Samuel Mqhayi’s poetry and prose is known to every Xhosa speaker who went to school in the Eastern Cape in the first half of the twentieth century, but he is almost unknown outside of that context, as his work has only recently been made available in translation due to the efforts of Jeff Opland and his collaborators. In particular, see Abantu Besizwe (2009) and Iziganeko Zisizwe (2017).
Mqhayi lived in the countryside near to the German settler village of Berlin (where I grew up) for the major part of his adult life, as an imbongi, published poet, journalist, teacher and what today might be called a cultural activist. He was a pervading influence in the great debate about the engagement of tradition with the forces of colonialism and modernity. As a product of his Thembu/Gcaleka background (“Red”), and of missionary influence (“School”) (he attended Lovedale 1891-1896), he represented a rural perspective. As a journalist on Izwe laBantu and Imvo Zabantsundu and a writer, he engaged with issues relating to the role of his people and their place in the British Empire and the evolving modern South African society he inhabited.
He never played a prominent role in ANC politics, but was active in local politics. He was awarded the May Esther Bedford prize for his contribution to African literature in 1935 and 1936. His collaboration with William Bennie at Lovedale Press gave him a unique opportunity to influence the shape of the Xhosa school knowledge through Imibengo (1935), an anthology of Xhosa poetry, and the Steward Xhosa Readers (from 1934 onwards) which dominated the market for most children from Primer to High School level.
The complex and nuanced way in which Mqhayi navigated the cultural, political and social issues of his time would seem to offer many clues for understanding and negotiating present realities.