KING CETSHWAYO: A FORERUNNER OF AFRICAN NATIONALISM
DR VUSI SHONGWE
When a colossus like His Majesty King Cetshwayo is mentioned, the word great comes to mind. But what determines greatness? Is it the wealth one leaves behind? Is it one's intellect? King Cetshwayo of Ondini stands out like a cathedral in a citadel. It needs to be conceded, though, that there is always an element of danger involved in seeing the past through the present. Thus, although the contemporary lens through which we review the past may show us new aspects, it may also discolour or distort it. So, if we are to avoid errors, we must try to see King Cetshwayo in his own context, within which he displayed all the qualities of a great leader. Undoubtedly, the Chimurenga and Mau-Mau uprisings drew their inspirations from the triumphant Zulu warriors' defeat of British imperialists at the Battle of Isandlwana. It was under the illustrious leadership of King Cetshwayo that the Zulu warriors fought so heroically to defend the sanctity of African sovereignty. When one reflects on the pivotal importance of King Cetshwayo's role during the Battle of Isandlwana, there are lessons that could be learnt by invoking some of India's oldest philosophical sources, the Upanishads: "The greatest gift for an individual or a nation is abbey (fearlessness), not merely bodily courage, but the absence of fear from the mind”. It was therefore King Cetshwayo's role as king to conscientise and make the Zulu people, especially the Zulu warriors, fearless. The invocation of India's oldest philosophical sources in the context of the battle of Isandlwana brings up a particular understanding of sovereignty that locates personal authority in King Cetshwayo's ability to exert self-control and leadership. Indeed, the Battle of Isandlwana was about defending the sovereignty of the mighty Zulu nation. His Majesty King Cetshwayo is deservedly and reverently owed a debt of gratitude for not only valiantly defending the sovereignty of African people and their integrity but also for the personal hardships he stoically endured in the process. This war was a pivotal moment in the history of Africa as it came to define the broader stand of African people against encroaching colonialism. King Cetshwayo simply outthought his colonial counterparts. If the Zulu warriors had listened to King Cetshwayo’s wise counsel, they would not have been defeated at Rorke’s Drift. As one Zulu participant put it: “King Cetshwayo said, "You are not going into the hole of a wild beast, or else you will get clawed; wait until the soldiers come out of their laager and fall on them.” The historian John Laband agrees with the King’s counsel when he states that ‘the Zulu warriors were supposed to employ the hit-and-run guerrilla tactics. Notwithstanding these misgivings, the legacy bequeathed by this war is both unparalleled and unrivalled. As African people brace themselves for the commemoration of their triumphant victory at the Battle of Isandlwana on January 22, it is worth reflecting on one of the most influential figures of the Zulu nation, King Cetshwayo kaMpande. One takes a characteristically gleeful delight in writing about a king of sheer personal courage. King Cetshwayo was an extraordinarily one-of-a-kind leader. His equanimity of the mind was amazing. This explains the reverence with which he is held by all and sundry, including the British. Historians tell of many marvellous memories of his vibrancy, emblematic modesty, his sharp mind, and his extraordinary presence. The king was indeed a wonderful person and a great king. The history of the king who made, and still makes, Africans feel proud as a peacock is brilliantly summed up by Bridget Theron, whom I would like to quote at length. In Theron’s view, the story of King Cetshwayo's exile, his visit to England, and his brief restoration is a tragic yet absorbing one, spanning a mere five years, and ending in his death. From the time of his capture in 1879, he became a victim of circumstances primarily engineered by imperial Britain, and the victim, too, of the extraordinary lack of understanding of the so-called 'native mind' that Victorians in the Colonial Office and those in the colonies. British imperial policy in southern Africa—at the time when Cetshwayo's tragedy was being played out—was steeped in the typical Victorian attitudes towards the "other", and was characterised by racism, overweening British self-esteem, superiority, and national pride. It was Britain's calling, its duty, that it should civilise and dominate—even, in Cetshwayo's case, to stage a `coronation' to confer British favour and expect compliance in return. Seen on a broader canvas, the interests of imperial Britain, had to place above all else. The peculiarity of this situation was that because of Britain's political embarrassment over an ill-advised colonial war in 1879, Zululand was not annexed when it might have been. Cetshwayo's became a pawn in the complicated imperial plan to save face and maintain imperial prestige; in the longer term, the priority was to absorb the land and labour of the Zulu people into the capitalist system that was taking hold in southern Africa." The cultural and conceptual differences between the Zulu nation and late Victorian Britain are very evident in this cameo of imperial interaction. Try as he might, Cetshwayo could not shrug off the racist Victorian image of the `native' Cetshwayo's experience of the metropole was interesting too. He tried conforming to British norms. He dressed in Western clothes and went sightseeing; he behaved impressively well and waved at the milling, inquisitive crowds. But Victorian London was not his world, and he did not particularly like it; he preferred to brood in his rooms and ponder the possibility of his restoration. In some respects—notably as seen in his letters to Britain from captivity in South Africa—his attitude mirrors the implicit trust that many nineteenth-century Indigenous people placed in the 'Great White Queen' and in the notion of British justice and fair play. But then again, was he so naive while in London? If he were, why did he spend so much time alone in his London apartment, morosely anticipating the outcome of his visit? He was clearly aware that Britain had designs on Zululand and that British fair play was not to be blindly trusted.
In conclusion, His Majesty King Cetshwayo protested injustice so that Africans could have a future. The sovereignty of Black people is, however, incomplete without the land that King Cetshwayo gallantly fought so hard to protect. With greatness worthy of our rich heritage, it is time we His Majesty King Cetshwayo’s legacy gets celebrated with the great reverence that he richly deserves. In memory and honour of King Cetshwayo, the month of January must, henceforth, be declared as a history month celebrating the triumph of the Zulu nation over British imperialism. The month of January must have build-up activities that will culminate in the commemoration of the Battle of Isandlwana on January 22.
(Dr Shongwe is a historian and social commentator on politics, history and contemporary issues. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Sunday Tribune, Independent Media or IOL)
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