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Twentieth Century Images of the "Zulu": Selected Representations in Idstorical and Political Discourse

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TWENTIETH CENTURY IMAGES OF THE "ZULU": SELECTED REPRESENTATIONS IN IDSTORICAL AND POLITICAL DISCOURSE by STEPHEN MICHAEL LEECH submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in the subject HISTORY at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA SUPERVISOR: DR. J.T. PRIDMORE JOINT SUPERVISOR: PROF. J. LAMBERT NOVEMBER 1997 Studentnurnnber: 3153-745-6 I declare that 'Twentieth Century Images Of The "Zulu": Selected Representations In Historical And Political Discourse' is my own work and all the sources I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references . 0 '{'yo. [) A ''' . ~~ .. ~.'.:~ .......... ...\~ .. i.\) ..\.~8. ...... SIGNATURE DATE (Mr. S.M. Leech) t ;-----~:.~f~N~:~~~A----~~ Sr" c • ::-,RARY ................................... .t,r:ce:..s l P.anwin ........ ... l:l:a4 111111111111111 0001725238 305.8963986 LEEC SUMMARY This dissertation examines representations of the Zulu in a variety of discourses. It also examines the role of black nationalisms in the construction of Zuluist discourse. The production of images of the Zulu began with the first Anglo-Zulu encounter in the nineteenth century. In 1879, the Anglo-Zulu War set a trend for image-making which was developed further in the twentieth century. The appearance of The Washing of the Spears and Zulu, initiated a chapter in the study of the Zulu which gave rise to publications that created startling images of the Zulu. Despite the publication of the James Stuart Archive, as well as serious studies of the Zulu, authors continued to use the same popular interpretations of the Zulu. During the early twentieth century, the 'native question' dominated South African politics, while in the 1990s, political protest, conceptualised as aggressive marches by 'warriors' and tourism have been the major representations. Key terms: Twentieth Century South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal, Zulu, Zulu History, Zulu Historiography, Anglo-Zulu War, Inkatha, Images, Representations, Native Question, Native Problem, Warriors, Zulu kings, Zulu Royal Family, Tourism, Media, Film CONTENTS p. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS v NOTE ON THE USE OF TERMS VI ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vii ILLUSTRATIONS viii INTRODUCTION CHAPTER ONE 28 THE 'NATIVE QUESTION' CHAPTER TWO 64 THE ANGLO-ZULU WAR IN PERSPECTIVE CHAPTER THREE 82 THE ANGLO-ZULU WAR REVISITED 1965 - 1979 CHAPTER FOUR 128 'WHOSE SHAKA IS THIS?' 1979- 1989 CHAPTER FIVE 156 'PLAYING THE ETHNIC CARD' CHAPTER SIX 181 THE ZULU REASSESSED 1979 - 1996 CONCLUSION 214 APPENDIX A 222 LIST OF SOURCES 223 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS p. The Nubile Savage 1997 Vlll The military image lX The latter-day Shaka X The Zulu as tourist attraction Xl A typical appropriation Xll The 'ethnographic present' Xlll NOTE ON THE USE OF TERMS I have used the four geographical terms, Natal, Zululand, KwaZulu and KwaZulu-Natal, in their respective chronological contexts to describe the area between the Phongolo and Mzimkhulu Rivers. Zulu has been defined very broadly. See the Introduction, p. 13. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The writing of this dissertation has involved a considerable learning experience, one which has been facilitated by a number of people. First and foremost, I must thank my supervisor, Julie Pridmore, for her guidance, assistance and encouragement over the last four years. In addition, I would also like to thank my colleagues in the Department of History at the University of Durban-Westville for their help, interest and support. I am also grateful to the staff of the Killie Campbell Africana Library for their assistance in my research there, as well as the library staff of the University of Natal and the University of Durban-Westville. Also thanks to Mary-Lynn Suttie, subject librarian at UNISA, for tracking down urgently-required material. I also appreciate John Lambert's comments on the draft and John Wright's assistance during my research. In conclusion, I would like to thank my parents for providing the opportunity for me to pursue studies at a tertiary level and to my mother for the support she has given me during the research for and the writing of this dissertation. 16 SEPTEMBER 28, 1997 A beautiful young Zulu princess rises from a sea of female dancers to perform for the king. The Nubile Savage 1997 Source: Sunday Tribune 28 September 1997 viii trchers brandish weapons in Empangeni yesterday. Picture by TERRY HAYWOOD :pear-waving Zulus march through Empangeni OUSANDS of Inkatha By Chris Jenkins Oh'r a . memorandum yester­ perty," he said. the town and gathered In porters carrying tradltlon­ day. The pollee started nego­ A huge crowd marched from ·Grantham Highway from veapons marched through Empangeni Bureau tiations with the organisers to the Industrial area of the town about lOam. Troops were sta­ pangenl yesterday In deft­ persuade their supporters not to a spot near the central bus­ tioned on street comers and :e of emergency regula· last night