The Discussion Between the Christian and the Pagan

work by Gqoba

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June 25, 2026

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William Wellington Gqoba's poem, "The Discussion Between the Christian and the Pagan," presents a traditional conflict between the pagan view of life's pleasures and riches and the Christian advocacy for an ascetic existence. Although the Christian's arguments are less convincing, they ultimately prevail in the poem. This work, influenced by Tiyo Soga's translation of Pilgrim's Progress into Xhosa, reflects the impact of missionaries and education on the Bantu people in 19th-century South Africa. Gqoba was a prominent literary figure among Bantu writers of his time.1

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William Wellington Gqoba
…two long didactic poems, “The Discussion Between the Christian and the Pagan” and “The Great Discussion on Education,” both influenced in style by his fellow South African Tiyo Soga’s translation of Pilgrim’s Progress into Xhosa. In the first poem the traditional conflict is set up between the pleasures and riches…
Read More
…two long didactic poems, “The Discussion Between the Christian and the Pagan” and “The Great Discussion on Education,” both influenced in style by his fellow South African Tiyo Soga’s translation of Pilgrim’s Progress into Xhosa. In the first poem the traditional conflict is set up between the pleasures and riches…
Read More