TALES OF AFRICA: A 'ZULU KINGDOM' FAR AWAY FROM HOME

 

ZAMBIA'S fifth largest city Chipata, in the East of the country usually comes to a complete standstill once every year as  Paramount Chief Mpezeni IV, of the Ngoni people makes his royal journey to Lawini using the Great East Road.

Most business owners shut their businesses while most of working class in the city shut their offices to catch a rare glimpse of the celebrated traditional leader. And equally residents stop doing their normal household chores to line up along the highly busy road to witness the national spectacle.

Most media houses in the city like Radio Breeze usually stream live the annual showpiece that sees Ngonis from all corners of the country converge in Chipata at a place called Mtengeluni to pay homage to their ancestor spirits. The city is decorated with thousands of people that as they scramble to take pictures ofotye annual royal pilgrimage.

A highly cerebrated and decorated group of people, the Ngonis are descendants of the Jeles of the Encwangeni royal house in St Lucia Bay area, who left their native Kwa Zulu Natal home in South Africa  to escape the Mfecane. They were led into present day Zambia, by their inspirational figurehead, Zwangendaba.

A leader of incomparable stature, Zwangendaba married two sisters of Chief Zwide (a fierce enemy of Shaka) before embarking on a dramatic journey that would last for 20 years, full of Ngoni glory as they disintegrated any group that did not acquiesce to their culture and tradition.

Mpezeni is the son to the one of the two sisters of Zwide that Zwangendaba married. Every year in late February, the illustrious leader leads his senior chiefs and thousands of Ngoni impis and women drawn from several Ngoni chiefdoms to Mtengeluni, about 45 kilometers away from the busy town center of Chipata to showcase their warrior dance.

Adorned in leopard skins and wielding spears, clubs, feathers and shields, they pound the ground and sing traditional songs that praise their chiefs and mighty as a people. Two days prior to the climax of the ceremony, Mpezeni is 'secluded' and goes through a cultural rebirth at Mulaweni.

The ceremony called Ncwala, climaxes when Ngoni impis spear a black bull to death and slit its throat to collect blood which is given to Nkhosi yama Nkhosi (Mpezeni) for him to drink.



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