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They Are Back,
The White Tribesmen
By Yuyi K.
Libakeni
Recently
strolling along Lusaka’s Cairo Road, I was beckoned by an elderly
Whiteman. “Young man,” he said to me” I read that writing of yours
and couldn’t help seeing those guys! Those were the days …….”He was
an old colonial civil servant who had known me as a young man and
had read my earlier article, The White Tribesmen of the West,
(Lowdown No. 3, 2004) He pulled out a few names from his memory list
and handed them over to me. Needless to say, I was encouraged and
set out to search for more, hence this article. To Sue Johnston of
Queensland I hope to get hold of the whiteswan soon.
Abbassisini, Joao
said to be a descendant of the Shangaans of Mozambique, he was an
agent for Ulere (Ulele) Voluntary Immigration Organization of
Southern Rhodesian farmers for recruiting cheap NR labour. Joao
always moved with drummers in his trucks to attract people to his
recruiting “rallies” , people would dance and coins thrown out to
the crowd with promises for more money, jobs, free food in SR and
free transport to and from SR. For these never-ending drumming
sessions, Joao was nicknamed Samangoma, literally the father
of drums/dances, Infact the free food, transport and money came to
an end on crossing the Victoria Falls into SR for the recruits were
left to themselves to look for jobs in a foreign country. Duped
marooned and hopeless they became real cheap labour, others wandered
into Botswana and South West Africa (Namibia).
Anderson J.B.W
who was previously covered under the name Lingongwe was also
nicknamed Ofisi he was always in the office, much to the
annoyance of his messengers. Anderson later served as Native Courts
Commissioner, 1958-63.
L.C Brier
lived along the Lungwebungu river at he northern end of Kalabo
district where he spent most of his time hunting hippos for which he
was named Sikandamalolo, one who disturbs hippos.
L.G. Butler
joined the NR colonial service from Somaliland in 1951 and was
District Commissioner (DC) stationed at Kalabo in the early
fifties. He was named Shakashenda apparently because of an
injury to one leg, he was always shifting the weight of his somewhat
hefty body from side to side as he walked. One contemporary
described him as wriggling the body, walking like a dancer. He was
also named Pifo, mongoose, apparently for his temper. He was
athletic and at Kalabo and Kaoma he was in the forefront in
organising sports activities, while at Evelyn Hone College, his
later station, it was a full-time activity. In the late fifties,
Kalabo boasted a vibrant Boating Club whose constitution declared
that the Club was “open to any person of any race who is resident in
the Kalabo District and who rowed in a college boat at one of the
two senior English Universities”. At that time there was probably
about 20 African graduates, the majority from Makerere ,Uganda and
Fort Hare in South Africa and only two from Oxbridge, the late Prof
Goma and Elijah Mudenda.
Blunden J
,served in both Kalabo and Sesheke. “Shokomona” Blunden
always called out to his messengers who he suspected were hiding
something. Shokomana is Lozi for take it out, lets see what
you have in there. Blunden was proficient in Lozi having passed the
Higher Language Examination. And so for this cliché of his,
messengers decided that Shokomona was a better name for their
mubusisi than Blunden.
Bourne SP
was previously reported as Ngeti, a mole, for his protruding
teeth, a name he shared with one of his successors GD Brown. Bourne
was also named Fulai, aeroplane, a fast walker, and Pula,
rain. He enjoyed surprising his men by showing up without notice. He
would be sighted in one place and within no time he would be in the
midst of another group giving instructions and blasting every one,
mbula nambulwa wenyi, ku kukela to kuayula. Rain has
no protocol, it thunders immediately it arrives in a place, caring
less for whoever might be there.
Barrett MS
who served as District Officer (DO) Senanga 1955/7 was known as
Kasulwe, a rabbit, as he displayed the craftiness of the little
animal. He was also known as Mazebe, ears, which was
self-evident, his ears resembling those of Mr. Rabbit.
GCR Clay
was Provincial Commissioner (PC) in Livingstone before moving to
Mongu 1959 as Resident Commissioner (RC) PC Mongu was styled then.
However Clay had spent a good part of his early days in Western
Province, in particular Kaoma (Mankoya) district in which he had
served continuously 1933-39. Later pictures of him show Clay as a
stout looking tall man, not so for the Nkoya of Kaoma who recall him
as a lean bodied District Commissioner whom they called Kayonda,
the lean one. Because of his long association with Kaoma, Clay is
said to have considered himself an expert on the district on which
he once wrote an article History of the Mankoya District (RL
Institute Communication 4, 1945).and
Barotse in the 19th Century 1801-64 (Proceedings
of the conference of the History of Central Africa Peoples, Lusaka,
1963). He has also authored a book Your Friend, Lewanika.
Clay was later appointed Director, Livingstone Museum, Livingstone.
Commenting on Hudson’s
Notes on African Local Government in NR’
(see below) then in Mongu, Clay said “at this stage it is more
important to get development going in the districts than to be
entirely democratic among people who do not in fact at present know
how to use a vote”. The reader might notice some similarity of views
with later justifications for one party states – a nation could
forgo the luxuries of democracy in preference for rapid economic
development and national integration. Inspite of his views the
administration in Mongu had forced on the Litunga in 1950 the first
‘democratic’ Katengo Council elections, complete with
electoral wards and ballot boxes. |
August 2005