Chronicle EditorIT was a journey that was long delayed, worth the while and certainly better late than never. A journey may be a learning experience, one that opens up new vistas of knowledge and perceptions.
During the journey, one’s background comes into play and ideas and knowledge garnered over many years are assessed, analysed and new theories developed. The old welcomes the new. The past conditions the future.
I have churned out volumes upon volumes of material relating to the experiences and liberation activities of the Zimbabwe African People’s Union (Zapu) and its fighting wing (Zpra) during the times when the movement was based in Lusaka. Zambia had been a launch pad for both the Zimbabwe African National Union (Zanu) and its fighting wing, the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (Zanla). That was from 1964 when Zambia attained independence under Dr Kenneth Kaunda.
Initially, the two movements, following the split in the 1963 nationalist movements based themselves in Tanzania that had attained her independence earlier in 1962. The year 1963 was a momentous one in more respects than one. It was not just the split within the nationalist movement, but equally the intensification of political shenanigans and intrigue driven and powered by the cold war between Nato and Warsaw Pact blocs. The year also marked the time when the two movements sought to launch armed liberation struggle from external bases, in Tanganyika as it was called then before the amalgamation with the Island of Zanzibar.
The Soviet Union and China backed the disparate movements from then until attainment of political independence in 1980. That is a familiar narrative to what I consider some unending account that is open to various interpretations and configurations depending on one’s political persuasions and intentions in the continuing political drama on the world’s political theatre.
In the company of Fisani Nkomo, a Bulawayo-based artist, we undertook the journey to Lusaka in Zambia by bus known as Trip Trans that plies the Bulawayo to Lusaka. Fisani was involved in the art exhibition held at the Lusaka National Museum.
The artistic extravaganza went under the theme of “Progress: The Re-Awakening of Africa.” In line with that theme, I presented a paper at the University of Zambia (UNZA). It was tempting to accompany Fisani though I had several aims and objectives that were going through my mind. Over the few coming weeks I will share my experiences.
The impact of domestication of plants and animals on both the ideological and physical landscapes has been the focus of more recent articles within the wider journey to the stars.
However, in this article, that, like others in the column, I seek to highlight the shifting dynamics between rural and urban cultural landscapes. Cities, the sites where African culture, in particular thought, worldview and cosmology face death and interment, the phenomenon of displacement is the most rapid. I was keen to visit an area where the city had not completely suffocated, asphyxiated and swallowed African traditional cultures hook, line and sinker.
Some cultural outfit by the name of Kalulu Kreatives located close to the Chalala Shopping Mall hosted me. I had been linked to the driver of the cultural project, one Dr Moffat Gankanani Moyo who lectures at (UNZA) by culture expert Mwape Mumbi during some festival arranged by Hivos.
He and his wife are like-minded. They are keen to understand more intimately African culture, in particular its essence, the worldview, cosmology, thought, philosophy and beliefs that inform, and render the complexion and anatomy of African cultural practices and the arts that are the expressive form of culture. Mrs Moyo, who, like her husband, lectures at UNZA, is presently pursuing Doctoral studies relating to childlessness and its effects on women. We had a long session on that and gave her the Ndebele side of the issue and how childlessness was dealt with to dispel notions of inferiority. For Gankanani, it was adding some new dimension relating to the essence of African culture that impressed him the most. In fact, he began wondering how he had been all along been handling the theme of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) when he had not hitherto been exposed to the essence of African culture, an aspect that lies at the core in terms of underpinning and informing African cultures. Further, these provide commonalities among the various African ethnic groups.
My own thrust had originally been on cultural practices of the Ndebele people in Zimbabwe. Later, I was to expand my field of interest within the same ambit of narratives by embracing other ethnic groups such as the BaKalanga, BaTonga, the Shona, Venda, Babirwa, Nambya, and the Xhosa. However, it was more of the same without traversing beyond the domain of cultural practices. I was poised to undergo some revolutionary perceptions and understanding of African culture.
This was important if I was meaningfully sustainably going to embrace the concept and practice of African re-awakening. More importantly, I began to see the common threads that run through and tie together African cultures and related artistic expressions. I have since then been keen to share this expanded view of African culture. Zambia is where I decided the launch the new awakening.
Cultural awakening will remain a pipe dream in Africa until we effectively and meaningfully embrace the essence, the driver and conditioner of African culture. I posit that Africa’s re-awakening needs to be driven from a cultural perspective and substance to enable the continent to speak with one voice and advocate common policies in the wake of sustained economic exploitation and manipulation by foreign powers. Pride, self-confidence, inflated egos and senses of worth drive and sustain revolutions of whatever complexions and complexities.
Divide and rule strategies work well in Africa when her peoples give unwarranted and shallow perceptions relating to their cultures. They were told, and came to believe they were different, despite similar macro-identities that lie beyond the environmentally-induced and driven micro-consciousnesses that facilitate ethnic divisions and pave highways to exotic material accumulation much to the detriment of Africa.
So, off we went to an area that I was going to experience and observe the shifting sands between urban and rural landscapes, both physical and cultural. To sample and imbibe the inner workings, we decided to drive due south-westerly into the neighbouring Kafue District. The boundaries between the two districts are imperceptible. Being an inquisitive person who always wants to learn and gain more knowledge, I asked about the name Lusaka in terms of its origins.
Moyo thought it was about a Soli people who lived in the area prior to colonisation. Soli, like Toka-Leya, are part of the broader group of the Bantu people who were early inhabitants of central and southern Africa.
That was about all he could tell me. Little did I know that where we were headed towards we were going to meet up with the Soli people. In the vicinity, there lived a headman for the Soli people. First, it was just to observe the extending cold tentacles of modernisation octopus.
The octopus of modernity was consuming what had been peri-urban and peripheral areas of Lusaka. Those who owned swathes of fertile farmland were having these subdivided and sold profitably to urbanites who needed land for residential, commercial and industrial purposes.
Huge grey buildings that exhibited a new architecture were sprouting virtually everywhere. Houses of rectangular designs were the in-thing. Roofs were of tiles in the main. Drilling rigs were visible as they nonchalantly hissed and whined their ways into the bowels of Mother Earth. Young and energetic boys are seen carrying concrete to pour it into the hungry and gormandising foundation trenches. Trading stores sprout like anthills on frontiers where urbanisation is driving out rural life styles.
Beer of multiple brands is on sale. Dust rises, twirls and spews only to land on leaves of tall and huge mango trees that a noticeable phenomenon within the transitioning rural physical and cultural landscapes.
The undulating landscape of valleys and mountains reaches the permanent water table and supports luxuriant growth of varied species of fruits and invasive plants. Rural areas are initially invaded by imports from near and far.
I found out that this was exactly the way the Soli people had met and responded to changes being wrought on their cultural landscapes. The kitchen hut has maintained its architecture and is one that is resplendent with aesthetic and decorative bands of grey and reddish earth.
Bedrooms, the private sites for human creativity and conception have marched on in the same manner they have done in Matobo District of Matabeleland South in Zimbabwe. However, what is the connection between Lusaka as the name of the capital city of Zambia and the Soli people of Tonga persuasion? That is food for the next article as we continue to provide some link between the heavens and the earth within the essential aspect of African culture.
Bongani Ndlovu