throughout the text of the book itself, which was published finally in 1865.
XiTsonga i ririmi ro tlula mindzilekano leri vulavuriwaka eka matiko ya mune ya Afrika wa Dzonga lama ku nga: Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Afrika-Dzonga, na Muzambiki. Eka matiko lama hinkwawo ririmi leri ri vitaniwa hi mavito yo hambana. Etikweni ra Afrika-Dzonga ri vuriwa XiTsonga; eMuzambiki, ntlawa wukulu i XiTsonga kambe ehansi ka wona ku na mitlawa leyi vuriwaka XiChangana, XiTshwa na XiRhonga. EZimbabwe, ririmi leri ri tiveka tanihi XiCha­nga­na hi xitalo. Hambiswiritano ku ni ririn’wana leri vulavu­riwaka i ra XiHlengwe (Bannerman 1972:36) kumbe leri kuceteriwaka hi XiTshwa (Guthrie 1967). VaTsonga i rixaka leri avanyisiweke no hambanisiwa hikokwalaho ka vukolonyi lebyi vangeke ku handzuriwahandzuriwa ka tikonkulu ra Afrika. Funnel (2004) u kombisa leswaku ku handzuriwaha­ndzuriwa ka tikonkulu ra Afrika swi vangerile ku hamba­nisiwa ka tinxaka tinyingi leti a ti tshama etindhawini leti vakolonyi va ti tirhiseke tanihi mindzilekano ya matiko. Nambu wa Limpopo kumbe Vembe wu tirhisiwile tanihi ndzilekano wa Zimbabwe hi tlhelo ra le Dzonga-Vuxa laha ku hambanisiweke vaTsonga leswaku va kumeka eka matlhelo mambirhi ya wona.		Shangani is a cross-border language spoken mainly in four Southern African countries: Zimbabwe, Swaziland, South Africa, and Mozambique. In all the countries the language is spoken, it is referred to by different names. In South Africa, it is known as Tsonga; in Mozambique, it is known as XiChangana. In Zimbabwe, it is known as Shangani although only a variety of the language referred to as Hlengwe (Bannerman 1972:36) or Tswa (Guthrie 1967) is used. Shangani speakers have become a divided and differentiated people because of the colonialism which led to the partition of Africa. Funnel (2004) notes that the partition of Africa led to the separation of several ethnic groups which lived along geographical markers that were used as country boundaries. The Limpopo River was used as a political boundary to demarcate the south-eastern border of Zimbabwe and this geographical boundary divided the Shangani people, who now live on either sides of the Limpopo River. The Gonarezhou National Park also separated the Shangani people into Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The separation of these ethnic groups gave rise to what are now commonly referred to as cross-border languages. In Southern Africa, the Shangani, Kalanga, Tonga, and Venda people are some who have been separated by artificial boundaries.
Ntanga wa swiharhi wa Gonarezhou na wona wu avanyisile vaTsonga ku eka matiko ya Muzambiki na Zimbabwe. ku hambanisiwa ka tinxaka leti ku tswarile tindzimi leti se ti tivekaka tanihi leti tlulaka mindzilekano. Hi tlhelo ra Afrika wa Dzonga tindzimi leti hambanisiweke hi mindzilekano ti katsa XiChangana, XiKhalanga, XiTonga, Xi­Venda na XiSuthu. Hikokwalaho ka ku avanyisiwa no hambanisiwa loku, vavulavuri va XiTsonga va bohekile ku hluvuka leswi hambaneke hi tlhelo ra dyondzo, ririmi, ndhavuko, mavonelo ya misava na swa ku fuma kumbe swa tipolitiki. Loko hi languta eka XiChangana, hi vona leswaku ku tirhisiwa matsalelo yo hambana (ehandle ka Zimbabwe laha ka ha endliwaka matshalatshala yo huma ni matsalelo yo ringanisiwa) nakambe kuna swikongomelo swo hambana swa nhluvuko (Mabaso 2006:2). Xivangelonkulu