Imperialism retained in names

THE name changing issue in South Africa has been an emotive and divisive matter since the advent of Victorian imperialism. It is not surprising that this subject will make certain people uncomfortable whilst others would love to see a just redress of this dehumanising practice.

To this, we must take note of Sir Harry Smith’s comments to Chief Maqoma, around 1847: “Your land shall be marked out and marks placed that you may all know. It shall be divided into counties, towns and villages, bearing English names” (quoted in The House of Phalo by J B Peires). This knighted hero of the British empire went on to say: “You shall all learn to speak English at the schools I shall establish for you.”

Some readers might believe that blacks are today called James, Peter and John by choice. No, these names were imposed on our people for the ease of colonial administration. The names were even given a biblical spin: “Christian names”.

At my home, as in all homes of AmaXhosa, names are not drawn from a hat. They are properly considered.

These are the names of my siblings: Bonakele, Nonkulu, Buyile, Galelekile, Thandiwe, Nonkululeko, Mkhuseli and Mnyamezeli. All tell a story of the family, of a community and the general social conditions at a given time.

Any Mxhosa or a person who speaks and knows IsiXhosa will form a quick opinion of this family just by looking at these names.

At school for registration purpose the following names were given to us: Alfred, Gladys, Wilson, Henry, Evelyn, John and Sydney. (Thandiwe’s English name was not known). We were confused and hated those names.

These names can tell you nothing positive other than to remind you of Col Smith’s arrogance. The continued celebration of the Victorian cultural imperialism just reminds us of the humiliation meted out to our forefathers across the hills and rivers of Amathole, KwaNdlambe, eCacadu and so on. Cecil John Rhodes, Sir George Grey and others whose legacy is painted all over South Africa are a stark reminder that we might enjoy political freedom but our cultural heritage is still in bondage. The late Govan Mbeki called Rhodes an arch-imperialist and quoted him as saying: “We (the whites) are to be lords over them (the Africans). These are my politics . . . and these are the politics of South Africa”.

Grey boasted to the British government that the impoverishment of AmaXhosa by the European Friesland cattle which brought bovine pneumonia (lung sickness) to our cattle, “presented the most favourable opportunity”. This was referring to the stubborn resistant of AmaXhosa chiefs to be subjugated and to be made his salaried servants.

His objective was to destroy those aspects of “the Kaffir system of polity”, writes one historian. He was determined to break the local rule and the way of life of AmaXhosa.

The bad news is that he succeeded.

Grey is the worst of a rough crowd of the British empire’s military scavengers. His reign of terror against the aborigines in Australia and Maoris in New Zealand, and scorched earth policy against AmaXhosa disqualifies him from having his name attached to any respectable institution. He is said to have believed that the imposition of English law upon indigenous people was a requirement for civilisation.

He never admired other people’s cultures but sought to destroy it. The cornerstone of his policy to “civilise” the amaXhosa was to pauperise them by putting them to work on roads – “cheap labour upon very advantageous terms”, as he explained to frontier municipalities.

Grey’s order, that called for “the submission of every chief of consequence; or his disgrace if he were obdurate”, resulted in over a dozen chiefs being sent to Robben Island.

He commented after the tragedy of Nongqawuse’s vision, which resulted in some AmaXhosa killing their cattle and destroying their lands: “We can draw very great permanent advantages from the circumstances which may be made a stepping stone for the future settlement of the country” (quoted in Frontiers by Noel Mostert). He quashed the attempts of a Kaffir Relief Committee formed by the people of King William’s Town to shelter the starving.

Referring to Colonel Graham, President Thabo Mbeki wrote in a speech in 2003, “Where should we build a monument to pay tribute to those who fought to defend our independence if the British Colonel Graham, who gave his name to Grahamstown, was a merciless butcher of the Africans whom he helped to subjugate. Why should I accept that an important university town of our country should be named after him?”

No nation can compete successfully in the world with an erroneous consciousness. Professor Ali Mazrwi, an accomplished African scholar, told me that the English colonial administrators bastardised and destroyed the cultural heritage of their subjects consciously.

Those whose task is to awaken all our people’s national pride in their language and themselves whilst nurturing a new national identity ought to be applauded.