APR-B-9
JON AND MARY BENNET POEHLMAN TELL OF THE LIFE AND DEATH OF THE NKOSI
MZUKAZUKA IN MALAWI
From: "George Poehlman" <gpoehlman@nc.rr.com>
To: "Allison, Jack" <jack.allison@med.va.gov>, "Beste, Janalynn F" <BESTEJ@mail.ecu.edu>, "Boyd, Hayden" <jhboyd@erols.com>, "Carnahan, Mary" <CECARNAHAN@aol.com>, "Clarridge, Maggie" <mclarridge@aol.com>, "Denny, Kevin" <KDenny0000@aol.com>, "Eubanks, Shelly" <shelly.eubanks@jpfinancial.com>, "Felix, Charlie & Kathy" <vaksf@aol.com>, "Chris Fowler" <Cfowler@steelsun.com>, "Geelhoed, Glenn" <msdgwg@gwumc.edu>, "Chris Hagelin" <hagelin@cutr.usf.edu>, "Heath, Joyce" <Joyceheath@aol.com>, "Helfer, Tamara" <tamarahelfer@hotmail.com>, "Heyler, Virginia" <gingyh@montanaheylers.com>, "Gerri & Terry Hill" <gerrimhill@hotmail.com>, "Jonathan Hill" <Jhill@roperandquiqq.com>, "Hodges, Ann & Chris" <arosie72@triad.rr.com>, "Robert W. Holloway" <holloway@egyptian.net>, "Jeremy" <jeremy@ipass.net>, "Kanary, Patrick J." <pjk@en.com>, "Patrick J. Kanary" <pjkanary@core.com>, "Kinker, John & Elsie" <GHIJohnK@aol.com>, "Kra..., Bob" <bobkra@att.net>, "Lewis, Larry & Marilyn" <arklyn@tfs.net>, "Lewis, Marilyn & Larry" <arklyn@birch.net>, "Lindland, Eric" <ericlindland@yahoo.com>, "Logel, Bob and Jean" <blogel@aol.com>, "Loomis, Becky" <Rlitsme@aol.com>, "Lown, John & Toya" <JohnLown@erols.com>, "Sabine Maas" <smmaas@pol.net>, "Mcatee, Ann" <amcatee@lexmark.com>, "McKervey, Joan" <joanmck@yahoo.com>, "Miller, Baxter" <BMiller570@aol.com>, "Miller, Doug & Jody" <JodyDoug@aol.com>, "Pricilla Miller" <millrandps@cconnect.net>, "Cathy Mitchum" <CATMITCHUM@aol.com>, "Moody, Sandra & Howard" <h.g.moody@worldnet.att.net>, "m‑targot" <mleydic‑boyd@eda.doc.gov>, "Nussbaumer, Jim" <nussbaum@verinet.com>, "Joyce Otten" <Joyceotten@yahoo.com>, "Phillips, Joan" <JPHill3604@aol.com>, "Rule, Bill and Beth" <Billnbethr@aol.com>, "Rzenicki, Gillian" <gcrzewnicki@starpower.net>, "Robin Sams" <robinsams@earthlink.net>, "Scalise, John" <Scalisej@missouri.edu>, "Cathy Smaha" <CSMAHA@msn.com>, "Snyder, Reb" <RebSnyder@aol.com>, "Stout, Karl D." <kdstout@att.net>, "Storniolo, Cos & Mere" <cstornio@goodsam.com>, "Storniolo, Cosimo & Mere" <cstornio@samhealth.org>, "Stout, Bud" <kdstout@patriot.net>, "Stout, Ron & Cathy" <crstout@mindspring.com>, "Sutter, John" <jpsutter@gwu.edu>, "Whiteford, Linda" <lindaw@chuma1.cas.usf.edu>, "Whiteman, Susan" <suz.beth@worldnet.att.net>, "Wolfe, Patrick" <Patrick.Wolfe@Cigna.com>, "Stout, Kim & Todd" <huedunnit@earthlink.com>, "Kelso, George & Carolyn" <cwkelso@aol.com>, "Stout, Danny" <stoutd@earthlink.net>, "Stout, Matt" <msstout@mindspring.com>, "George Lewis" <jlewis@rnet.com>, "Logan, Tom & Jocelyn" <tommylogan@aol.com>, "Loomis, Carroll" <coloomis@midwest.net>, "Gable, Jim and Jane" <jgable3044@aol.com>, "Charlotte Folsom" <charlotte.folsom@ssa.gov>
Date: 4/14/02 6:05PM
Subject: Recent email from Jon and MB
Death of An Ngoni Dancer
As always, it has been interesting here in Embangweni. I'll not bother to talk about my parents stay with us, as I am sure they have already filled you in on the highlights of their visit. It was great, though, to have them here and share our time in Malawi with them. Soon after they left, however, new events of importance occurred.
On March 23, the Nkosi Mzuku Zuku passed away. Mzuku Zuku was the Chief for the Embangweni area. To simply refer to him as a chief, however, does not do service to his position. Among the traditional authorities, there are village headmen, group village headmen, encosini (which are referred to as little chiefs), and then the Chief. Only one man is higher, the Paramount Chief of the whole region. But title does not do justice to the importance of this man.