hi leswaku matiko lama ku vulavuriwaka ririmi leri eka wona ya na vutifumi nakambe ya languta timhaka ta nhluvuko wa swa mahanyelo hi mahlo yo hambana. Ku hambana loku nga eka tindzimi ta XiTsonga ku vangiwa hikokwalaho ka leswaku vaTsonga va hangalakile eka tiko rikulu lero va hetelerile va hlangana ni vavulavuri va tindzimi timbe. VaTsonga va le Zimbabwe va le ka khale ka mfumo wa Nghilandi leswi vulaka leswaku va ni nkucetelo wa XiNghezi xikan’we na XiXona (ChiShona) lexi nga ni vavulavuri vo tala etikweni leri, kasi va le Muzambiki va kuceteriwa hi XiPhutukezi hikokwalaho ko va va werile eka khala ka mfumo wa ma­Phutukezi. XiTsonga xa le Afrika-Dzonga xi na nkucetelo wa tindzimiakelani to tanihi XiNghezi, XiBunu, XiVhenda, XiSuthu na tindzimi tin’wana ta XiNgoni ta tanihi XiZulu na XiQhoza.		Due to this division and separation, the speakers of cross-border languages such as Shangani were forced to develop separately in terms of their education, language, worldview, culture, and politics. For instance, in the case of Shangani language varieties, each of the different countries where they are spoken has its own orthography (except for Zimbabwe where there are still efforts to come up with a standard orthography) and agenda for development (Mabaso 2006:2). This is mainly because the countries where these cross-border languages like Shangani are spoken are all sovereign states that experience and conduct social development from different perspectives and approaches. In the case of Shangani, the differences in its varieties are also due to the fact that the Shangani people are dispersed over a very large geographical area. As a result they interacted with speakers of other languages. The Shangani people on the Zimbabwean side are living in an Anglophone territory and are influenced by English and the dominant Shona language, while those in Mozambique are in Lusophone territory and are influenced by Portuguese and other neighbouring languages. The Tsonga variety in South Africa is influenced by English, Afrikaans, Venda, and other Nguni languages like Zulu, Xhosa, Pedi, and Sotho.
Eka vuhundzuluxi lebyi bya Mbalango wa Alice eTikweni ra Swihlamariso byi endliwile hi ku tekela enhlokweni ririmi ra le Zimbabwe endzhaku ka ku va ri nghenisiwile tanihi dyo­ndzo eswikolweni. Mfumo a wu khutaza vavulavuri va tindzimi leti a ti tshikeleriwile leswaku va tsala tibuku to ni matsalwa man’wana swo tirhisa eswikolweni swa vona. Vuhundzuluxi bya XiChangana byi ta va xiphemu xa nkoka eka matsalwa ya vana lavantsongo. Tanihileswi ka ha riki na matshalatshla yo ringanisa ririmi ra XiTsonga eZimbabwe, ku kumeka ka ha ri na swihoxo eka switsariwa swo hambana hi tlhelo ra mapeletelo.		This translation of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was made using the Zimbabwean Shangani variety, at a time when the language had just been introduced into the school curriculum. The government has been encouraging the speakers of the once-marginalized languages like Shangani to produce textbooks and other written materials for use in schools. The Shangani translation of Alice will be an important set book for children’s literature. Since the Shangani language in Zimbabwe does not have a fully standardized orthography, there are some inconsistencies in spelling in most of the written materials that are found in the language.
