Journey to koBulawayo: Introduction of new architectural forms at Old Byo
The Holy Spirit is your advantage
IN an early instalment, we alluded to the reasons why Old Bulawayo was chosen ahead of Mhlahlandlela for development as a theme park. Old Bulawayo was viewed as presenting a more varied cultural diversity in comparison to Mhlahlandlela that served as the capital town in the earlier period when Mzilikazi was King. In the case of the latter, there were fewer resident white traders in particular. There was only one mission station, the one at Inyathi close to the royal town of Emhlangeni.
By 1870 when King Lobengula built Gibixhegu following his ascending the royal seat which was later renamed KoBulawayo, the resident white population around the capital town had increased markedly. This was in addition to the whites at Inyathi and Hope Fountain mission stations of the London Missionary Society (LMS). In addition to the two mission stations, yet another mission station had come into existence very close to the capital to by Fathers Croonenbergh and Depelchin.
Western influences began to be felt in several ways. However, for the purposes of this article we shall confine ourselves to architecture that is regarded as one of several arts genres. Art is expressive culture that, in its rendition, captures some aspects of a community’s culture. From an art form, we are able to glean a community’s thought and cosmology, ideas relating to aesthetics and design, history, architectural traditions, available building materials, available technology and the various functionalities and utilities that are fulfilled by the built structures, and created artefacts, inter alia.
The Westerners brought their own ideas from home that they applied when they settled within the Ndebele state. At Old Bulawayo, their influenced began to be felt particularly when it came to architecture. What became clear regarding the new ideas was that it was the King who was quick to adopt the new ways.
However, when it came to traditional rituals and cultural practices, he resorted to old ways particularly with regard to the dress.
Most conspicuous when it came to western ways were the two buildings belonging to the King. One of the two was a storeroom where a litany of the King’s possession was kept. Both housing structures were larger than his own royal beehive hut. The two were located within the royal enclosure not very far from his royal beehive hut, iqhugwana.
The two structures differed in terms of both mat e r i a l s used in construction and in terms of design. Soon after coronation,
K ing
Lobengula and his royal entourage had the opportunity to visit the nearby LMS mission station known as Hope Fountain (Emthombothemba). At the time of the establishment of the mission station, the missionaries and their aides obtained water from a perennial fountain.
It was during that visit when the King witnessed housing structures that were made from fired clay bricks. The King fell in love with the houses and would later request a builder, one Halyet, to construct similar structures for him within the royal enclosure. Indeed, the two structures were constructed and would soon become the most conspicuous structures within the royal enclosure.
In addition to the two houses, there was an ox-wagon shed. The King possessed ox-wagons as forms of transport. He bought the ox-wagons from white traders, and some of them were royal inheritance. An ox- wagon shed similar to the two houses in terms of architecture was built where they were housed.
The new structures would influence Ndebele ideas regarding improved architecture. In some rural areas, to this day fired clay bricks are used in the construction of sleeping houses. The kitchen huts have, in some cases, retained the traditional architecture especially with regard to design. They are still circular in design whereas the “modern” sleeping houses are rectangular.
Old Bulawayo was thus one of the early settlements to have western buildings.
The fired bricks were used to build the wall sub-structure. Clay was in use in constructing walls of Ndebele huts. However, the clay was not fired. The idea of moulding and firing bricks was a new innovation that was adopted particularly after colonisation and it soon became a marker of sophistication and civilisation.
The rectangular design was also adopted with the characteristic 90- degree angles. However, in terms of roofing materials, there was no immediate departure from what the Ndebele knew and practiced. Wood and grass were used. It was only much later when, at the new KoBulawayo, iron sheets were introduced. The nearby new white settlement came to be referred to as Emazengeni, the locative form for the Ndebele word for iron sheets.
The ox-wagon shed displayed a similar construction, a grass and wood superstructure over a red brick wall. Architectural changes were setting in and the process was set to accelerate after colonisation. The individuals who attended mission schools and others who received western education in particular, adopted the changes. That way, architecture became a marker of westernisation, relatively higher levels of attained Western education and the concomitant levels of western wealth.
The kind of western architecture became evident in rural areas where there was a presence of mission stations. The heaped roofs were close to the mission stations and other modern institutions such as Tsholotsho (Mavela) Industrial Government School. The roofs were
markers of the new architecture and were different from the cone-on-cylinder huts whose design was typically African-displaying circularity in terms of both the walls and roofs. Several houses in Tsholotsho were influenced by the architecture that was introduced at Mavela.
