Acknowledge Volume No.1

127THE BANTU SYMBOL WRITING SYSTEM // river // harmony // fate //oo ∙ hkoo ∙ too ∙ la ukuthula peace



INSTITUTIONAL CULTURAL GENOCIDE 131 Subjugation and the diminishing of colonized traditions Before Europeans entered African territories, there were established civilizations equipped with suitable technolo- gies, writing systems, religious practises and traditions.RESPONSE THREE The Challenge We cannot overlook what can only be expressed as the “desired outcome” of colonization - cultural genocide. As identified by the scholar Raphael Lemkin, “It is not enough to expropriate land and resources from an indigenous peo- ple, the colonizer’s malicious aims have been to undertake a series of acts and measures to destroy that nation’s or ethnic group’s culture and traditions so as to make them more susceptible to colonial rule.” (Lemkin R. 1944) The Execution What rituals and practices did colonization erase in order to subjugate an indigenous people? Furthermore, what colonial practices stand in their place? Asking myself these questions has allowed me to look back into my own past and analyze the rituals I was subjected to in the post-colonial institutions of Zimbabwe, rituals that were not our own. One that comes to mind, that a lot of other colonized individuals can relate to, it the ritual of four o’clock tea time, High Tea. My response is an attempt to shed light on the Ndebele traditions that high tea has erased, especially within the educational institutions in the now post-colonial Zimbabwe.



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135METAMORPHOSIS The Ndebele ritual of drinking umqombothi (African beer) is one that, when it was practised, strengthened community bond by presenting itself as an opportunity to educate. Through taking part, individuals learnt a kind of etiquette, the importance of heirarchy within the community, respect for seniority and craftsmanship. The women were respoonsible for the preparation of the drink, a skill they passed down to their daughters. This ritual, however, is no longer common practise. Infact, in it’s place now, is the tendency to offer your guests tea and biscuits. Most households in Zimbabwe have an imperial chinna set that is used on the most important ocassions, and most institutions have, since colonization, an adopted an afternoon tea break.

Traditional Zulu Drinking Pot (ukhamba) by Zanele Nala. Picture by Eugene Hon (http://eugenehon.blogspot.ca/2011/11/hons-homage-to-sue-greenberg.html)

137 A tea part chinna set as described in Emily Post book “Etiquette” published in 1922

Drinking umqombothi with friends, a Bantu tradition uphel by the Zulu and Ndebele tribes of Southern Africa. (http://www.theafricangourmet.com/2017/07/zulu-african-beer-making.html)

139A RITUAL NOT EASILY FORGOTTEN, BUT NEARLY EXINCT Traditional Zulu and Ndebele beer pots called “ukhamba” in the Bantu languages, are rimless pots made from fine clay are produced by women throughout the Southern African region. Pots of this kind are made for serving & drinking a sorgham-based beer, called umqombothi, that is brewed in larger, roughly made clay vessels. The drinking of this beer is associated not only with the living, but also with the dead, to whom it is offered whenever ritual dictates that the ancestors must be remembered & appeased. At the beginning of a meal or a visit, the beer pots would be passed around for everyone to drink. The pot would pass from the eldest male to the youngest, and if females were present, which was very rare, the eldest woman would drink, with the pot ending at the youngest. African Umoja – Passing of the Beer Pot



141THE TRADITIONAL KITCHEN An exhibition co-curated by Professor Saki Mafun- dikwa, founder of Zimbabwe’s Institute of Vigital Arts, gives a glimpse into the heart of a traditional home stead in Zimbabwe, the Kitchen. THOUGHTS While the images selected by the curators showcase the artistic prowess and creativity of the women of Mhondoro, Mutoko and Murehwa in Zimbabwe, they also shed light on the presence of an imperial influence in what can be described as the most important part of a traditional home stead. All of a sudden, the walls send an entirely different message. Fused within our traditions is a deep colonial influence that we can no longer over look.

