Izwi LeSintu/The Voice of a People (Part 1)

Background: More than just a pipe dream, African unity and independence for all its peoples is a challenge that shall follow us until it is realised. Yet the difficulties we face towards reaching that noble goal are acerbated by lack of political will and by external forces that see how much good that this will do for the people of the Mother Land.

Many Africans are tired of the sentimentality and unpractical manner with which this issue is dealt with by such bodies as the United Nations, African Union and locally by the seemingly toothless and power hungry politicians who still pose as Pan-Africanists.

This essay is written in response to the undying call for sovereignty and justice for the unbiased, truly patriotic peoples of the world, beginning with Africa, I will begin closer to home, dealing with the almost silenced call for sovereignty and justice by the Maseko (Ngcamane Swazi) group of families and we will take a look at the East African challenges in Ethiopia-Eritrea-Somalia.

What roles do religion, tyranny and Western meddling have on these issues, can African truly become self-determined and purposefully prosperous people who place their own needs before those of the cash-inspired West?

Allow me to begin with some lenghty points from an interview of the Nigerian African Renaissance Party chairman Yahaya Ezemoo Ndu, conducted through the website Buzzle.com:

24. How would you help Somalia pacify and gain national unity and rehabilitation?

Yahaya Ezemoo Ndu - Comprised of a former British protectorate and an Italian colony, Somalia was created in 1960 when the two territories merged. Since then, its development has been slow. Relations with neighbors have been soured by territorial misunderstandings.

The University of Peace’s Peace and Conflict Monitor Report a few years back states that the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) was better placed to pacify Somalia.

The Report was based on the understanding that for the six-month period June to December 2006 in which the ICU was in control of Mogadishu and much of Central and Southern Somalia, that territory enjoyed peace, order and security; we know very well that this was good and unique, unprecedented ever since the Siad Barre administration had collapsed. In other words, the security situation was getting better in this swathe of land that had only known and lived with over 15 years of statelessness, insecurity, clan feuds, thriving warlordism and lawlessness.

So, the question is why the Ethiopian-backed offence – with tacit support from the United States and a number of Western powers – was undertaken and who finally decided to kick the Islamic Courts Union out of Somalia when the courts merited an opposite response from the international community, having already delivered stability and order to the most of Somalia’s territory?

25. Where do you stand as regards African conflicts, notably Eritrea vs. Ethiopia, Western Sahara and Uganda vs. Congo?

Yahaya Ezemoo Ndu – I believe that the African Diaspora should intervene and come up with constructive suggestions able to offer an exit to those conflicts. The acrimonious relationship between Eritrea and Ethiopia is both, old and new. Resentful ethnic stereotypes run deep, but more recent political events have added a toxic element of embitterment. Whipped into this unstable mix is the fact that the Horn of Africa is a region at the cross roads of Europe, Asia and Africa, where the ambitions of the world’s greatest powers have colluded with local populations, religions and political formations for the last centuries.

26. What is your position about national liberation fronts and autonomy movements, notably Ogaden, Oromo and Kabylia?

Yahaya Ezemoo Ndu - Let me start by saying that I myself and the African Renaissance Party are irrevocably committed to the convocation of a sovereign national conference of all ethnic nationalities of Nigeria for the direct purpose of the renegotiation of Nigeria in order to offer an amicable coexistence formula to all the peoples of Nigeria.

The lessons taken from the Nigerian Civil War of 1967-1970, the incessant interethnic unrests that have befallen on our the nation ever since, as well as the ongoing unrests pertaining to the Niger Delta region of our country, to the extent that active military operation is going on there right now, are more than an eloquent testimony to the fact that the component units of any nation should not be bound by force but by unmitigated free will.

I therefore support freedom for the peoples of my country, and I do support freedom for all the peoples of Africa, forall the ethno-religious groups wherever they may happen to be located.

