Preachers and poets: oral poetry within the religious cosmology of the Xhosa

Abstract

In this article the use of Xhosa praise poetry techniques in preaching styles is explored. The existence of this technique is traced back to Ntsikana who made use of this style in his Great Hymn. In the article it is further showed that Xhosa religious worship is a poetic activity and a contemporary case study is included in order to show the continuity between the past and the present. The interaction between orality and literacy as it pertains to religion is also commented on.