This book examines the active role played by Africans in the pre-colonial production of historical knowledge in South Africa, focusing on perspectives of the second king of ama Zulu, King Dingane. It draws upon a wealth of oral traditions, izibongo, and the work of public intellectuals such as Magolwane ka Mkhathini Jiyane and Mshongweni to present African perspectives of King Dingane as multifaceted, and in some cases, constructed according to socio-political formations and aimed at particular audiences. By bringing African perspectives to the fore, this innovative historiography centralizes indigenous African languages in the production of historical knowledge.
Table of Content
1. Introduction.- 2. Magolwane ka Mkhathini Jiyane and Mshongweni: Izibongo and the construction of King Dingane’s archive.- 3. Oral Traditions and the Consolidation of King Dingane’s Archive: Mid-nineteenth to the early twentieth century.- 4. The Image of King Dingane and Zulu Nationalist Politics.- 5. ‘Remember Dingaan’s Day — the passing of African Independence’: Public history and the counter-commemoration of King Dingane, 1920-1930.- 6. African Nationalists and Contending Perspectives of King Dingane: 1916-1980s.- 7. African Academics and Poets: The roots of scholarly perspectives on King Dingane, 1930s to 1980s.- 8. The Political Images of King Dingane in the Age of Armed Struggle, 1960-1994.- 9. Conclusion.
About the author
Sifiso Mxolisi Ndlovu is an Executive Director at the South African Democracy Education Trust, Professor of History at the University of South Africa, and a member of UNESCO’s Scientific Committee on the General History of Africa multi-volume series.
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