Racial relations and intercultural love in Itshwele lempangele

Abstract

This article examines intercultural issues in the Zulu novel Itshwele lempangele. The subject of the novel is a love relationship between an Indian girl and a young Zulu man. Both the Indian and Zulu families oppose the relationship, which ends with the marriage of the two lovers. The contention is that the author of the novel idealises intercultural love within a Christian moral framework and criticises commonly held racial stereotypes.