Mzuku Zuku was the oldest living chief in Malawi. He died, I believe, at the age of 82. Further, he assumed the role of chief in 1950, making him the longest ruling chief in Malawi's history. It was said, if you wanted to know the real history of the area, he was the man to see. He was also a man who was thought to have great sense of tradition. In fact, he rose to prominence in the Banda government for his knowledge of and skill in Ngoni dancing. On a more humorous note, I was told that he was also known, nationally, for the juridical decrees that he handed down when he was a national judge. Apparently his command of English was not always adequate and when handing down sentences for the most serious of crimes, he often butchered and botched the words, ending up with quite funny statements.
Locally, Mzuku Zuku was considered a fair and honest leader who cared for his people. He provided the mark by which many current government officials are compared. In his later years of ruling, he became a strong advocate for HIV/AIDS prevention, supporting the work of Tikoleraneko. More personally, he was said to be uncharacteristically friendly ‑ as chiefs go. He would shake people's hands and, as I witnessed personally, he was capable of giving hugs. I should also mention that I am biased in my account of him, despite having only met him twice. He had given my mother in February a beaded headband and declared her his encosicosi, or Chief's wife. I believe that makes me, in someway, his fictive son or something like that. Nonetheless, as an anthropologist who is getting used to people never quite agreeing on anything, thus excluding any possibility of declaring a definitive X about a people, I can say, definitively, everyone I talked to thought Mzuku Zuku a good man and a good leader, one that will be greatly missed.
The funeral of Mzuki Zuku was another thing. It was clear that this occasion would be an important event in the community and that many people would come to visit his home. What wasn't clear, however, was when it would take place. The first speculation was that the funeral would be immediate. But, with the many dignitaries expected to come and with many of the Nkosi's 47 children living in South Africa, the date was soon projected to be several days away. I don't really think it was until Tuesday, the actual day of the burial, that it was decided. Of particular concern was whether the Nkosi would be buried in the Ngoni tradition or in a Christian manner. This was hotly debated right up until time for the service, with the Presbyterian ministers holding out until the last minute in terms of agreeing to participate.
Sadly, as with so many other things, the funeral became a political and religious chessboard for different groups. The Paramount Chief declared that the burial was to be traditional, replete with Ngoni dancing, and using the upright coffin (instead of the usual space capsule‑like shape of the Ngoni coffin, this one looked more like a wood paneled JukeBox). The church, laying claim to Mzuku Zuku as Christian, insisted on a Christian burial. (After repeated questioning of what made a burial Christian, I have concluded it is not anything that is not Ngoni). Moreover, the claim to Mzuku Zuku's Christian soul seemed tenuous. Though he had recently been inducted into the C.C.A.P. Men's Guild based on his being a good Christian, this only came after his sixth wife died, leaving him only one, thus making him no longer a polygamist and eligible for membership. The sad thing was that all this bickering deflected from thoughts about the achievements and impact of the life of this man that so many respected.
The day of the funeral was a rainy day. We had been asked by our good friend and senior Ngoni dancer, B.W. Jere, to arrive at the funeral at 10:00 to videotape it. Needless to say, having adjusted to Malawian time, we did not make it until after one, but that was fine since the funeral was running late and only a little of the dancing had started. We had probably watched the dancing for an hour when I got the urgent summons to assist someone who was ill. I guess this all made sense, though, that they should turn to me to treat the guy, as I was the only white guy at the service other than Jim McGill who was participating in the service. However, only in this post‑modern world would I be asked to drive one of the traditional Ngoni dancers, dressed in leopard skin loin cloth and carrying shield and asigi, to the hospital because he forgot his asthma inhaler.
On returning, Mary Bennett was still deep into the filming the funeral. After the dancing, there were many long speeches. Every political party was represented. The body was viewed and then taken to the burial plot where it was interred. In all, the service did not seem that different from the events that take place in an traditional American service, with the exception, maybe, of the loud speaker announcing the names and sums of money contributed to support the surviving family members with funeral expense. The crowd, overall, seemed in good spirits, with singing and chatting in the background at all times.
The week of the funeral led right into Easter, the biggest holiday of the year. This was also a busy week which included a hairy drive to Bobola, a small village about 20 KM away. There we visited an orphan garden, I interviewed a traditional healer, and we both sat through some local dancing. Mazunga's (white people) don't make it out to villages like Bobola very often, so our small research trip quickly turned into a full cultural program, with dancing and a meal.
As many of you have already heard, there is famine here. Last week, in response to hunger, Tikoleraneko distributed food to orphans in 23 communities, providing over two hundred orphans with several weeks of food. I want to thank my parents for arranging the delivery of the food, as well as the many donors at home who paid for it. It was one of the best things I have seen since I have been here. We turned the whole project over to the Tikoleraneko Youth Club and they did a wonderful job of planning for the relief effort and distributing the food. Actually, to call the members of the youth club youth is a little of a misnomer, as some are older than me. Nonetheless, these are young people, often well educated, who don't have jobs or are not married. By local standards, without either, they are not considered adults. They spend lots of time at Tikoleraneko and have been helping out in many ways. I think they like doing it ‑‑ just looking for a little respect. Well, they have mine. (Side note: I have written a small grant to UNICEF to start a peer education and counseling program at Tikoleraneko for these same youth.)
I know I have rambled on this time, yet there is so much more I could say. Forgive me if it seems unnecessary, but I understand that some have felt our e‑mails have lacked detail, or perhaps elements of the grit of living here, so I just wanted to give you a little more on a few things. I am sorry that we cannot write more and more often, but communications are hard.
But believe me, we relish every word that we hear from home. We miss you all at times.
Jon Poehlman