Maravi

Nc’wala ceremony: the historic annual event

Nc’wala ceremony: the historic annual event
Written by Christopher Miti and Chibaula Silwamba in Chipata
Monday, March 09, 2009 10:59:11 AM

THE Ngoni people of eastern Zambia trace their origins from the Zulu people of KwaZulu-Natal Province in South Africa.

It is for this reason that this year’s Nc’wala traditional ceremony of the Ngoni people of Eastern Province will go in the archives as a historic annual event that brought together these people and their relatives that remained in KwaZulu Natal Province, during the time of fierce tribe fights that led to formation of breakaway tribes and northward migrations.

Historians note that the Ngoni people, who are believed to be the descendents of the Zulu people of South Africa, after their ancestors broke away from Shaka Zulu, the great warrior ruler of the Zulu people, in about 1817.

It is believed that after being defeated by Shaka Zwangendaba left with a few of his followers northwards to present-day Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania.

Zwangendaba established his empire using the Zulu war techniques to conquer the tribes he found, after which he integrated those people into his Ngoni tribe.

However, after Zwangendaba's death in 1848 in Tanzania near Lake Tanganyika at a place called Songeya, there were succession disputes that led to the formation of at least five breakaway groups that went in different directions with their followers and settled in various countries.

Zwangendaba’s son, chief Mtaiven went to Kenya, Mbwelwa went to Malawi, Zulu-Gama remained in Tanzania while Mpezeni went and conquered the Bemba land in Zambia before making his way to Chipata, formerly Fort Jameson, where he and his Ngoni group settled.

After conquering the Bemba people, the Bemba chief gave Mpezeni a woman to be his wife who gave birth to Mwamba, who subsequently became one of the chiefs for the Bemba people.

It is this attachment that created the cousinship between the Ngonis and the Bemba.

After settling in Chipata, Paramount Chief Mpezeni – whose actual name is Nsingo - continued with the Ngoni militancy and fiercely fought the white colonialists.

However, the British colonial government soldiers finally managed to kill Nsingo.

Despite leaving the ancestral land in South Africa many years ago, the Ngonis of Eastern Zambia have maintained some of the cultural practices of their Zulu ancestors and of course there is a minor similarity in their dialect.

But over the years, the link between the Ngonis of Zambia and Zulus of South Africa has not been tight.

It is for this reason, that Paramount Chief of the Ngoni people, fondly called Inkhosi Yama Nkhosi Mpezeni, decided to invite South Africa’s governing African National Congress (ANC) party president Jacob Zuma, who is a Zulu.

Without any hesitation, Zuma, popularly called Msholozi – his Zulu family name - agreed to be the guest of honour at the 29th annual Nc’wala traditional ceremony held in Mtenguleni on February 28.

The Nc’wala is a thanksgiving ceremony to God for good rains and abundant harvest. The farm produce are given to Inkhosi yama Nkhosi.

In fact this is the 29th year since the Ngoni re-introduced the Nc’wala tradition ceremony in 1980 after it was banned by the white colonialists because of the Ngonis’ perceived militancy in their practices.

Announcing the invitation of Zuma to the traditional ceremony, “…Zuma will visit Zambia on 28th February 2009 to attend the Nc’wala ceremony of the Ngoni people. He will attend at the invitation of His Excellency President Rupiah Banda and His Royal Highness Nkhosi yamaNkhosi Paramount Chief Mpenzeni of the Ngoni people.”

The ANC further stated that Zuma’s attendance would serve to strengthen economic and cultural ties between Zambia and South Africa, and promote tourism and social interaction.

“Zambia has a special place in South African history as the country generously hosted and supported South Africa's liberation movement. The ANC had its headquarters in Zambia's capital, Lusaka, during its years in exile,” stated the ANC.

And Zuma arrived in Zambia via the Mfuwe International Airport on Saturday morning and flew to Chipata Airport where Ngoni warriors, President Banda, senior government officials, and ordinary people gathered to welcome the iconic leader of South Africa, who spent many years in Zambia during that country’s liberation struggle.

When Zuma arrived, the Ngoni warriors clad in animal skins,and holding knobkerries and shields performed their ground thumping dance while bare-breast women clapped.