A traditional kitchen in Murehwa (Image from National Gallery of Zimbabwe) by Saki Mafundikwa

143 Victorian Tea party, Ipswitch, cira 1900. Photo from a glass plate negative. (Nationa Portrait Gallery)



145BIBLIOGRAPHY Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media. Bennett, J., Herman, E. and Chomsky, N. (1989). Man- ufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media. Contemporary Sociology, 18(6), p.937. Warfare History Network » Martini-Henry Rifle & The Reign of Queen Victoria. Suciu, P. (2015). Warfare History Network » Marti- ni-Henry Rifle & The Reign of Queen Victoria. [online] Warfarehistorynetwork.com. Available at: http://war- farehistorynetwork.com/daily/military-history/martini- henry-rifle-the-reign-of-queen-victoria/ [Accessed 16 Nov. 2017]. Zimbabwe’s Cultural Heritage Nyathi, P. (2005). Zimbabwe’s cultural heritage. Bula- wayo [Zimbabwe]: amaBooks, pp.10-19. South African History Online. Archives (2011). Cecil John Rhodes. [online] Available at: http://www.sahistory.org.za/people/cecil-john-rhodes [Accessed 8 Nov. 2017].AnnotationPathisa Nyathi’s writing preserves, in the colonizers writingsystems, or pre-colonial culture, expressing a need for his-torical documentation of rituals and customs. This is contra-dictory to our history as remnants of the Ndebele tribe weresaid to be purposefully destroyed when moving away.

BIBLIOGRAPHY The Rudd Concession Bennett, J. (2014). The Rudd Concession. [Blog] From empire to cataclysm. Available at: https://1870to1918. wordpress.com/2014/08/12/the-rudd-concession/ [Ac- cessed 8 Nov. 2017]. The White Paper, 1969 Sinclair, N. and Lagace, N. (2015). The White Paper, 1969. [online] The Canadian Encyclopedia. Available at: http://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/the- white-paper-1969/ [Accessed 9 Nov. 2017]. A Definition of Colonialism Horvath, R. (1972). A Definition of Colonialism. Cur- rent Anthropology, [online] 13(1), pp.45-57. Available at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2741072. Decoloniality as Empty Signifier in Design Ansari, A. (2017). The Work of Design in the Age of Cultural Simulation, or, Decoloniality as Empty Signifier in Design. Medium, [online] 1(1). Available at: https://medium.com/@aansari86/the-symbolic-is-just-a- symptom-of-the-real-or-decoloniality-as-empty-signifier- in-design-60ba646d89e9 [Accessed 8 Nov. 2017]. Annotation Ansari, in his article, sheds light on the apparent failure to implement “proper” systems of decolonization in present day institutions. Him pointing a finger directly at OCAD University’s attempt, makes things clearer to me, being that I am invested in this institution. I use this article to fuel my post-colonial, liberation driven identity.

BIBLIOGRAPHY 147Unsettling CanadaManuel, A. and Grand Chief Derrickson, R. (2015).Unsettling Canada. Between the lines.The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account OfNative People In North AmericaKing, T. (2013). The inconvenient Indian: A CuriousAccount Of Native People In North America. Double-day Canada.Black Skin, White MasksFanon, F. and Philcox, R. (2008). Black skin, whitemasks. New York: Grove Press.The Wretched of the EarthFanon, F. (2011). The wretched of the earth. New York:Grove Press.Spoken and Written LanguageHalliday, M.A.K., Spoken and written language,Deakin University Press, 1985, p.19 Annotation While almost satirical, Thomas King’s response to the oppressive agenda of colonization is brutal. His work assists me in identifying what I attempt to define as “the intangible tools of colonization.” I leach mostly on his concept of the “dead Indian”, how portrayal of a people becomes a tool for colonization and how such a tool has lasting effects.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Genetic and Demographic Implications of the Bantu Expansion Gemma Berniell-Lee, Francesc Calafell, Elena Bosch, Evelyne Heyer, Lucas Sica, Patrick Mouguiama-Daou- da, Lolke van der Veen, Jean-Marie Hombert, Lluis Quintana-Murci, David Comas; Genetic and Demo- graphic Implications of the Bantu Expansion: Insights from Human Paternal Lineages, Molecular Biology and Evolution, Volume 26, Issue 7, 1 July 2009, Pages 1581–1589, https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msp069 Bringing Cultural Genocide in by the Backdoor Hon, Kristina. 2013 Bringing Cultural Genocide in by the Backdoor: Victim Participation at the ICC. Seton Hall Law Review 43(1): 359-370. Axis Rule in Occupied Europe: Laws of Occu- pation, Analysis of Government, Proposals of Redress. Lemkin, R. 1944 Axis Rule in Occupied Europe: Laws of Occupation, Analysis of Government, Proposals of Redress. Washington DC, USA: Carnegie Publishers. Annotation Hon sheds light on how the phenomenon of cultural geno- cide is often overlooked in the conversations of coloniza- tion. She is referenced in the conversation of the manip- ulation of visual culture and the creation of xenophobic colonial propaganda.