Ntsikana
vers 1780-1821 19th century
Finding in one's own language the words to name God, without waiting to be given them.
Who was Ntsikana?
A Xhosa councillor, cattle-keeper and father of a family in what is now the Eastern Cape, he received almost nothing from the missionaries: a few encounters, no schooling. After an experience he described as a light resting on his favorite ox, he gathered a small group who prayed each morning. On the night of his conversion he composed a song in Xhosa, using the images of shield and stronghold, the first Christian hymn of southern Africa composed by an African.
In their own words
He is the Great God, who is in heaven.
You are the true shield. You are the true fortress.