Vuhundzuluxi lebyi byi tsariwile tanihi ntsheketo; laha hi landzeleleke maendlelo ya migaringeto laha ku tirhisiwaka nkarhi lowu hundzeke. Tsalwa ra Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland ri hundzuluxeriwile eka Mbalango wa Alice eTikweni ra Swihlamariso (‘The Adventures of Alice in a World of Wonders’) ku nga ndlela yo tekelela ndhavuko wa XiTsonga. Leswi swi vonaka hi ku tirhisa mavito ya XiTsonga eka swimunhuhatwa swa ntsheketo. Hi lombile endlelo ra XiTsonga ku ri yisa eka tsalwa leri. Migaringeto yo tala yi na N’waMpfundla na N’waMfenhe tanihi swimu­nhuhatwankulu, leswi paluxaka vutlhari ni fadela hi ku landzelelana ka swona. N’waMfenhe u tirhisiwile ema­tshan’wini ya Hatter hikuva u kumeka ngopfu eka miga­ringeto nakambe i xiharhi lexi kumekaka hi xitalo etindha­wini leti eka tona ku vulavuriwaka XiTsonga. Sengani u tirhisiwile ematshan’wini ya Dormouse hikuva a hi na xiharhi xexo erixakeni ra hina, kambe hi na Sengani hi xitalo. March Hare u lo thyiwa, N’waMpfundla, hikuva hi yena la kumekaka ngopfu eka migaringeto ya XiTsonga.		The translation is presented as a folktale; we followed the Shangani story-telling technique where the past tense is used. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland translated to Mbalango wa Alice eTikweni ra Swihlamariso (‘The Adventures of Alice in a World of Wonders’) is an adaptation to Shangani. This can be seen in the use of Shangani names for characters in the story. We have borrowed from Shangani folklore in our adaptation of the characters in the book. Most folklore has Hare (N’waMpfundla) and Baboon (N’wa­Mfenhe) as the main characters, representing cunning and stupidity respectively. Baboon was chosen to replace the Hatter because he is a very prominent character in Shangani folklore and it is also a common animal in Shangani-speaking areas. Mouse is used to replace the Dormouse because we have no such animal in the Shangani area and the nearest equivalent is the common mouse, Sengani. The March Hare was given simply as Hare, N’waMpfundla, who is a popular character in Shangani folklore.
Swimunhu­hatwa hinkwaswo swa munhuhatiwa hi ku tirhisa swirhangi swa N’wa eka mavito yo tani N’waMpfundla, N’waMfenhe, na Kondlo. Eka migaringeto ya XiChangana swiharhi hinkwa­swo swa munhuhatiwa. N’wa i xirhangi lexi tirhisiwaka evanhwini naswona ku ri nkomiso wa rito n’wana leri vulaka n’wana wa swimanimani loko ku lungeleriwile vito. Eka vanhu xi tirhisiwa eka vavasati kambe eka swiharhi xi tirha eka swiharhi hinkwaswo swa xinuna kumbe xisati.		All the characters in the folktale are personified, indicated by the use of the capital letter for manes such as N’wa­Mpfundla, N’waMfenhe, and Kondlo. In Shangani folktales, all animal characters are personified. The prefix N’wa- is in some instances used to personify animals in Shangani. N’wa- is a prefix is used for people; it is the contracted form of n’wana which means ‘child’ but when attached to a proper name, N’wa means ‘child of’. For human beings, it only refers to the females but for animals it is for both males and females.
Eka madlayiseto hi nga boxa leswaku, vahundzuluxi va tsalwa ra Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland va ringetile ku tekelela eka ndhavuko wa vaChangana hi tlhelo ra swimu­nhuhatwa ni maqhingha ya migaringeto. Leswi swi paluxiwa hi ku hundzuluxa mavito yo hambana ya XiNghezi ku ya eka lama tolovelekeke eka vaChangana. Leswi nga tolovele­kangiki swi siviwile hi leswi tolovelekeke. Swivulwa leswi a swi nga twali swi antswisiwile kumbe ku susiwa eka muhundzuluxo wa XiChangana leswaku vahlayi va nga lahleki. Vahu­ndzuluxi va ringetile hi matimba ku hundzuluxa tsalwa ra Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland leswaku ri twala ri ri ra XiChangana ehandle ko hundzula timhakankulu leti kumekaka eka tsalwa ro sungula.		In conclusion, the translators of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland made an effort to adapt the story and characters to suit the Shangani culture and story-telling techniques. This is shown by the changing of different English names of characters to common Shangani ones. Also unfamiliar things were changed to familiar ones. Some statements that did not make sense were made meaningful or left out in the Shangani version so that the story would flow and not be confusing to the audience. The translators tried their best to make the translated version of Alice’s Adventure in Wonder­land a purely Shangani story without changing the main ideas in the original story.
—Peniah Mabaso Harare, 2015		—Peniah Mabaso Harare, 2015