Work

Endleleni: The In-Between Journey of Landlessness and Homecoming in Black South African Lives

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The violent dispossession of land in South Africa disrupted more than just homes—it severed Black South Africans from a sacred, ancestral connection to land as a source of identity, belonging, and spiritual dwelling. This article examines how forced removals displaced not only bodies but also histories, memories, and the deep-rooted sense of ikhaya (home). Rooted in the concept of endleleni (being on the road/along the road), this study explores how amaXhosa navigate the in-between journey of landlessness and homecoming. Using indigenous storytelling methodology, it reveals how land is not merely for shelter or sustenance but is intricately tied to birth, the umbilical cord, and death, making its reclamation a fight for existence itself.

Source: Genealogy

DOI: 10.3390/genealogy9030080

Author: Nobuntu Penxa-Matholeni

Institution: Stellenbosch University

Language: English

Topic: South African History and Culture

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,689