By Dr Vusi Shongwe
"A remarkable people, the Zulu, they defeat our generals; they convert our bishop; they settle the fate of a great European dynasty.” – Benjamin Disraeli, British Prime Minister “Until the lion tells his side of the story, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.” – Igbo Proverb.
Today, 146 years later, we recall the triumph of the Zulu nation over British imperialism, we remember the selfless sacrifice of the Zulu warriors, and we rededicate ourselves to the noble ideals which they fought for. The battle of Isandlwana is one of those legendary historical events that, despite dozens of books on the subject, invites more discussion, especially from the Africans themselves.
Although the Battle of Isandlwana, also known as the Anglo-Zulu War, is almost saturated, given the plethora of books and articles written about it, it would be understandable why any new review about the battle, no matter how refreshing it is, would still understandably be one of literary fatigue. There is, however, another dimension that merits attention about this war, and that is the war viewed from the prism of African people—African perspective.
I have been encouraged by the great African American Dr Henrik Clarke to honour the Zulu warriors, who bravely and courageously pulverised the British soldiers, a defeat that sullied the British army’s invincibility. Dr. Clarke argued that there is evidence that African and African American histories are the “missing pages of world history.” Dr Arturo Schomburg, another great intellectual and African American historian, famously told Dr Clarke that he better go and study his “enemy” and find out why the enemy wrote him out of history. The purpose of this piece, therefore, is to fill in the missing pages of the history of the Battle of Isandlwana.
Indisputably, the battle of Isandlwana is not only synonymous with valour and vaingloriousness, but it is also important to African history. The piece is also a reappraisal of this battle as read and analysed by an African. There is now evidence that when the Zulu warriors were defeated at Rorke’s Drift, some acts of genocide were committed by the British. Against the spirit of the Geneva Convention, the injured Zulu warriors were genocidally finished off by the British soldiers. Sadly, and not surprisingly, the barbaric cruelty of the British was never punished. The imperialists turned a blind eye to the egregious violation of the Geneva Convention by the British soldiers. The Battle of Isandlwana stands as a symbol of Zulu triumph over British colonialism. It was at this very battle that the hegemonic British imperial forces suffered their first defeat in the whole of Sub-Saharan Africa at the hands of the Zulu warriors, who fought bravely in defence of the sovereignty of the Zulu nation. This was indeed the worst an indigenous force had ever dealt with the technologically superior British and stunned British pride. It was also this battle that put an end to the French imperial line. Prince Imperial Louis Napoleon, the heir to the French throne, was killed during the Battle of Isandlwana. This not only embarrassed one of the leading world powers of the 19th century, but also cost Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli the next election.
The legacy bequeathed to all African people across the globe by this battle is unparalleled and unrivalled. The ignominious defeat suffered by the British in the Anglo-Zulu War was a blot on an impressive British military history. Not only did this war celebrate Zulu triumph over colonialism, but it also served as an inspiration to all those who would later be engaged in the fight against imperialism. The resilience and tenacity of the Zulu warriors subsequently inspired generations of freedom-loving people throughout the African continent, who emulated them and made their own selfless sacrifices in the struggles against colonialism and imperialism.
There can be no doubt that the 1906 Bhambatha rebellion, the Mau Mau rebellion, and many other illustrious wars of resistance all drew their inspiration from the Battle of Isandlwana. Queen Victoria called the 1879 British defence of Rorke's Drift "immortal," and a modern historian labelled it "one of the best-known battles in the history of the British army." Strategically it settled nothing—but it inspired a legend. For the queen to refer to the British soldiers who defeated the Zulu warriors in Rorke’s Drift as very special and famous and therefore likely to be remembered for a long time provides a convincing moral argument why her statue should be removed from the precinct of the KZN Legislature. Indeed, it was long overdue to remove the statue of a person who celebrated the annihilation of the Zulu warriors at Rorke’s Drift. In fact, the statue, and that of Sir Theophilus Shepstone, should have been removed long before the first Black and democratically elected president of South Africa was inaugurated.
The Battle of Isandlwana was a pivotal moment in South African history that came to define the broader stand of African people against encroaching colonialism. Africa must indeed honour the warriors who fought with indefatigable courage, bravery, tenacity, and unflagging vitality. We owe the Zulu warriors a debt of gratitude for the selfless sacrifices to defend the dignity of the Zulu nation. The courage the Zulu warriors demonstrated during the battle would remain etched in our memories. The first and most basic of the moral virtues, as Aristotle said, is that of courage. But what does courage mean? James V. Schall posits that it means our ability to overcome our fears and pains in order to uphold our human purpose, what we ought to do to achieve a good in spite of the pains and fears. Courage is the virtue of life itself, its dignity. It is a difficult virtue, one that requires us to go against what we might normally prefer to do. I strongly believe that there is a special place in heaven for the warriors who died—a place wherein their patriotism and valour earned them eternal peace and an honoured place in the heavenly halls of heroes. In The Varieties of Religious Experience, William James wrote, “No matter what a man’s frailties otherwise may be, if he is willing to risk death and still more if he suffers it heroically, in the service he has chosen, the fact consecrates him forever. Inferior to ourselves in this or that way, if yet we cling to life, and he is able ‘to fling it away like a flower’ as caring nothing for it, we account him in the deepest way our born superior. Each of us, in his own person, feels that a high-hearted indifference to life would expiate all his shortcomings.”
There is no doubt, therefore, that people like Ntshingwayo kaMahole Khoza, Sihayo Ngobese, Phalane kaMdinwa Mkhwanazi, Mnyamana kaNgqengelele Buthelezi, and Sigcwelegcwele Mngadi were not only superheroes during the battle of Isandlwana, but they were also death-defying moral exemplars who led the war from the front. The Zulu generals were not like one general who advised his soldiers to go and fight the enemy and run when the going gets tough. As for him, the general said he would no longer waste time but start running immediately (umashiyi’mpi yakhe abaleke). In his address titled “The Hall of Heroes,” Dr. Frank Glenn Lankard began his address by quoting the volume Christ and the Fine Arts, by Cynthia Pearl Maus, who cites a story by an author who prefers to remain unknown. In this story heroes are lavishly extolled for their heroism. In view of the gallantry that was displayed by the Zulu warriors during the Battle of iSandlwana, the warriors deserve to be counted among the heroes.
In conclusion, the piece attempted to add an African dimension to the history of the legendary Battle of Isandlwana. The heroic patriotism displayed by the Zulu warriors is something to be emulated by the Zulu royal family as it navigates the tempestuous tide of royal succession. Furthermore, in its quest to resolve the royal succession impasse, China’s father of modern development, Deng Xiaoping, is worth giving thought to with his phrase “to learn truth from facts.”
(Dr Shongwe works for the KZN Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture. This article is written in his personal capacity.The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Sunday Tribune, Independent Media, or IOL)