An indaba ( /ɪnˈdɑːbə/; [1] Xhosa pronunciation: [íⁿd̥a̤ːɓa]) is an important conference held by the izinDuna (principal men) of the Zulu and Xhosa peoples of South Africa. [2] (Such meetings are also practised by the Swazi, who refer to them using the close cognate indzaba.) Indabas may include only the izinDuna of a particular community, or they may be held with representatives of other communities. [2]
The term "Indaba" comes from the Zulu and Xhosa languages. It means "business" or "matter". [3]
The term is used by various organisations around the world for their meetups or conferences; for instance, the Wiki Indaba, South African Tourism's Africa’s Travel Indaba [4] and Canonical's Ubuntu Indaba. [5]