HOW THE HISTORY OF SHAKA HAS BEEN

WRITTENWRITTENGrade: 10

Term: 3Topic: 4 – TRANSFORMATIONS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA

AFTER 1750Sub-Topic: - HOW THE HISTORY OF SHAKA HAS BEEN

WRITTEN

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Shaka, King of the Zulu: Shaka’slegacy

• Shaka, King of the Zulu, is probably the most famous pre-colonial southern African ruler.

• He is sometimes portrayed as the creator of the mostfeared, militarised and powerful states in southern Africa inthe early 1820’s.

• Shaka has been portrayed in many different ways.• Shaka has been portrayed in many different ways.• He has achieved iconic status.• This means he is a well-known person with qualities that

represent something of great significance.• Shaka is a fascinating figure who has been portrayed in

movies, books, art, legends, poetry, plays and popularsongs.

• He is usually seen as both ruthless and heroic.3M.N.SPIES

MOVIES

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BOOKS

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ART

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What kind of leader was Shaka?

• Shaka certainly is a well-known historical figure.

• But what was he really like? As young historians,we should not just accept what we are told. Weshould ask questions and look for answers.

Look at this statue of King Shaka and the• Look at this statue of King Shaka and thequestions around it. He clearly representsdifferent things to different people. When youhave finished this section, you can judge foryourself as long as you can provide evidence foryour answer.

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Who was Shaka?

• An iconic leader who provides inspiration to others?

• A symbol of African pride and achievement?

• A military genius, a hero of great strength andcourage who is celebrated for his success in warfare?courage who is celebrated for his success in warfare?

• A nation builder, who created, organised anddeveloped a nation?

• A savage, cruel, ruthless and bloodthirsty tyrant?

• A legendary figure about whom we know very little?

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Portrayals of Shaka in the past

• Historians used to think that the ‘time oftroubles’ was caused by the growth of theZulu kingdom under Shaka, which set off achain reaction of warfare and migration.

• They called this period ‘the Zulu wars’ or ‘the• They called this period ‘the Zulu wars’ or ‘thewars of Shaka’.

• Shaka and the Zulu were once regarded byhistorians as being the major cause of theconflict during this period.

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Notice the changes in historical interpretations about Shaka, the Zulu kingdom and the time of

troubles:• In 1928• The historian E.A. Walker published the first university textbook on South African

history called A History of South Africa. He first used the word Mfecane. Shaka and the Zulu kingdom were seen as the initiators of a period of disaster, of violent and widespread disruption and destruction.

• In 1966• The historian John Omer-Cooper used the term Mfecane in a widely read book • The historian John Omer-Cooper used the term Mfecane in a widely read book

called The Zulu Aftermath.• After 1970• The Mfecane interpretation of the transformation in southern Africa was accepted

in universities, teacher training colleges, schools, newspapers, television and movies.

• Late 1980’s and 1990’s• Historians began to question the Mfecane interpretation. After studying the

evidence carefully, historians have moved away from the idea that the wars of Shaka were central to the changes that took place in southern African history in the 19th century. Wars and disruptions took place, but most of them were not caused by Shaka and the Zulu. 11M.N.SPIES

Sources of evidence for our histories of Shaka

1. Early British traveller accounts about Shaka

• European traders and settlers had an interest in describingthe wars of Shaka as bloodthirstily as possible.

• They believed that black people were savages and thatEuropeans had come to Africa on a ‘civilising mission’.Europeans had come to Africa on a ‘civilising mission’.

• They had to justify their presence as intruders, and lateras masters. Henry Francis Fynn and Nathaniel Isaacs aretwo of the most well-known early British travellers whowrote about Shaka.

• Both men learned to speak isiZulu fluently.

• Modern historians have questioned the accuracy of theirwritings.

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Sources of evidence for our histories of Shaka

2. Visual sources of Shaka• Visual sources are useful sources because they provide

us with an image of what things looked like in the past.• However, like all other sources, historical pictures have

been created from a particular perspective and maycontain inaccuracies or exaggerations.been created from a particular perspective and maycontain inaccuracies or exaggerations.

• Two artists depicting the same thing can produce twototally different pictures.

• No one is sure what Shaka looked like.• Here is a drawing of him with a long assegai and a

heavy shield. A European artist who had never seenhim drew it in 1824. He drew it from his imagination.

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Representations of Shaka in the present

1. Shaka in popular culture

• The image of Shaka is often used in popular culture.

• Popular culture contains ideas and images that areinfluenced by the mass media - we absorb ideas likeinfluenced by the mass media - we absorb ideas likethese in our everyday lives.

• These ideas are usually superficial and are nothistorically accurate.

• As young historians, we need to be critical ofpopular culture and the way it creates false ideas ofhistorical figures.

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Popular culture: Movies, logos of restaurants, comic books, etc.

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Representations of Shaka in the present

2. Shaka and South African heritage

• Heritage is about the ways in which peopleremember the past: at heritage sites, in museums,through the construction of monuments andmemorials, and in families and communities.memorials, and in families and communities.

• People in the past are also part of our heritage.

• Shaka, the king of the Zulu kingdom, isremembered differently by different people.

• His statue was recently erected at the ShakaInternational Airport in Durban in KwaZulu-Natal.

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Shaka International Airport in Durban in KwaZulu-Natal.

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