BY DR MICHELINA ANDREUCCI
The impact of the 19th Century Mfecane—an uprising marked by the collapse of earlier political structure and replaced by a new Zulu kingdom under Shaka, characterized by violence and migration saw communities burst asunder and fragmenting into fleeing groups under Mzilikazi Khumalo.
Out of these migrations emerged new political formation of the Ndebele state that eventually inscribed itself by a combination of coercion and persuasion along the Zambezi River prior to settling in the south-western part of the Zimbabwean plateau in 1839-1840.
As a result of the Ndebele community’s dramatic history of nation construction, their association with such groups as the Zulu of South Africa for their foundation of a nation, their renowned military prowess, their military clashes with the Boers that forced Mzilikazi and his followers to migrate across the Limpopo, their heroic migration across the Limpopo River into Zimbabwe, and their practice of raiding that they attracted enormous interest from early white travellers, missionaries and early anthropologists.
The migration and eventual settlement in Zimbabwe forms part of the historical drama that became intertwined with other dramatic events of their migration from Sanzi – Natal, into the Interior.
Developments that included military clashes with the Boers, the colonial violence of 1893-84 and again in 1896-97 (Imfazo 1 and Imfazo 2); land under the direction of the Rhodesian colonial settler state; recurring droughts in Matabeleland; ethnic forms taken by Zimbabwean nationalism and urban events happening around the city of Bulawayo shaped their outlook, and in time, their dance.
Tracing Mzilikazi’s trail of blood, his conquests created various strains of cultural practices amongst his people; he militarized most of the dance rituals. The dances then became centred on his main modus operandi which was to create a separate kingdom for the Ndebele. In so doing, many dances that originally belonged to the various usurped people, Mzilikazi conquered and acculturated them into various aspects of a new indigenous Ndebele culture.
Many ethnicities were coalesced to create the post-Mfecane and post-Mzilikazi multi-national Ndebele identity unified under one leader – Its founding father, the autocratic Mzilikazi Khumalo, a charismatic leader and a competent nation-builder.
Succeeded upon his death in 1868, by his son Lobengula after a violent power struggle, the Ndebele nation was a formidable, social formation in the 19th Century, underpinned by a militaristic state with unique institutions of governance and distinct political ideologies.
Its outlook was shaped by their specific historical experiences. To the early missionaries it was an abomination that needed destruction as it stood in the way of Western Christianity, commerce and civilisation.
Like many other pre-colonial political structures, it was variously described as a tribe, chiefdom, and/or kingdom.
To counter the possible disjunction of tribal differences, dances unified the Ndebele as a nation of conquerors. Dance was a supervention of tribal loyalty.
The arrival of the Ndebele into new geographic territory and spaces spawned a new way of relating to the newly formed nation at Mhlahlandela – the gateway to the Ndebele stronghold, where the Ndebele people lived under the guidance of their M’limo – spiritual medium.
No action was undertaken taken without asking for protection and good fortune from the ancestors.
Such supplications were done through prayer and by offering an ox to the ancestors.
The Ndebele today are a tribal amalgamation of people made up of Nguni, Zulu, Sotho, Xhosa, Tswana, Kalanga, Shona, Venda and Tonga ethnic groups. These form the foundation of a nation with a unity of purpose. Their nationalised language is IsiNdebele, and symbolism of Ndebele originates from iZulu – zulu, the sun.
For the Ndebele, dance is the empowerment arising from a memory of past victorious glories choreography – is mainly symbolic, mimetic filled with gesticulation praise and honour of their ancestry, origins and finally source of divine power. Orature accompanies dance.
To deconstruct and ascertain the sources that inspired certain dances that are in modern times attributed to the amalgam of people post-Mfecane and post-Mzilikazi, One cannot talk about dance without looking at the politics of the art, which is not just to do with gender, but with science.
Not wanting to be reminded of their defeat, the people easily took on new traditions. Although naturally one gets obsessive about their culture and will seek any symbol of identity to keep it alive; with it comes the showmanship of the Ndebele who as a defeated people, found it hard to keep their head up.
It thus became a tricky issue when trying to reclaim their roots – which are reflected in the dance. For example, Matshobana – the dangerous three-legged leopard; thus often when dancing the Ndebele men will raise one leg and pause, this is in recognition of the three-legged leopard.
The Ndebele dance development via migration – i.e. Mfecane, and the amalgamation of various tribal traits into a singular, regulated unit. Often steps are derived from, and are symbolic of, everyday activities.
Certain dances developed from socio-cultural crisis – war / a break into a different land/ exodus, migration. Hybridization of dances came about by accommodating the individual tribal nuances of the various tribes that were absorbed during the Mfecane into the Ndebele nation.
Ndebele dance, like their society is highly structured and regimented; the posture is erect and they face the sun. The rhythm is structured on pounding on the ground with their feet – 1-1 / 1-2. abaSanzi – the people of Zansi is the overall focus of the dance; aesthetic and pictorial narrative of the Zulu/Ndebele.
Some of the symbology in the choreography are praise gestures that memorialise past events or past rulers – since the Ndebele always performed for their king.
Popular dances for the Ndebele people include: uMushongoyo, Isitshikitsha, Amabhiza, Hoso,
Indlamu, and Ingquza.
Michelina Andreucci is a Zimbabwean-Italian researcher and a published author in her field. For views and comments, email: linamanucci@gmail.com
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