One of South Africa’s most important historical institutions could shut down early next year due to a lack of funding.
He said: “King Thyali, son of King Nqika, gave the land to Lovedale so that Lovedale should to educate black children for eternity.”
Former Lovedale Press chairman Reverend Bongani Finca, who worked there for a decade beginning in the mid-1980s, could not believe the publishers were at risk of closing down.
“The backbone of the operations of Lovedale Press when I worked there were the historic Xhosa publications that covered several decades of African intellectualism. I believe the government should intervene to protect it,” said Rev Finca.
“It is important that national treasures be properly archived, preserved and protected for generations to come."
Lovedale Press has contributed to several classical works of exceptional African scholarship, such as Ingqumbo Yeminyanya , Ityala lamawele to mention a few, he said.
Lovedale Press is an integral part of the rich Eastern Cape and Xhosa heritage.
When missionaries established Lovedale Institution in 1824, it was divided into five sections, the Academic and Commercial which were high schools, the Teacher Training College which trained primary school teachers, and an Agricultural College which had students who specialised at the Fort Cox Institute.
There was the College of Carpentry and lastly the Industrial school – an early version of Lovedale Press.
Lovedale printing works was established in 1861. The press concentrated on religious and educational publications, grammars and dictionaries. By the early 1900s, it was publishing the works of creative writers, composers and artists and became a major publishing centre for African literature.
In “The Dawn of Literature among the Xhosa” Dr AC Jordan writes the “earliest record of anything written by any Bantu-speaking African in his own language in Southern Africa was made at the small printing press at Old Lovedale at about the end of the first quarter of the 19th century”.
He further writes that Tiyo Soga has had several of his writings printed at Lovedale.
Black intellectuals such as isiXhosa author Professor Peter Mtuze were saddened to hear that a place filled with such history is being allowed to die.
“It is devastating to see a place that’s rich with blacks’ history and African intellectualism being shut down,” said Prof Mtuze.
“It feels exactly like when Izimvo Zabantsundu stopped publishing. I believed then as I do now that our history was being left to die,” said Mtuze.
Lovedale ex-student and Chris Hani’s classmate, who is also a former teacher, Mallet Giyose said: “The rate at which the black intellectual class is being killed in this country worries me about the future of this country.”
Some of the authors linked to Lovedale Press include John Knox Bokwe, Davidson Don Tengo Jabavu, Walter Benson Rubusana, James Ranisi Jolobe, Samuel Ernest Krune Mqhayi and Archibald Campbell Jordan.
Lovedale Press in funds crisis
He said: “King Thyali, son of King Nqika, gave the land to Lovedale so that Lovedale should to educate black children for eternity.”
Former Lovedale Press chairman Reverend Bongani Finca, who worked there for a decade beginning in the mid-1980s, could not believe the publishers were at risk of closing down.
“The backbone of the operations of Lovedale Press when I worked there were the historic Xhosa publications that covered several decades of African intellectualism. I believe the government should intervene to protect it,” said Rev Finca.
“It is important that national treasures be properly archived, preserved and protected for generations to come."
Lovedale Press has contributed to several classical works of exceptional African scholarship, such as Ingqumbo Yeminyanya , Ityala lamawele to mention a few, he said.
Lovedale Press is an integral part of the rich Eastern Cape and Xhosa heritage.
When missionaries established Lovedale Institution in 1824, it was divided into five sections, the Academic and Commercial which were high schools, the Teacher Training College which trained primary school teachers, and an Agricultural College which had students who specialised at the Fort Cox Institute.
There was the College of Carpentry and lastly the Industrial school – an early version of Lovedale Press.
Lovedale printing works was established in 1861. The press concentrated on religious and educational publications, grammars and dictionaries. By the early 1900s, it was publishing the works of creative writers, composers and artists and became a major publishing centre for African literature.
In “The Dawn of Literature among the Xhosa” Dr AC Jordan writes the “earliest record of anything written by any Bantu-speaking African in his own language in Southern Africa was made at the small printing press at Old Lovedale at about the end of the first quarter of the 19th century”.
He further writes that Tiyo Soga has had several of his writings printed at Lovedale.
Black intellectuals such as isiXhosa author Professor Peter Mtuze were saddened to hear that a place filled with such history is being allowed to die.
“It is devastating to see a place that’s rich with blacks’ history and African intellectualism being shut down,” said Prof Mtuze.
“It feels exactly like when Izimvo Zabantsundu stopped publishing. I believed then as I do now that our history was being left to die,” said Mtuze.
Lovedale ex-student and Chris Hani’s classmate, who is also a former teacher, Mallet Giyose said: “The rate at which the black intellectual class is being killed in this country worries me about the future of this country.”
Some of the authors linked to Lovedale Press include John Knox Bokwe, Davidson Don Tengo Jabavu, Walter Benson Rubusana, James Ranisi Jolobe, Samuel Ernest Krune Mqhayi and Archibald Campbell Jordan.
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