that pollee were In· to carry any weapons In con· Iness district, where the armoured pollee vehicles were IS that prohibit carrying vestlgatlng the march and the traventlon of the regulations. memorandum was handed to positioned at the assembly tpons In public. docket would be sent to the the Independent Electoral point, while SADF troop car­ o serious Incidents were attorney-general for his decis­ "The pollee did not at the Commission. riers. roamed the ·town and orted during the march. Ion. time attempt to disarm the suburbs and along the march nevertheless Lt-Gen Colin "A group of about 20 000 marchers for fear of a contron· There was a massive securi­ route. yn, the SAP's regional Zulus marched through the tatlon and potential loss of ty force presence as busloads unlssloner In Natal, said streets of Empangenl to hand life, Injury and damage to pro- of IFP sunoorters omtrPtl lnt.n IRtPort by C Jeaktns, tl Osborne Street, Durban) The military image Source: Mercury 6 April 1994. IY Jgment reserved ·,. ·:; INKATHA Freedom Party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi, overshadowed by a statue of his ancestor, Zulu chief Shaka, speaks to the Press at his headquarters in Ulundi. He said he would reserve judgment on whether the election was free and fair. Report: Page 3 The latter-day Shaka Source: Daily News 4 May 1994 X Welcome, Zulu warrior Due to public demand "the Zulu", Isaac Dlunge, ab­ sent from the Elangeni Hotel-since 1989, returned to his post as doorman in full tribal regalia yesterday. Once again he will provide a traditional welcome to local and international tourists as he did .for ·more than 17 years. Picture by PATRICK MTOLO The Zulu as tourist attraction Source: Mercury 18 November 1994 XI •'· ,. ' ·,··:. ·:·) ': ,•,1. I '! . 'I .' i S NATAL vs N TRANSVAAL- FRIDAY 2 FEBRUARY '96- KINGSMEAD --·=···--·----------&~iM--PSIIF Ill IIIWI!IIbl_._ .....----- ...-.-;..... ,.... _______ _ A typical appropriation Source: Daily News 31 January 1996. Y11 ' . .i .' j I J·.• · !/ n YEBO BABA: Remember the days when it was illegal for racegoers to use cellular telephones on a racecourse and ..... also the days when there was a strict dress code in force? This happy fellow was spotted from the parade ring by on-course photographer Anita Aka/ at last Saturday's · meeting at Scottsville. · The 'ethnographic present' Source: Daily News 3 October 1997. Y111 INTRODUCTION This dissertation is concerned with representations of the Zulu in the twentieth century. It aims at contributing to an understanding of 'Zooluology', a term developed by Peter Davis in his study of cinematic representations of South Africa. He describes it as such: the white myth ofthe Zulu; the equation ofthe Zulus with the wild animals ofAfrica; the domestication of these creatures; the Zulus as the prototypical 'African tribe'; the political uses ofthe Zulu image. 1 These views have in the main been authored by the West, which has fixated upon the Zulu for two centuries. Western images of the surrounding world have been brought into question by post-colonial studies, which have produced revisionist material, examining a variety of cultural forms including media and literary texts. These studies have forced a re-negotiation of the relationship between colonial discourse and power and the 'other'2 and have shown that any account of history from a Western perspective is no longer as absolute as before. There has been a growing awareness, through the study of colonial discourse and post-Second World War decolonisation, that European cultural awareness is no longer a dominant centre of world affairs.3 Until the 1980s, little work of such a nature had been carried out on particular African societies. There had been studies of European representations of Africa and European reactions to African society but these were general in nature. Analysis of the manner in which representations of Africa were influenced by political and ideological imperatives began with 1 P. Davis, In Darkest Hollywood: Exploring the jungles ofcinema's South Africa (Johannesburg, Ravan Press, 1996), p. 124. 2 J. Singh, Colonial Narratives: Cultural Dialogues, (London, Routledge, 1996), p. 5. 3 R. Young, White Mythologies: Writing History and the West (London, Routledge, 1990), p. 19. 1 Curtin's seminal work, The Image of Africa. Curtin went beyond colonial policy in investigating European images of the continent, tracing the development of European colonial knowledge from the eighteenth century, as the latter's contact with Africa expanded.4 This was followed by inter alia Tales ofthe Dark Continent and VanWyk Smith's 'The Origins of Some Victorian images of Africa'. Tales of the Dark Continent examined the experience of imperialism in Africa with its attendant symbols, motifs' and components.5 VanWyk Smith assessed representations of Africa in European literature but devoted a section to H. Rider Haggard's novels about the Zulu.6 In 1982 Samuel Martin completed a study on 'British Images of the Zulu' between 1820 and 1879. 7 Chronologically he followed on from Curtin in taking his study to the 1870s and more importantly he began to deconstruct the origins of images of the Zulu specifically.
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