TO fully comprehend the migration of blacks from Arabia we shall trace one typical Arabic group in particular which has conserved their history and culture since long back.
This is the Remba community of Zimbabwe which is called VaMwenye (foreigners) to this day.
VaRemba were previously known as VaSena because they came from an ancient Sabaean city called Sena in ancient Saba (Yemen).
This city was east of Yemen between the trade harbors of Tarim and Sayhut as opposed to modern-day Sena which is west-bound and is Yemen’s capital city.
This particular group of Sabaeans comprised Israelites who settled in that land after the advent of Ebna la Hakim, son of Solomon and Makeda, along with the Hamitic branch that was there prior to their coming.
The Kebra Nagast recorded Ebna la Hakim’s first war and it was in Arabia, where he defeated those who had defected from his mother’s kingdom by rebellion and he camped in southern Arabia.
Remba history says their ancestors came from the north and settled in Saba (Yemen) where they built the city of Sena and lived there for a long time as traders, builders, craftsmen and weavers.
They entered Africa regularly by boats to sell alcohol, cloth and crafts in exchange for gold, cattle, spices and so on.
Some of these Solomonic Sabaeans decided to settle in Africa for good and built stone cities as they slowly emigrated inland.
These cities include Sena, Phusela, Domboshava, Musina (Messina) Machema and Mapungubwe.
They came into Africa in tribal groups which included Sadiki, Seremani, Sarefu, Haji, Hamisi, Bhakari, Shavai, Mhani, Ngavi, Mange, Musoni and Bhubha.
These Sabaeans should not be confused with the Hadramouts and the Himyaritic Yemenites who would settle there after the Solomonic or Judaic Sabaeans moved permanently into Africa.
The Sena people, as they were called, settled among the Kalanga and Venda communities in southern Zimbabwe and northern South Africa.
They began using chiKaranga and chiVenda to speak, but their ancestors originally spoke a Sabaic language which had a writing derived from pre-classical Hebrew. The Sabaic alphabet is the originator of Arabic and also Ge’ez in Ethiopia.
Muhammad the Prophet of Islam was taught scripture and how to write by the Sabaeans and when he applied the Sabaic alphabet to express Arabic words, the Arabic alphabet was born.
The Sabaeans also taught Muhammad the testimony of faith which is called the Shahada.
It is one of the five pillars of Islam and reads: “There is no god, but Allah.”
The Sabaeans were followers of King David and sang his Psalms which the Arabs called Zabur.
Muhammad wrote about these Sabaeans as the House of David and Solomon in the Quranic books of Saba (Sheba) and the ant.
These were the ancestors of the Remba people and possessed the Ark of the Covenant which the descendants of the Sabaeans of Arabia would take to Zimbabwe and refer to as Lungundu.
Lungundu means ‘the lord’s’ in Chinese (longde) and a ceremony called ‘ngoma’ was held annually in Mberengwa to display this sacred object which dates back to the time of Moses.
The story of how the arc of the covenant left Jerusalem and entered Africa and Arabia can be found in the Kebra Nagast and its remains being discovered in southern Africa should not be surprising because these places are still under Makeda, the Queen of the South’s hegemony and the Remba are descendants of Ebna la Hakim (Menyereki) and the Israelite nobles who settled with him.
It is estimated the ancestors of the Remba left Arabia for good in the 7th Century CE after the death of Muhammad and the beginning of the Moorish world expeditions.
Sculpted images of the Solomonic Sabaeans can still be found along with their writings and they are depicted as tall, black-skinned people, with short dreadlocks and cropped beards.
All these attributes betray them as blacks.
The Sena community built Machema with hewn rock bricks.
They built the walls with writings inscribed by coloured bricks and the characters are similar to those found on ancient Sabaean incense burners and tablets.
They also built conical towers called minarets as a symbol of Israel.
The conical tower is an esoteric symbol of the pineal gland which was named penuel by Jacob Israel and was a key component of Solomon’s temple called the ‘high tower’ before it was destroyed and razed down.
Besides the conical tower, the pineal gland is also symbolised by a long piece of rock dug into the ground and made to stand vertically.
The Machema site was built around 850 CE.
The builders and inhabitants of Machema practised weaving and gold-smelting; two trades that the Sena or Remba community was known for.
By 1000 CE, the Sena community had settled in Masvingo were they built a site similar to the one in Machema.
This is the Great Zimbabwe and its scale, size and construction skills were the most advanced in the whole region of southern Africa.
In Zimbabwe, weaving was done.
The rocks were hewn the same way as those in Machema.
No mortar was used on both sites and this also suggests that the same people were behind both constructions.
There were also a specific set of beads sold by the Sena and were found abundantly in the ruins of Zimbabwe and Machema.
Remba history also mentions the name of the king and lineage which was reigning during the construction of Zimbabwe.
He was called Thobela vaKhale in chiVenda meaning ‘King of long ago’ and he was of the tribe of Shavai.
The Shavai clan was then known as Madzimbabwe and Tovakare.
Remba people maintain the history of their involvement in the building and ruling of ancient Zimbabwe.
This is not to claim that only the Remba were involved in this large project which was built over a period of about 200 years.
However, it is evident the skills and trade that were used in Zimbabwe had come with people who had been exposed to brick-laying, minarets (conical towers), weaving and smelting gold.
This is definitive of the Remba community which came from places with similar cites in Saba.
The VaMwenye, as they were known in Zimbabwe, ruled and lived there until around 1335 CE.
In the time of Zungunde of the Ngavi lineage, the Sena community was attacked by disease causing them to leave the Zimbabwe site.
Few remained as priests and advisors under the Mutapa – Rozvi kings who followed and they were still known as VaMwenye.
When the Portuguese came into the country, they called this group of advisors ‘Muhammadans’ because of their cultural similarities to the Moors of Europe who were black Muslims.
After Masvingo, the Sena community headed south-west and settled in Zvishavane under King Shavi of the Mhani lineage.
There they multiplied for centuries until Mzezewa of the Haji lineage settled by Mberengwa Mountain which was named after him.
He became a great man and drew many to Mberengwa, leading the Sena community of that region to be called VaRemba from that time onwards.
Chamakofa, a leader of the Sadiki lineage and close relative of Mzezewa settled along with him on Mberengwa Mountain, but eventually moved to Dumbwi-guru were he established his dynasty.
He had many children and one of them, Mazvinganye, would be crowned King and named Mposi by the Hove Musaigwa people who the Remba found inhabiting the land.
King Mposi was given authority and land because like Chamakofa, he defended the inhabitants of Mberengwa against raiders from the Moyo Dumbuseya – Masuku people.
The Dumbuseya used to cross into South Africa and they returned with raiding habits which they probably adopted from warring Nguni groups.
King Mposi squashed this group of raiders after a memorable battle which took place at Chamakuva.