Inyathi and Hope Fountain were key institutions that influenced adoption of the exotic architecture that had already made its mark at Old Bulawayo in the pre-colonial period. Soon, the circular layout would find itself being replaced by rectangular wooden palisades that in turn was replaced by a barbed wire and later replacements including precast walls.
There were other western introductions. One notable one was the three-legged pot that began to replace the large clay pots in which meat was cooked. The three-legged pot, ibhodo, as it was/is called, has been holding out to this day.
During big gatherings, it is used for cooking. Falkirk was the trademark for these pots of varying sizes that were adopted long before colonisation. During Imfazo II of 1896, the legs were detached and used as ammunition fired from rifles with deadly effect.
GREETINGS beloved nation in the name of Jesus Christ.
In the Bible we read about Zerubbabel being given a task to build the temple of God at the time when the temple had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. It was during the season when Israel was returning back from captivity of Babylon. It was at a time when Israel was surrounded by poverty and people were in despair and were discouraged. During that time Zerubbabel was facing opposition from within and from the people who were coming from captivity. This was because there were no resources for building the temple. Remember this temple was destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar. In spite of resistance from his own people Zerubbabel had to go ahead and build. We see that Zerubbabel was facing a great mountain, circumstances and stagnation. So, we see Zerubbabel by the prophecy that was given by Zechariah had to go ahead and build.
Zechariah 4:6-9 says: So, he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.7 ‘Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of Grace, grace to it! 8 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 9 The hands of Zerubbabel Have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it. Then you will know That the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you.”
There may be projects, assignments in your life, your ministry or your business that you are doing that have come to stagnation. May the Holy Spirit push it forward. When Nebuchadnezzar attacked Judah, he destroyed the temple and took away all the sacred things in the temple. But Zerubbabel and his people decided to go ahead and build the temple and the city of Jerusalem. These were people who were coming from captivity, they were very poor and they did not have anything and the land had nothing because for years the land was wasted and lied fallow. So, they were trying to build something that was difficult. Zerubbabel was being assisted by the high priest Joshua and God raised prophets from Israel and one of them was Zechariah and the other was Haggai. So, we see that there were two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah who were speaking into the project. Then there was Zerubbabel and Joshua who were building the temple.
You see every project in our lives and in all spheres of our lives, needs a prophetic declaration. This is very important. What the prophetic does is it cracks or breaks barriers in the realm of the spirit, then in the physical there is the building that we should be doing. So, there is a spiritual declaration at the top and there is a physical action by Zerubbabel on the ground. The project at this time had come to a halt because they did not have money and people were opposing them because they did not want the temple built. Even some of their own people were against the temple being built. There may be people who are against what you are doing. Maybe you are building your marriage, ministry, business, life. You will push through. So it is at this point that the word of the Lord came to Zerubbabel. God spoke to Zerubbabel three things;
The first thing he spoke in verse 6 he says, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the Lord of hosts.” It’s not going to take your effort, your physical action, your mental ability or how you are connected, but this is the work of the spirit of God. So, allow the Holy Ghost to take the driving seat and stop focusing on the economy or on people.
The second word he spoke in verse 7 says, “Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of "Grace, grace to it!" We understand that the problems we are facing we can call them mountains because they are big obstacles or obstructions. It is a mountain that is standing before you. Remember the mountain has ears, it can hear. One time when Jesus was teaching about faith, he said ‘you shall say unto this mountain be cast into the sea and it shall be casted’.
So, you are going to ask that mountain a question of defiance; who are you, you mountain? Who are you, you poverty? Who are you, you sickness? Who are you, you problem? Who do you think you are? When God speaks, who are you? This mountain shall become plain and he said Zerubbabel shall bring the capstone who shouts of grace, grace to it. The capstone is the final stone you place on a project to declare that the project is completed. A capstone is the stone that everyone will see that the project has been finished and the people will shout grace, grace to it. So, favour will bring the capstone. In other ways God was saying to Zerubbabel that in spite of the opposition and having no money for the project, you will finish it by the hand of the spirit.
The third word God spoke was in verse 8, “The hands of Zerubbabel Have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you.” So, the God of Zerubbabel is the same God that we worship, the God who spoke to Zechariah is your God and my God. You may not be Zerubbabel but his God is your God. He is the same today, yesterday and forever. What he does today, he will do it tomorrow. So let us connect to the God who spoke to Zerubbabel, ‘It’s not by might nor by power.”
God bless you all. For feedback get in touch on dominionlifechurch01@gmail.com.