Isaac Banda, who is Eastern Province minister, welcomed Zuma in a few words: “You are within your own home. We welcome you; feel free, mingle with us, we need to dine with you on the same table just like we did before we came here in the 1800s.”

Zuma described his visit here as a homecoming and expressed his happiness for the warm welcome and the opportunity to attend the Nc’wala.

Zuma told the gathering: “… Coming to the eastern part of Zambia where the Ngoni peoples are it is again another homecoming to see what I usually see at home, a traditional way that you are wearing.”

Zuma came with the son and daughter of King Goodwill Zwelentini of the Zulu people in South Africa, and two of his children.

President Rupiah Banda said: “[They are here to] come and see where some of their people are in Africa and that is why we are really pleased about this.”

After Zuma was honoured, President Banda said the Ngoni people had not forgotten where they came from, KwaZulu Natal Province, where Zuma also comes from.

“President Zuma, you can see on our faces how happy we are to be able to bestow upon you this freedom of the place where your people when they first came to this country decided to settle in Chipata. They settled here,” said President Banda, who is Ngoni on his maternal side and Chewa on paternal side. “I am proud to say that they never forgot where they came from. They know exactly who you are; they know what you have done.”

Zuma said: “Thank you very much for this honour, I will cherish it for the rest of my life.”

Immediately after that ceremonial function, Zuma and President Banda left the civic centre in a presidential convoy to Laweni, a few metres from the arena of the Nc’wala, to pay a courtesy call on Mpezeni who set for this year’s spectacular tradition ceremony that attracts thousands of people from within and outside Zambia.

After meeting Paramount Chief Mpezeni, the two leaders proceeded to the arena to wait for the Ngoni chief to come and start the ceremony.

Indeed the presence Zuma and President Banda added prominence to the already eminent ceremony.

The actual ceremony started just after 12:00 hours.

A group Impis or Ngoni warriors clad in animal skin and wielding spears, knobkerries and shields entered the arena from Laweni in a spectacular manner to the delight of the gathering.

Zuma and President Banda were seen nodding their heads, acknowledging the wonderful performance of the Ngoni warriors.

The arrival of the Ngoni warriors signifies that the owner of the land, Inkhosi Yama Nkhosi Mpezeni, is on his way to the arena for the Nc’wala.

Indeed, a few minutes later Mpezeni, who was clad in a lion skin, made his way into the arena with a large group of bare-breasted women and militant Ngoni warriors.

Mpezeni, with tight security of his warriors, walked round the arena while waving his shield, spear and knobkerrie in the air towards his people.

After walking around, Mpezeni went to take his royal ceremonial seat in the shed. Beside him several Ngoni warriors guarded him.

Two Ngoni Impis, Lasam Zimba popularly known as Bafana bafana Pasha Manene and headman Kampala took to the stage to shower praises on Mpezeni in deep Ngoni dialect.

After that Zuma and President Banda unveiled a statue of Mpezeni that was erected this year at the arena.

A statue, which is about five meters tall and made of cement, shows Mpezeni in a militaristic mood while carrying a spear and shield.

As the two leaders unveiled the statue, the Ngonis broke into ululation and shouts: “Nkhosi yama Nkhosi! Bayethye Nkhosi!”

Thereafter, Ngoni dancers from various areas started performing their dances for the rulers, Zuma and President Banda.

To crown it all the Impis from Zululand, who came with Zuma, gave an outstanding performance and traditional choreography.

People pushed one another to try and see the traditional dancers’ in action.

In his address to the visitors and of course his people, Mpezeni, speaking through Nc’wala organising committee chairman General Adam Chongwe, said he was delighted that Zuma had made it to the annual ceremony.

Mpezeni appealed to Zuma that if he becomes the president of South Africa after the April 22 elections, he should consider cultural exchanges between Zulus in South Africa and Ngoni people in Zambia.

“I would like to be sending the people of Zambia through our government so that they come and learn the Zulu language so that we are able to communicate culturally and by language. The Ngoni people of Eastern Zambia and Malawi would like our brothers in South Africa where we came from to come and learn something from us as you have done comrade Zuma,” Mpezeni said.

But, of course, Mpezeni had a word for the Zambian government.

The Ngoni ruler urged the government to increase the beneficiaries of the Fertiliser Support Programme (FSP), which provides subsidised fertiliser to vulnerable farmers.

