REMEMBERING ZAMBIA'S FOREMOST FREEDOM FIGHTER.

The Legend of Nsingu Jele:Part One.

Right at the heart of King Mpezeni’s headquarters at Feni village in Chipata, Zambia, is the Nsingo community Museum. Just outside this museum, a vast statue of a warrior like character is erected in front of the entrance. 

Anyone who visits Ependukeni palace (correct is Ekupendukeni to mean ‘where change takes place/to turn’) cannot miss this repository of the prestigious historical information on the Ngonis and their culture.

But just who was Nsingo Jere, and why is there a museum in his honor and why has he been put on a pedestal?

Now, by the end of the 19th century, one major Ngoni faction led by Zwangendaba’s son Nthuto Jere (Mpezeni) had conquered most of their enemies and established a kingdom around present day Chipata. 

At last, there seemed peace but this was not the case. Mpezeni’s Ngoni people had a new adversary; the British who were searching for land and minerals in this part of the world.

Mpezeni had for long been alert of the British presence in his land and had refused to meet their envois for a long time. 

He only befriended one European man; a German Explorer named Karl Wiese. Kalongwezi township in Chipata city is actually a corruption of his name after Ngonis were failing to properly say his name.

While Mpezeni had some sort of laissez-faire approach to the Europeans, his eldest son Nsingu (Nsingo) Jere decidedly loathed the Europeans and saw them for who they really were; OPPORTUNISTS, who only liked his father because they had heard that his land was rich in minerals. 

On several occasions, Nsingu interrupted his father’s meetings with Karl and other Europeans that the latter had brought to try and persuade Mpezeni to allow them to set base in his land.

Karl Wiesce feared Nsingu and he knew that only Mpezeni was his buffer against the wrath of the Ngoni crown Prince. 

Gradually, almost all the Europeans that came to visit Mpezeni knew that Prince Nsingo hated them and did not like their presence in his fathers’ land. 

At one such meeting, Mpezeni had to even openly reprimand him and warned the others that should any harm come to the European party that had come to visit him, they would have to answer to him directly.

The legendary British Soldier, Major G.R. Deare visited Mpezeni in 1897 and he had managed to appease the King after he had said he had lived in Zululand for at least three years. Mpezeni had inquired about his ancestors’ place and upon being satisfied with the answers of Major Deare had allowed him to stay in the royal compound for some days.

 But not even the status of the ‘King’s VIP guest’ was enough to stop Nsingu from intimidating Deare. This compelled him to open up to his new ‘friend’ Mpezeni about Nsingu and his adherent’s threats on his life. 

Despite, the King’s assurance that no harm would come to him, Deare decided to leave the Angoni territory and went back to his native England.

The author is a Ngoni from Langa village in Senior Chief Nzamane’s Mfumbeni Krall. He was born and started his primary school in Ngoniland before relocating to Lusaka in the late 1990s where he still currently resides.