Skip to main content

Review: The Zulu

It’s been 27-years since one of the giants of South African theatre, Mbongeni Ngema, got on stage –as an actor. For an intense one-hour thirty minutes Ngema uses the beauty and power of story-telling to take us back in time when Zulu warriors, Impi, were a force to be reckoned with.

He tells the audience about the legendary Shaka Zulu – from when he was a little boy, until he was a grown man to be assassinated; betrayed by his brothers and bodyguard.

It is a well recorded history that Shaka Zulu built a powerful empire and this great African nation has tried to keep afloat within the melting pot of globalisation. The most intriguing part of the story is the main attraction; The Great Battle of Isandlwana (1879) – the greatest victory over the Colonial forces on African Soil.

The strategy behind this great battle is intriguing and Ngema really gets the imagination rolling as he describes in great detail how it all happened.  

But to bring it closer to home – I was fascinated to learn a bit about my personal history from this story. Let me break it down; I’m from a Sesotho speaking tribe from KwaZulu-Natal and not the Free State or Lesotho (Where most Sesotho speaking people are from). I've always wondered why a random hill in this majestic Zulu kingdom is home to Basotho. My maternal Grandfather is Joseph Molefe and maternal Grandmother Harriet Khoza.

Ntshingwayo ka Mahole Khoza was one of the Zulu military commanders who lead the 30 000 strong fearsome warriors. Yes, I’m a descendant of a great military commander. But before I get ahead of myself – on the flip side – back to the Sesotho speaking army; it turns out that to fight the Zulu warriors, Colonel Anthony Durnford handpicked black people from the Free State that would fight this war for him.

They were handpicked from the Amangwane, Amangwe, Abatlokwa and Abahlubi tribes. I’m a descendant of Abatlokwa. At the end of the Great Battle of Isandlwana there were only five survivors in the enemy camp; three whites and two black people; Jabes Molefe and Simion Khambule. According to oral history Jabes Molefe wrote many letters concerning this saga – they are in the army barracks museum in Wales. [I should visit]

So from this little history I know that I have a warrior’s blood running in my veins and have a writer’s blood. This somehow in my head explains why the women in my maternal side of my family are so strong. Khoza is my grandmother. Molefe is my grandfather. The memories I have of my grandmother are all about strength. And we all love writing and reading. Some are quick to pick a fight but most would rather fight in silence.

It excites me that I can find a connection with my own history to such a remarkable story. I’m sure if I knew my paternal history – I’d also find a powerful story. I bought the book, The Zulu. Such stories need to be told. We need to take pride in where we come from as a people. We are children of warriors, we can’t ignore that. Oral history is my favourite way of storytelling. 



The Zulu is a must watch if you want a fun way to learn about a very important part of South African history. And to also enjoy this amazing stage narrative by Ngema. The show is on until 3 November at the Market Theatre. 

Comments

  1. Pusetso Gaoraelwe18 October 2013 at 11:04

    Hi Tokiso,
    Thank for you for a great review. I went to see The Zulu this past Tuesday with my friends. Oh my! A great 2 hours of storytelling. And yes the Battle of Isandlwana is such an important part our history that many do not know of. Personally it was a full history lesson and I’m glad I went to see it as left me wanting to know more about myself too as MoTswana and be proud of my heritage the same way the Zulu nation is of theirs.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Curious Case of Pinky Pinky: The Toilet Tokoloshe

There was once a Tokoloshe, her name was Pinky Pinky – she lived in the girls’ school toilets, sang a song that introduced her and told you about her parents. She’d then end the song by demanding you give her something. Thanks to Pinky Pinky, her choice of location and her singing – I've yet to feel completely comfortable using public toilets. I first heard about Pinky Pinky when I was in Sub A (now known as Grade 1). She terrorized girls my age, demanding money or (as I recently heard) stole their panties. I think she’d also want whatever pink item you had on you. If you couldn't give in to Pinky Pinky’s demands – you were in big trouble. I don’t remember the details of what she’d do to you but what I knew is that it would be painful. Pinky Pinky was so dangerous she even made it into a national newspaper – although they used a blurry picture. There were different stories told about how she looked – none mentioned a beautiful creature. Her looks were things horror mo...
23 comments
Read more

Book Review: London, Cape Town, Joburg

What a miserable ending to a really soul capturing novel! London, Cape Town, Joburg by ZukiswaWanner had me hooked from day one but I must say, I was never really ready for that ending – plot twist of note. To be fair, the story starts with two parents mourning their only son who had committed suicide. From the onset you know that something really bad must have happened for a thirteen-year-old to kill himself but before the author lets us in on the reason, she takes us through one of the best, heart-warming, authentic love stories I have read in a while. Martin O’Malley and Germaine Spencer, are two imperfect people who come together and build what seems like a perfect nest. They understand each other, defend each other, fight, make up, have loads of sex and most importantly love and respect one another. I loved every moment of their love story. From the insecurities, jealous moments, moving from city to city and how they grew into such cool, yet strict parents. Wanner t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Play Review: Asinamali!

*Black Humour : “ humour that deals with unpleasant aspects of life in a bitter or ironic way” Thanks to the Market Theatre for the Pic Oh what a show! Set in a South African prison during Apartheid; five prisoners tell us how they ended up behind bars. One man stutters, another believes that he was falsely accused, another was back-stabbed by a cousin, another idolized a con man and another had an affair with his employer's wife. While watching the multi-awards winning South African classic play, Asinamali, I experienced a bitter/sweet moment. The sweet was all the laughing I was doing; the bitter was the fact that Apartheid was a dehumanising cruel system. Thanks to the Market Theatre for the Pic Written by the legendary Mbongeni Ngema , Asinamali was inspired by the 1983 rent strike in Lamontville Township, KwaZulu-Natal. Led by activist Msizi Dube the people of Lamontville wanted the government to know “we do not have money” ( Asinamali ) when rent was increas...
1 comment
Read more