Pupu Memorial: Taking ownership of our rich history
HISTORY belongs to the victors; they are the ones who have the right to tell it.
In most cases, winners write history in their favour, but there are a few outliers.
The victors in the Pupu Battle — that is, the brave men under the Ingubo, Insukamini, Imbizo, Ihlathi and Nyamandlovu regiments, who had grappled with colonial forces in a do-or-die battle — were never accorded the chance to tell their story.
Whoever held the pen at the time ensured that the story which was told is one that glorified the defeated white colonialist under Allan Wilson. Our own brave warriors were depicted as the vanquished and their story was almost lost in history, until now!
Recently, His Excellency, President Mnangagwa, unveiled the Pupu Battlefield Memorial Site in Lupane, Matabeleland North province.
This was a historic event; a first of its kind. The whole idea of the unveiling was to retell our true history.
Indeed, until the lion can tell its story, the story of the hunt will always glorify the hunter. It is a fact that, for the longest time, Zimbabwe’s history has been marred by misinformation, disinformation and outright lies perpetuated by our colonisers.
These narratives were meant to bolster the vanquished and discredit us.
The Pupu Battle, fought on December 4, 1893, stands as a pivotal event in the history of Zimbabwe. It marked the clash between colonial forces and the Ndebele Kingdom, led by King Lobengula.
Such important moments in Zimbabwe’s history have long suffered from lack of proper and adequate attention.
It has, indeed, been a disservice to all of us. This has, however, changed as the unveiling of the Pupu Memorial will forever immortalise one of the most important events in our history.
Under the command of General Mtshane Khumalo, King Lobengula’s Imbizo Regiment became the vanguard of resistance.
Their victory meant that evil would never prevail, for as long as there are a people determined to protect their land.
It certainly did not matter that Wilson and his 34-man strong colonial patrol were armed to the teeth with superior weapons; they were defeated nonetheless.
Even though many of our own fell, many others rose in their stead and were inspired to save our country from oppression.
The Pupu Battle was the seed that led to the fight for our liberation.
Perhaps the greatest lesson we have learnt from the unveiling of the Pupu Battlefield Memorial Site is that there is so much of our history waiting to be reclaimed.
It is almost like those who walked before us are now telling their story from beyond the grave. It is also like time and space are coming together as one and we are slowly getting to the place that we are meant to be.
First was the statue of Father Zimbabwe himself, Cde Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo, then of, course, the much-revered Mbuya Nehanda.
Next up will be the unveiling of the statue of former President Robert Mugabe at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport.
The crusade of taking ownership of our lost history has begun and is being spearheaded by none other than His Excellency, President Mnangagwa, whom history shall one day also remember and immortalise as having been the one who changed Zimbabwe’s trajectory and set it on a path to economic prosperity.
Such monuments as the Pupu Memorial serve as stark reminders of the sometimes unforgiving and harsh path we have had to walk as a nation.
So many sacrifices were made and so many lives were lost, but not in vain.
All this has led to this very moment where our nation is free and our people enjoy the fruits of Uhuru.
Bravery, tenacity and resilience in the face of the unknown is one takeaway from the story of the Pupu Battle.