My Black History Month

My Black History Month

For Black History Month, Migrant Voice are running a series of Black migrants in the UK talking about the people and places in their history – whether personal or global - that have inspired them. Today Danmore speaks about the untold history of the Victoria Falls

"Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past."

- George Orwell

Our history must include the untold truths of the past, which can bring people together in the present. As a Zimbabwean I couldn’t find a better illustration than the story of my Mosi-oa-Tunya, better known the world over as Victoria Falls.

Victoria Falls is one of the seven natural wonders of the world.

 In 1855 the Tonga people revealed to Scottish migrant David Livingstone the spectacle of the Falls, which they referred to as Mosi-oa-Tunya (The Smoke that Thunders). Marvelling at this natural phenomenon, Livingstone decided to rename it in honour of Queen Victoria: Victoria Falls.

From that day Mosi-oa-Tunya connected us to Europe and the wider world. The legend of Victoria Falls spread worldwide, and our heritage became intertwined with the British Crown. In the UK, I feel an enhanced sense of belonging because of this. Our people welcomed David Livingstone and allowed him to use our heritage to honour the-then Queen.

Yet David Livingstone is the only name in history that is associated with the Victoria Falls in the present. This implies that our people were bystanders as this connection was unfolding, or that Livingstone alone “discovered” the Falls.

What is the untold truth here? The forest along Zambezi River approaching the Falls is thick, and oue people lived alongside a complex environment they understood closely, from the elephants to the lions, the hyenas to the black mambas, the pestilential mosquitoes, and so on. Surely Livingstone would not have navigated his way without the permission of the local Mwami (chief) and the guidance of the locals.  The names of these Zimbabweans/Zambians who displayed such a high level of hospitality and willingness to share should be remembered in history.

Sharing, tolerance and mutual respect have always been in our cultural DNA as they are part of ubuntu/hunhu/buntu susu. These values are not a by-product of urbanisation as some authors claim. To enable David to integrate he had to be given the equivalent of ESOL or was it TSOL (Tonga as Second Language)! The values of good neighbourliness were key, especially as our fellow “citizens” (the wild animals) can be unpredictable.

Therefore free TSOL included discerning the sounds of happy or angry wild animals. Simple explorer instinct would not have been good enough. David’s access to the local “NHS” in view of the prevalence of malaria was not related to his immigration status; it was ubuntu/unhu based.  

Now there are only two statues at the Falls; Livingstone on the Zimbabwe side and Livingstone on the Zambian side. Where is the statue of the chief who welcomed him? The history in word and image about Mosi-oa-Tunya is all “Livingstone”. The black history is still missing. Orwell’s words are prescient.

Former South African President Thabo Mbeki in his famous “I am an African” speech says “Gloria est consequenda”: Glory must be sought after. We have to look for the glory of our past, unearth it and revive it, if we are to have a stake in the future.