One of greatest obstacles in the path the African Unification is that efforts to unify Africa have hitherto deployed to implement the unification project with the grossly defective ‘blocks’ formed out of the colonially and arbitrary contrived boundaries. These states are subjects of serious and at times bloody contentions throughout the length and breadth of the continent.

Liberation fronts are fighting for the liberation of their various peoples and deserve the support of all right thinking human beings. When all African peoples are liberated, then the objective of African unification can be commenced in earnest.

All liberation movements in Africa should be supported by all and sundry, as it is diversionary, unnecessary, and wicked for governments to seek to control peoples against their own free will. In every instance, a system must be introduced to determine the true feelings of the people; wherever it is established that they wish to be independent, the proper modalities should be worked out to enable and implement the independence process.

However, I must make the point that there is a political solution to internal strife issues, and this unfortunately has not yet been thorough explored in most of the needy African nations. This solution is: True Federalism. This implies running real, functioning and fair, federal governments.

Faced with corruption and stalled development, Africa is seeking a fresh path to good governance; federalism is the Black Continent’s watch word in this search.

The Fifth International Conference on Federalism, the bi-yearly gathering of the forum of federations, and the Global Network on Federalism, which opened in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa on December 13th 2010, has offered African leaders the opportunity to review the benefits that would accrue to the nations that embrace federalism. The theme of this year’s conference was ‘’Equity and Unity in Diversity for Development’’.

I want to underscore the fact that it is the first time the conference is being held in Africa since its initiation in 1999 in Mt. Tremblant, Canada.”

EmaKhaya: What does it mean to have a rightful home

Before we explore the above questions and answers, it would be wise to begin closer to home.  I cannot even attempt to deal with such major and historical issues as the conflicts between the Eritreans, the Ethiopians (Abyssinians) and the disenfranchised Oromo (Kushites) and the Somalians without acknowledging similar patterns of behaviour here where I live.

First, a little background information: For the past 5 to 7 years I have been a member of a cultic and nationalistic movement called Rastafari, more properly, The Nyahbinghi Theocratic Order of Haile Selassie I. To most people this only means, I have been part of a religious group that is inspired by Bob Marley, Reggae music and the ‘utterances’ of Ethiopia’s last Emperor and that I have been a fundamentalist ritual smoker of the holy herb called marijuana. But this is just 2 per cent of the story.

Contrary to popular belief, the Rasta’s are a serious international/outer-nationalist movement that while inspired by HIM are also keen observers of history and Biblical prophecy. Although a lot of the rituals in the cult may reference the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and the Coptic churches too, much of the ‘acts’ of the Rastafari derive from the Jamaican Anti-imperialist or liberation movements which were inspired by the Honourable Marcus Mosiah Garvey. 

These movements placed a lot of emphasis on the re-interpretation of the Judeo-Christian Bible, and were enlivened by the international or Diaspora growth of the Ethiopianist movements which included in their political and social rallying calls for African solidarity, a lot of Biblical propaganda such as ‘Ethiopia shall soon stretch forth her hands to JAH/God’, hence the pseudo-prophetic tendency to call the Emperor of Ethiopia by the name of JAH and to worship HIM as such.

Let me not get carried away for the history of the Rastafari is long and eventful and it must be said that this is one movement, not withstanding its flaws has championed the course of African emancipation and self determination more than any other. Through their use of music and other cultural instruments the Nyahbinghi and even the related movements such as the Twelve Tribes of Israel and the Bobo Ashanti have placed Africa first at all times.

I give this brief background so that the reader can appreciate where I am coming from in order to over-stand (understand) where I am going. My purpose is to arrive at the truth and the truth as it’s been said, shall set us free. Although as a Rasta I had come to denounce all notions or tendencies towards my tribal or family culture, it soon became clear to me that no man is an island and that as an African/Kushite* it was of primary concern to know who I am and where I am coming from. The denial of ones tribal or homeland culture by the Rasta’s is a source of many misunderstandings and conflicts. From whether or not we should observe the Zulu or Bantu practices of Lobola, traditional medicine and divination to performing specific rituals at the birth of our children and other initiation ceremonies performed by our people…this issue is an ongoing one and I am sure it has a lot with our over-reliance on the literal interpretation of the Holy Bible.

