Oral Poetry from Africa
Another set of izibongo praises for King Mphande (Zulu king from 1840–1872 and half-brother to both Shaka and Dingane, see also Praises of King Mphande Zulu), recorded by E.W. Grant in the mid-1920s.
Here are the praises of Mpande of Noziqubo,
Umamiude who appeared by the head-crest…
Mphande kaSenzangakhona, Zulu king (1840–72), was half-brother to both Shaka (1816–28) and Dingane (1828–40). When Dingane assassinated Shaka in 1828, and seized the throne, Mphande survived the general massacre of Senzangakona’s descendants, a sign of Dingane’s contempt. But after Dingane’s catastrophic defeat by the Boers in 1838, Mphande took his revenge.
Mdayi make reply to the land across:
Who is he that can dare to summon Mdayi?…
The praises of Ndlela kaSompisi, a key general in the Zulu army, who rose to power after defeating the Ndwandwe on Shaka’s behalf (see also Shaka’s Praises).
Rattler of spears!
He who is unable to lie down,
one side being red with wounds…
An Ngoni song from northern Malawi, sung at girls’ initiation ceremonies. The Ngoni were driven into exile by Shaka Zulu’s conquests, and this song presents Shaka’s achievements from the point of view of people who suffered from them.
It is because of Zwide, chief of the Soshangane people
That though I lie down I cannot sleep…
A lament by Sotho women, said to date from the time of Shaka Zulu’s wars. There are different versions of this song in several southern Africa languages, presenting Shaka’s achievements from the perspective of those who suffered from them.
Weakened and weeping, I remain among the ruins.
Weakened and weeping, I remain amid trackless plains…
Mzilikazi was one of the chiefs who came to prominence in Natal in the 1820s, in reaction to the area’s growing trade in slaves. Shaka (see Shaka’s Praises) was the most important of these, and when Mzilikazi clashed with him in 1822, he led a small group of warriors on an 800km trek, finally settling at Bulawayo in what is now western Zimbabwe.
The varicoloured one with a black mouth,
praised in tears of men…
