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: Are You David or Goliath?

Ever stopped yourself from working on a dream because you thought you were not ready or it was too big for you to put together? We sometime convince ourselves that we are not skilled, educated or experienced enough to attempt going after ideas or opportunities close to our hearts.  Malcolm Gladwell , addresses this very mind-set in his book, David and Goliath, Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants .  Throughout the book references the lives of game changers to make the point that we can be who or what we want to be – or at least try, regardless of our so-called weaknesses. As I read this book I recalled many times in my life that I backed down on an opportunity because I believed it was meant for someone from a better school, a higher education or more experience. In those moments I discounted the fact that I was passionate about those subjects or would enjoy the challenge of learning about a field I was curious about. “The powerful and the stro...
Post a Comment
Read more

Book Review: Influence

Influencer marketing continues to grow in momentum around the world and has become a key factor of many marketing plans. We continue to see it evolve with the introduction of new platforms and the death of some. Influence by Sara McCorquodale is a great read on how social media influencers are shaping the marketing space. Although mostly focused on the UK and US market - I believe the insights shared of misunderstood space are without borders. McCorquodale's book includes definitions, early adaptors, new age influencers, issues and a look at the future. Depending where your region is in terms of adopting different platforms - the trends are mostly the same. Therefore I found this book relatable in many aspects. The book begins with trying to define what an influencer is. There is a lot of confusion as how to who are influencers and what they do. There have been a discussions were people with high number of fans have not been able to sell t-shirts, or an example used in this book, ...
Post a Comment
Read more