Located in Southeastern Africa, KwaZulu was a Bantustan in South Africa; a providence for black Africans. After abolishing racial segregation in 1998, the KwaZulu province merged with the nearby Natal province, becoming KwaZulu-Natal. Bordering the Indian Ocean, the province also borders three other African countries, Mozambique, Eswatini, and Lesotho. During the 1800s the most northern part of the region was established as the Zulu Kingdom; the kingdom remained independent until 1879 (“KwaZulu-Natal”).

The novel Chaka by Thomas Mofolo—a historical romance recount of the leader of the Zulu Empire—takes place in what is now KwaZulu-Natal. Mofolo describes the land as, “mountains and the sea and is covered with dense bush; hard frosts are unknown, for owing to its nearness to the sea there is never more than a slight touch of frost” (Mofolo 1). The accuracy of the description of the land still stands to this day, as KwaZulu-Natal is described as “generally hilly or mountainous, especially along its western border... climate varies from subtropical to temperate” (“KwaZulu-Natal”). The importance of location and setting of the novel, Chaka, are imperative to understand the cultural aspects and ethnic characters in the book. With this area belonging to very defensive kingdoms, many battles over land and belongings, wild animal encounters, and climate barriers occur within the text (“KwaZulu-Natal”).

Works Cited

“KwaZulu-Natal.” Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/place/KwaZulu-Natal.

“KwaZulu-Natal.” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KwaZulu-Natal.

Mofolo, Thomas. Chaka. Oxford University Press, 1931.