Letta Mbulu shared how they were very diligent about not forgetting home and everything pertaining to South Africa.
Iconic South African musician Letta Mbulu has shared how she and her husband, Caiphus Semenya, insisted on their kids speaking South African languages while living in exile in the US.
“When we started to realise that they are becoming Americanised and speaking a lot of English in the home, their father said ‘come here and listen. This house is of the Republic of South Africa’,” said Mbulu in a sit-down interview with Umhlobo Wenene FM’s Dumza Maswana.
“‘If I ever hear any of you speaking in English when they enter through the gate, know that you I’ll kill you’ and that’s how they learnt…and we taught them isiXhosa, Sesotho and they speak them [languages] all.”
The couple raised their two boys, Moses and Muntuyetwa, while living in the US for nearly 30 years.
“We took them to a private African school in the US. We also had rules. When they came home, they abide by our rules,” the There’s Music In The Air singer told Move magazine in 2019.
Mbulu and Semenya have been married for 60 years.
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Longing for home
The 82-year-old singer, who celebrates her birthday this weekend, shared that despite being far away from home, the sense of home never left them.
“The sun wouldn’t set without us pondering about home [South Africa]. Everything we did, even the [South African] students that were there [US] would come to our homes, we’d cook food from home, speak about issues from home… that one day we will be free,” she shared.
The Not Yet Uhuru singer shared how they were very diligent about not forgetting home and everything pertaining to South Africa.
“We didn’t like things that didn’t involve politics,” said Mbulu.
“We’d sit down and thoroughly unpack politics… and I was quite determined, I even told the father of the house [Caiphus Semenya] that the day they say we’re leaving [heading back to South Africa], I’ll be the first… I want to go home,” said Mbulu, chuckling about her determination not to stay in the US longer than needed.
She said she discussed with her husband that she only wanted to be in America for three years.
“I just want to be here for three years. I want to get out and unfortunately they banned me on my arrival.”
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