Well known on the side of English-speaking Africa, the warlord and spiritual guide Nehanda, who opposed the British in the former Rhodesia at the end of the 19th century, came back to life in Montreal at the end of May. Nora Chipaumire, an artist from Zimbabwe, paid tribute to him in a river show of around 5h30, in Shona and English, presented during the TransAmériques FTA festival.
2 mins
In the opera nehanda presented at the FTA festival in Montreal, some twenty artists embody the troops under the authority of this warlord against the British colonizers in Rhodesia. As they move around in the audience, the dancers, percussionists and guitarists come together to recount their allegiance to this authority figure, as described by historian Amadou Ba, from Laurentian University: “ She is a woman who has a lot of influence, who is followed. She embodies spiritual powers, she is a religious guide. She is also a very patriotic woman who wants to save her kingdom against colonization. She leads both men and women, she is a military leader. »
On the scene, artist and designer Nora Chipaumire, originally from Zimbabwe, becomes Nehanda. Like her, she sings in the Shona language, to recount the Matabélé-Mashona revolt between 1896 and 1897 against the British, in present-day Zimbabwe. Percussionists and singers celebrate Nehanda’s victories together, leading the crowd into a dance lasting more than an hour.
” Nehanda is seen as a heroine »
“ Nehanda’s army gave them huge problems. It was a very serious war, a huge colonial war, continues the historian Amadou Ba. For Nehanda, the British were there to destroy traditional African beliefs, languages, the economy. She galvanized the crowd against it all. That’s why England had decided to bring reinforcements from England, South Africa but also from elsewhere. These forces combined with the military technical equipment which will ensure that the war will be more favorable to the British than to Nehanda and his army. »
A man dressed in white, to recall Britain’s Queen Victoria, humiliates Nehanda with crude faces during a show trial. Sentenced to death, this combatant was executed in 1898. In the history of post-independence Africa, Nehanda will occupy a central place, explains Amadou Ba. She is seen as a heroine, and also a freedom fighter. »
In the eyes of the artist Nora Chipaumire, who created this opera, Nehanda’s fight remains relevant: “ If we talk about the colonial crimes that still take place, and the way we treat black people, and not only in the United States, but everywhere, in Europe as well, there is a connection, it is the same discourse. » Opera nehanda therefore revives the story of a character larger than life.