In The Alphabets of Africa, Abhay K. turns poetry into a map of the continent, tracing its civilizations, cities and cultural icons. Read an excerpt below.
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Shaka Zulu
A military tactician, a songwriter,
a music composer, all combined in one
I often inspired my people
with music and songs
I had a premonition that the ‘white man’
would seize the Zulu kingdom
As a child, I was often mocked
for being born out of wedlock
my mother and I
were banished by my father
I trained as a fighter in the army
and soon became its commander
after my father’s death, I returned to my village
and became the King, deposing my half-brother
I named my people—Zulu, after my clan
and united them into a nation
I extended my rule to KwaZulu-Natal
Europeans called me a wild warrior
‘an insatiable and exterminating savage’
but Zulus counted me as a great king
for laying the foundations of a state
and building a great army
my wars against the rival communities
birthed new kingdoms of Zimbabwe and Lesotho
I remained celibate to govern my vast land
created an all-women’s regiment to gather intelligence
I invented assegai—the short spear for close combats
and devised the cow horn formation to encircle the enemy
death of my mother, Nandi, shook me to the core
and I decreed that for a year, no crops would be sown
and whoever would not cry enough
would meet one’s end
alienated people conspired to cease my tyranny
and two of my half-brothers stabbed me to death.
[Shaka Zulu (c.1787–1828) was a prominent Zulu leader who transformed the Zulu Kingdom into a powerful empire in Southern Africa. He is renowned for his military reforms, strategic innovations and brutal conquests, which led to the expansion of the Zulu Kingdom and reshaped the political landscape of the region.]
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