Emperor Shaka the Great - A Zulu Epic by Mazisi Kunene 1979 (2006).pdf

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Kunene, Mazisi [from Emperor Shaka the Great (1979)]

Bibliographic details

Bibliographic details for the Electronic File

Kunene, Mazisi Emperor Shaka the Great

Cambridge

2006

ProQuest Information and Learning

African Writers Series

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Bibliographic details for the Source Text

Kunene, Mazisi (1930-)

Emperor Shaka the Great

London

Heinemann

1979

xxxvi, 433 p.

Poetry

Preliminaries omitted.

AWS series number: 211

First published: London

First published by: Heinemann

First published: 1979

Language of original publication: Zulu

First published in the African Writers Series in: 1979

ISBN: 0435902113

[Page ]

EMPEROR SHAKA THE GREAT

[Page ]

Front matter

[Page ]

Dedicated to all the heroes and heroines of the African continent and all her children who shall

make her name great

[Page (xi) ]

Preface

It is regrettable in a way that this book should first appear in translation before it is published in

the original. The reasons for this are many and complex. Suffice it to say here that its publication

is in itself a tremendous achievement. It is only through the collective efforts of many of my

relatives and friends that this has been possible. I was fortunate in having relatives both on my

mother's side (Ngcobo family) and my father's side who took great pride in preserving and

narrating our national history. As is well known, the peoples of the African continent developed,

par excellence, the techniques of oral literature, its preservation and its performance.

Through these traditions and literary techniques I was able to learn much about the history of

Southern Africa. The dramatization and enactment of the important historical episodes added

great meaningfulness to the facts of the cultural life. Since I began travelling extensively in the

African continent I have learned how greatly valued are the oral traditions of telling the story, of

dramatizing the story and of making it socially relevant. This is true of much of the African

literature from the northern part of the African continent to the southern part. I have, in

translating my work from Zulu to English, cherished particularly the thought of sharing our

history and literature with the many peoples of Africa and also of other parts of the world.

It is impossible to thank all the people who assisted me in this formidable task. I can only

mention the few whom I think indicate the scale of involvement of people with different interests

and skills. I thank particularly my brother and leader, Prince Gatsha Buthelezi, who greatly

inspired and encouraged me. His glorious example of leadership is a true continuation of the

tradition of his ancestor, Shaka the Great himself. Through such vision as he possesses, the

actions of the forefathers became a living reality.

I thank, too, Rev. K. J. Msomi and E. Ngema who nurtured my talent. I thank my father who

took direct interest in 'the

[Page (xii) ]

thoughts and actions that reflect our traditions and histories'. I thank my friend Mathabo for her

patience and encouragement. I thank Canon John Collins and Mrs Diana Collins who enabled us

to live to tell the story. Collectively and with respect I thank all who contributed to the success of

this effort. They include my friend and leader, Robert Resha, Professor Richard Hoggart, Basil

Davidson, Serge Thion, John Rosenburg, Dan Sperber, JoDeen Urban and Melonee Moses

(editors), my sister, Sthandwe Kunene, and my ever kind clansman and friend, Hon. Polycarp

Dlamini.

I pay tribute to all the African martyrs from Algeria to South Africa who have shared the great

dream of a great Africa for all her children.

I also thank UNESCO for its contribution towards the publication of this translation.

Finally, few authors have had so great and fulfilling an encouragement from their publishers as I

have had from Mr James Currey of Heinemann.

If there are shortcomings in translation I hope they shall be compensated by other aspects that

depict the vision of this incredible African genius.

[Page (xiii) ]

Introduction

There have been many outstanding leaders and generals in the African continent, but none

captures the imagination as Shaka of Senzangakhona. From a small volunteer army of

approximately 200 and a territory that seemed, in comparison with other neighbouring states, no

more than a small, local district, Shaka built in a period of ten years a formidable standing army

of about 60,000 to 70,000 highly trained men. His rule extended over a large part of Southern

Africa. Areas that were not under his direct rule were either under his protection or had fallen

under the suzerainty of the generals who had adopted his military tactics. Many of these generals

established their own powerful kingdoms.

Shaka was a consummate leader. Not only was he a great military genius, but his varied gifts

demonstrated qualities of organization and innovation that were unique. The military machinery

he initiated brought about, fifty years later, one of the most dramatic defeats the British army

suffered in all its colonial history.

How did it happen? In order to reach a suitable answer it is necessary to cut through the thick

forest of propaganda and misrepresentation that have been submitted by colonial reports and

historians. The following epic poem is an attempt to present an honest view of the achievements

of Shaka.

Political and economic background

The political development of the southernmost tip of Africa from the twelfth to the eighteenth

centuries was characterized by elaborate population movements, as various clans and their

regiments attempted to found family kingdoms and settlements. Because of various pressures in

many of the

[Page (xiv) ]

neighbouring regions and the constricted area of the southern end of the African continent, these

family-states began to compete with each other for land. At first the competition was no more

than a response to potential threats or constraints, but by the close of the eighteenth century the

conflicts between states had become more and more acute, resulting in a change in the methods

and intentions of warfare. The late pre-Shakan period was marked by these conflicts.

The power of the original pioneering families eventually crystallized in highly centralized

governments. In most of these states the ruling clan often combined with other weaker clans to

provide collective protection, and through direct action and persuasion the larger clan attracted

other groups and nationalities to form bigger units, so that families succeeded in strengthening

their political authority and subsequently extended their territorial claims.

Alongside these family-led states there existed the 'bandit princes', who lived by raiding and by

confiscating the wealth of the settled communities. Often such princes commanded a large

following, comprising mainly the breakaway members of the Junior House of the original ruling

family but also adventurers and admirers. In most cases they avoided attacking the Senior House,

or original family, since doing so would have meant defiling the sacred graves of their

forefathers. These wandering princes should be distinguished from migrating groups like the

Mkhizes, the Bheles and the Hlubis, who went out in search of fertile lands and eventually

settled. The bandit princes and their followers did not and never intended to settle: they roamed

wherever there was opportunity for looting.

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