It seems that even though we (I and I) questioned and even rejected certain pronouncements from this Judeo-Christian collection of stories, we also rejected any wisdom coming from our forefathers, choosing to claim that our forefathers and mothers are the Hagars, Sarahs and Rebeca’s and the Queen of Sheba’s from the ancient book. This has wrecked our families and as I said, caused a lot of confusion to our immediate families.

Let us now turn to the complicated matter of the Ngcamane-Swazini and in order to capture the essence of my ‘reasoning’, I shall begin with a quotation from an elder of the Maseko  clan:

“I, like the first black Deputy President to be democratically installed in South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, in 1996, would like to “start at the beginning…”.

I am an African. In Africa I am a Ngcamane Swazi National of the last royal clan called Maseko. The Ngcamane are the direct descendants of the Royal hierarchy which started with King Ndlovu. All Nguni speaking tribes and nationas, owe their identity and cultural heritage from this great king. These include the Xhosa, Zulu, Ndebele, Swazi, Malawian, and some 17 Chieftaincies in Mozambique ( in the 1990’s) and many more in Malawi; to mention but a few.

The Ngcamane adults who are alive today in Malawi, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho and Ghana, owe it to the children of their great grand children, to restore the nation of Ngcamane-Swazi’s, the head of the Nguni stream of the Bantu peopleof Africa, to their original status and place in the history and on the face of this great continent, and the world at large. We do not only won the land and heritage, but we owe it and hold it in trust for our great grand children and their own great grand children.

Like the children of Israel in the Bible history, the Ngcamane Swazi’s need to repent, cry out to God, lay their trust in Him and His wisdom, then He shall reverse the Diaspora of the Ngcamane. In all the Maseko’s and other members of the Ngcamane Nation who live today, there is a mixed cocktail of adrenaline (warriorship), Africanism, and maleness or fatherliness that gushes through our veins. God and the Holy Spirit are the Power Engine and live in our dying bodies. It is because of them, and the Blood of His Son Jesus Christ, that we are now being restored to our rightful place in history, the continebt and among the nations of the world.” (Page --from Return of The Ngcamane Swazi -)

Among some of the aims and objectives of the EMANGCAMANE SWAZI National Council as of the year 1997 (version one of 1997), are the following:

“3. To secure the removal of the illegitimate borders covering present day Swaziland as defined by the British in 1967 and 1968, perpetrating the stinking scam started by the Ngwane impostors called Dlamini of the Sobhuza and Mswati ilk, since 1840.

7.To ensure that Swaziland follows the example of the Transkei, Venda, Gazankulu, Bophuthatswana, Ciskei and Lebowa, and return to South Africa, because the Ngcamane owners of that piece of land never commissioned its seclusion from the rest of our country.

8. To stimulate and cause a real and decisive debate and subsequent resolution on the fate of the Dlamini so called “Royalty” that imposed themselves on our children, our brothers and sisters, our land, our Kingdom, our language, our name and our culture and throne!

12. To ensure that all Ngcamane Swazi’s return to the cordial relationship they enjoyed with our God, the God of the Bible. It is this same God who used to fellowship with the Maseko-Ngcamane Kings on the mountains of Ncabaneni, and used to come in the form of a cloud that looked like a one legged person, which earned Him the Nickname, “Mlentemangunye”, or the “One Legged One”. He did the same to the children of Israel and the Bible is full of stories similar to these of our God. Therefore we regard Jesus Christ, the son of the God of the Bible, as our in disputed Lord and Savior, and the Holy Spirit as our daily companion.

