Telling King Shaka’s tale from African perspective
|Published
Durban — The military tactics of the mighty Zulu warrior, King Shaka, are still replicated around the world, even though he died nearly two centuries ago.
France’s Napoleon Bonaparte, noted as one of the world’s most successful military leaders, was the first to use King Shaka’s fighting method of “flanking”. Today, it’s still employed by countries like the US, according to award-winning film producer and creator Manzini Zungu.
The legendary Shaka kaSenzangakhona has been brought to life in Zungu’s book, uShaka Inkosi YamaKhosi, which is being launched nationwide this month.
Zungu said it was important to tell King Shaka’s story from an African perspective.
“King Shaka is known as someone who just rose and started killing people. Some people don’t know there are many kingdoms he didn’t even attack, but he sought to engage, and even did what we call in the modern day ‘business transactions’. There were so many of those nations, and there were so many other kingdoms that said, you know what, we’re not going to take up a fight with you. We’re just going to join you, because we cannot cope. So this is the innovation, the thinking, the strategy that was to be taken by nations of the world. But where did it come from? It comes from the southern tip of Africa.”
Manzini is also the founding chief executive officer of Pacinamix whose subsidiary Pacina Pictures produced uShaka – iNkosi Yamakhosi, an international award-winning film. They are working on a Netflix series to document King Shaka’s life.
The story of King Shaka is close to Zungu’s heart because of the many similarities in their lives, and the leadership qualities he learnt from the warrior’s life.
Shaka, born to a single mom and scorned by his dad, King Senzagankhona, was an outcast from the moment he was born. However, he withstood poverty, brutality and rejection as a child to become the greatest Zulu Monarch.
Like Shaka, Zungu was ostracised by society because he was born out of wedlock and grew up with his poor grandparents.
“I didn’t have many things other kids had. I grew up in the church, we didn’t have a television at home, we didn’t have a fridge. So I was bullied on the street, I was bullied at school.”
To overcome his sense of despair, Zungu’s gogo told him stories to give him courage.
“She told me of this mighty king that was born exactly like me, that went through bullying. He had friends. Some of the friends stuck with him, some of the friends forsook him. But he survived and united the kingdom. I find that very powerful,” said Zungu.
He said long before Shaka’s birth there was a prophecy that someone of royalty would be born in July, outside of marriage, without the proper culture and customs and rituals of that time being followed, a superhero as children would call him.
“But it is a superhero that comes out of reality, that really seeks to unite and make sure that people are united, that they become one nation …”
He said the king who conquered nations and created the spear was just a boy who wrote songs and composed music.
“He performed those songs with his regiment, with his nation, and with his peers. We are bringing that in the film, and in our future musicals. We bring this lifestyle that seeks to inspire me, and you, and the younger ones.”
Zungu too was born in July and faced many of the same adversities, but his grandmother uGogo Malamula would chant his clan names and as he helped her in the garden she would remind him of his greatness, and the significance of his lineage: “Each and every one of us, Manzini, there’s a thousand ancestors that propel us to succeed,” she would say.
“My toy was a brick. I would drag a brick and make noise like an engine. When there’s a beautiful smelling stew next door, I was told not to even crave for it, but to accept my situation.
“And I never craved for anything that someone had. I was taught to accept my situation and build and make my world better.”
The book has been translated into English, Afrikaans, isiZulu, isiXhosa, Sesotho, Sesotho sa Leboa and Setswana. There is an audio book and it would also be available in Braille.
“I’m happy with the launch in stores and online, but the goal is to find this book in the classroom. I’m a research fellow at the University of Johannesburg, and I work with them on this book in terms of publishing. The university has sent the book for their review, but that is in the process.”
While uShaka Inkosi YamaKhosi is being launched across the country, Zungu is about to introduce his new work of art to the world in the next few weeks. Project G is a spiritual music collaboration which brings the sound of African big bands and instruments to life through the award-winning Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the Soweto Central Chorus and many of the industry greats.
Zungu said the album’s production was taking place in Los Angeles. “It’s going to be released in a couple of weeks. Everyone who has worked on this musical, other than the Soweto Choir, is a Grammy Award winner. The engineers, the other collaborators, the musicians are multi-award winners. So I’m bringing this new sound to the world. Of course, there’s an element of how the King (Shaka) sang.”
* uShaka Inkosi YamaKhosi (UJ Press) is available online and in bookshops. The digital version retails for R125 and the paperback for R175.
Independent on Saturday