African Religion and Colonial Rebellion: The Contestation of Power in Colonial Zimbabwe’s Chimurenga of 1896-1897

Abstract

This article examines the unifying roles of the Mwari cult, the cultural symbol of land, and the authority of spirit mediums in the first anti-colonial socio-political and religious protest of Chimurenga of 1896-97 in colonial Zimbabwe. Using their spiritually and socially defined authority, spirit mediums (n’anga) served as movement intellectuals to the Chimurenga—they crafted strategies and inspiration for social protest. The shared values of the Mwari cult, the cultural symbol of land, and the office of mediums were further employed to mobilize masses into a social movement that sought to reverse rapid sociocultural and political changes brought about by colonialism. To make this case, the article problematizes religion within an African lifeworld. Aside from showing that African religions share many aspects with other world religions; the article rejects Eliade's, and Durkheim’s theory of ‘the sacred and the profane’. It argues that this separation is hard to establish in African traditional religions and cosmologies. Spirit mediums, for example, employed African sociology, spiritual beliefs and customs in their attempts to reject the colonial order. Besides, the implementation of ‘indirect rule’ and land grabs led to the contestation of power between colonial authorities, chiefs, and spirit mediums. This contestation is analyzed from a social movement perspective. Amidst contemporary social injustices, human rights abuses and corruption in post-colonial Africa, and without underestimating the role traditional religions play in African politics, the study challenges Christianity to follow the prophetic example of spirit mediums in the Chimurenga.

Keywords: Religion, movement intellectuals, social movement, Chimurenga, indirect rule, spirit mediums, Mwari cult