Ex Africa semper aliquid novi: Zille faux pas for the course
I LOVE living in the southern tip of Africa – tongues are forever slipping, with people finding themselves out on a limb. Helen Zille is a case in point.
Her history teacher must have recommended that she read up on “The Lighter Side of Slavery”.
On the other side of the coin, Dr Iqbal Survé must have read up on “King Shaka Zulu – Mr Nice Guy”.
He infers that prior to colonialism, peaceful communities were the order of the day in Africa.
To shed some definitive light on the subject, I am able to confirm that the Matabele Chief Mzilikazi mellowed out in his dotage.
My great-granddad, the Rev William Sykes, was well acquainted with the chief and was near him when he died.
Some time later, the Matabele were looking for someone suitable to open the Mzilikazi Memorial.
My aunt Jessie Lloyd, being fluent in isiNdebele, was selected for the occasion. When she referred to his death, she used the words “ngogudiligeza gwentaba”, meaning “when the mountain fell”.
Some 18 months later, one of the old indunas came up to her and said: “You spoke to us at the Mzilikazi Memorial.” He had remembered her. It gave her a warm feeling.
In 2009, Sykes and Carnegie descendants experienced a similar warm feeling. One hundred and 50 years had elapsed since William Sykes co-founded the Nyati Mission, north of Bulawayo.
We all witnessed that 1 000 children were attending the mission school. Everything was spick and span, with the Matabele missionary and his cohorts running it like clockwork.
There is no denying that British colonial history is pretty dismal. However, to their credit, the Brits were one of the first nations to abolish slavery, in 1838.
These days we are all captured once again. This time it is by cellphones!
The really bad news is that worldwide, it is estimated that between 20 million and 30 million people are still enslaved.
Perhaps this is what our politicians should be getting their teeth into.
Opening old wounds gets us nowhere. Alan Carnegie Saldanha