16. To secure, mobilise, local, regional, national and international funds for development and business projects that will improve the quality of life of our communities and create employment in those those areas in which our members live.*

Simply by reading through this book, it is obvious that the author is not only a zealous and principles Christian, he is undoubtedly an African patriot who is eager to see the restoration of the Ngcamane Swazi’s.

In my first reading of the book, I was put off by his repeated references to the Bible and to how the course of Maseko nation is somewhat ordained by Jesus Christ.  But then I recalled my own personal writings and conversations with various people on the issue of Christianity and African self-determination. It seems that my bias was ill placed and that as a person who is also a Maseko and raised on a hearty diet of the Christian doctrine, it was almost impossible to move beyond the Biblical juxtapositions. However it is also good to be an objective reader, writer and listener, since not everybody would take kindly to ones particular doctrine, this is important in relation to the knowledge that Africans are a diverse people and also being mindful that as good as the doctrine may be, there were a lot of atrocities and lies told about black African people using this Holy Bible and its doctrine.

With that said, let us turn a little bit to politics. The author of Return of the Ngcamane Swazi book mentions earlier that he does not intend to delve too deeply in partisan politics, firstly as a devout Christian and also as a principles person who thinks that the political platform is divisive and is opposed to the unification of people. He has a point there, although it is clear that when one speaks or writes on the subjects of restorative justice, repatriation and reparations, one has crossed the social-political dividing line, if there really is one.

The issue of the Ngcamane Swazi will surely be gaining much more airtime or popularity in this day and age when it seems like the Sobhuza ‘royal’ family characterised by the domineering antics of its wayward king is tottering towards a fall. Surely the Maseko Royals will use this weak point in Swazi-South African relations as an opportunity to make their voices heard. Unless this is done quickly, it seems to me that their/our warrior spirit is just as diminished as the political voice of such  Pan Africanist parties as the PAC, AZAPO and the Black Consciousness Party all of which had an embarrassing showing at the recent South African local government elections (18 May 2011).

If the Ngcamene Swazi’s fail to double up their efforts, aside from the Facebook  pages and seemingly half-hearted national campaigns, this will be a clear missed opportunity. But then there are still the problems of State  and international interests and relationships with Swaziland, these matters are not cleared in just a few days, it will really take a lot of political manoeuvring and not just prayers to Jesus to bring down the faulty Dlamini regime. This is the kind of lesson that the Egyptian and Libyans in North Africa are having to learn quickly and their efforts are not made easy by the All Seeing Eye of Big Brothers – Britain and the United States of America.

What we must keep in mind when we endeavour to change the historical borders imposed on us by these superpowers, is that there is still a lot od reliance on our part on Western styled trade or economic systems. These unsustainable habits wherein cash comes before real personal and nationwide transformation are going to take some time to be erased from our peoples psyche and this is where I would place the role of a True Religion.

When I say true religion and re-evaluation of our collective culture, I am alluding to what the Rastafari began to do but sadly never got around to fulfilling. In our Western learned habits of idolising personality rather than merit and true spirituality, we have created a race of servants and rebels without clear causes. The servants are satisfied with the churches perks and promises of salvation, the other Africans of the Islamic and Hebraic persuasion are just as brainwashed, white-washed and lost as the rest of us, in perpetual Arabisation, Ethiopianisation and Jesusification. What I mean by these terms is that as much as the religions here mentioned have their intrinsic and obvious values (Compassion, Love, Charity and Self-Sacrifice and Faith), they have clearly failed to create or cause us to be a people who excel at Being Ourselves.

What is to be oneself? It is to find a way or ways that help yourself and others to gain self realisation. The realisation that not only are you created in Gods image, but you also have every right to call yourself and your sister a daughter of God. It means that we too can be exactly like Jesus was/is, exactly as Solomon was, to become more than what Haile Selassie I represented and to re-write history just like the illiterate and inspired Muhammad …

The telling shall continue