President Banda, himself a Ngoni on his mother’s side, the Ngoni people in Zambia and Zulu people of South Africa were blood relations.

He, therefore, expressed gratitude on behalf of Zambian people to Zuma for accepting the invitation to grace this year’s Nc’wala traditional ceremony.

He told the gathering that the presence of Zuma was significant because the Ngoni people were related in blood with the people of South Africa.

“The world knows that Zuma is already in a long distinguished line of presidents of Africa’s oldest political party or political movement, the African National Congress of South Africa,” President Banda said. “…Zuma is African National Congress torch bearer in the forthcoming presidential election in South. Thus it is very generous of Mr Zuma to have agreed to come to our country at this time to be the guest of honour at this wonderful ceremony.”

And when Zuma rose to give his address, the people shouted in jubilation.

Zuma said the biggest challenge at the moment was for the Ngoni people to reconnection with their colleagues in South Africa.

“I believe it is in us all to ensure that this connection which is made here today grow thicker so that we become one people,” Zuma said. “I believe your Excellency [President Banda] that by facilitating this visit you have played one of the most important political duty to reconnect the people of Africa in this part of the World, you your Excellency following in the footsteps of the first leaders of the modern political methods of this country particularly the name of his Excellency former president of Zambia and first president of independent Zambia president Dr Kenneth Kaunda who after freedom used Zambia as a point of connection and a point from where we could come and fight to liberate ourselves.”

Zuma, who was the leader of the ANC military wing the Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), lived in the Zambian capital city Lusaka for many years where the ANC had its headquarters during South Africa’s freedom struggle against the apartheid regime.

Therefore, coming back to Zambia reminded Zuma of Zambia’s contribution to the independence struggles of many southern African countries including South Africa whose histories could not be written and closed without mentioning Zambia and Dr Kaunda.

Zuma recalled: “Zambia during the struggle was a home of many of us from Namibia, Angola, Mozambique and Zimbabwe as well as South Africa.”

He said Zambians suffered at the hands of oppressors because of its decision to help other countries in the region to became independent.

“Zambia as a result of the role it played was hated by the oppressors, attacked its citizens died for the sake of the liberation of southern Africa, that action therefore is important with regard to the reconnection on people to people in southern Africa,” Zuma said. “It is important to us as political leaders to recognise an important fact that political power, we now have which was taken from us by the colonialists we should now utilise to reconnect and reunite our people in a free environment.”

He said southern Africans should identify themselves very clearly.

“That is why I am very happy when I heard our traditional leaders from Zimbabwe, saying that they have come to learn so that they can also revive the culture that defines us of who we are, as the Ngoni group,” said Zuma.

During his speech, Zuma switched from English to Zulu but alas, the language barriers still exist, the Ngoni translator could not hear anything in Zulu or simply put, he failed to translater.

At this point President Banda rose from his seat and went to the presidential podium where Zuma was speaking, to start translating for him.

President Banda translated Zuma’s Zulu speech to Chewe/Ngoni.

Historians have recorded that following the lifting of the ban of the ANC in February 1990, Zuma was one of the first ANC leaders to return to South Africa to begin the process of negotiations, and he was instrumental in organising the Groote Schuur Minute between the FW de Klerk regime and the ANC that reached important decisions about the return of exiles and the release of political prisoners.

As per programme, after the speeches, the Ngoni warriors continued performing their dances and other forms of entertainment.

And indeed the other most important function ritual was the Mnikelo or the slaughtering of the bull.

A Ngoni warrior stubs the bull with a spear and it is expected to die at the spot after which they take blood from that bull and give it [blood] to Mpezeni to drink.

After that ritual, Ngoni people, who travelled to the ceremony from all parts of the world, presented their farm produce and gifts to Mpezeni. Zuma and his delegation left shortly after the ceremony. Indeed this year’s Nc’wala ceremony brought together the Zambian Ngoni people and the South African Zulu people together and many people hope that this link will live on forever.

Although this was a one-day ceremony, its importance surpasses its short time it took because it opened the channel of communication and cultural exchanges between the two groups of people.

It is also undisputed fact that Chipata was a hive of activities on this day and this caused traffic jam on Great East Road.

Labels: NC'WALA

posted by MrK @ 11:00 AM