IN the previous article we revealed that there is a Njerere shrine in eastern Rwanda.
We noted the similarity in name to our Zimbabwean Njelele shrine in the Matombo Hills.
We speculated that the two shrines were set up by Shona-speaking people some of whom migrated south to present-day Zimbabwe.
We cited language similarities between Shona and local languages spoken in central African countries like Rwanda where a shrine called’ Njerere’ is located. We also understand the shrines to be places of worship for the Shona Mwari (God) religion.
In this article we first look at the kind of human problems that local people bring to their God at the Njerere shrines here in Zimbabwe and in Rwanda, as a way of comparing and contrasting them.
We then examine the strategic role of these shrines in the African struggles for emancipation from white domination.
Our information is that in Rwanda there are three ‘Njelele-type’ shrines that people visit to seek God’s intervention in times of calamity.
In all cases there are no dedicated keepers of the shrines.
They are revered places approached or visited only in times of need.
The shrines are located on or close to remote hills in areas not frequented by the general populace.
The absence of specific keepers of the shrines in Rwanda is in contrast to the Zimbabwean ‘Njelele’ shrine where specific persons reside as keepers of the shrine.
The shrine named ‘Njerere’ in Rwanda is approached only on matters of national security.
The people receive warnings of impending conflicts and also seek guidance and courage from the shrine.
The shrine becomes a centre for war preparations.
Weapon-making facilities would be established at the ‘Njerere’ shrine.
Spears, bows and arrows and other war paraphernalia were actually manufactured at the shrine.
The mobilisation of men and materials for war was actually done under the guidance of the spirits at ‘Njerere’ shrine in Rwanda.
The second ‘Njerere-type’ shrine in Rwanda is named Tafika.
It is dedicated to seeking God’s intervention in times of human and animal disease pandemics.
When a disease pandemic breaks out in the community, the elders arrange for consultative visits to the shrine.
At the shrine they are advised on the causes of the calamity and the steps that need to be followed to alleviate the pandemic.
The advice from the shrine is religiously followed as we shall show in our next article on the rituals that are conducted.
It is a common African belief that what Europeans might call a natural disaster may in fact be a consequence of, or be related to, failure by individuals or communities to observe certain taboos that underpin the integrity and moral fabric of the society.
Such information may be revealed at such shrines.
The third ‘Njerere-type’ shrine in Rwanda is Kamuchenje.
The people seek divine intervention at this shrine in times of climate or weather-related disasters especially those that impact on agricultural productivity and food security.
These phenomena include droughts, floods and pest invasions e.g. locusts and army worms and animal diseases such as rinderpest.
Again community spiritual leaders will approach the shrine and make the necessary supplications.
The people will then be enlightened on the causes of the calamity and the remedial steps to be taken.
Rain-making ceremonies are part of activities at this third shrine.
The Zimbabwean Njelele shrine is dedicated to all human calamities: individuals, families and representatives of whole communities seek God’s (Mwari) intervention in times of war, disease pandemics and climate change-related disasters like droughts.
So in contrast to the Rwandan situation where three different shrines handle different aspects, the Zimbabwean Njelele shrine handles all matters that afflict the people.
The Njelele shrine in Zimbabwe is reportedly visited by people from all over east and central Africa.
That is an indication that the Mwari religion was and continues to be practised widely across the sub-region.
As the influence and practice of the Mwari religion has declined on the back of a relentless drive by European-linked Christian churches to demonise African religions, the frequency of visits to Njelele shrines has somewhat declined.
This is especially true among the Western-educated de-culturated (de-Africanised) elites who now dominate many post-independence African societies.
Hundreds if not thousands of Christian mission stations dotted across the southern African landscape were funded and granted land stolen from Africans by Cecil John Rhodes to facilitate various missionary expeditions to ‘convert’ blacks from their Mwari religion to Christianity.
Apart from use of brutal force, this religious invasion was the most powerful colonising strategy used by the Europeans.
Our Zimbabwean forefathers regularly consulted the Njelele shrine when foreign invasions, human or livestock diseases and droughts afflicted their societies.
In the early 1890s, rinderpest, a cattle disease decimated the cattle herds of both Ndebele and Shona communities.
Following consultations, the advice from the Njelele shrine was that the white invaders were responsible for introducing the disease pandemic.
In short the voice of God (Mwari) from the shrine, called on the people to go to war to kick out the invaders from the land!
Already irked by the Cecil John Rhodes-led invasion of their country, the Shona and Ndebele mobilised their fighters to dislodge the white land and cattle grabbers.
The call to arms was made by the great spirit of Murenga and delivered through the Njelele shrine.
The hide and seek tactics of striking the enemy here, disappearing quickly and striking again at another distant place were dictated by Murenga.
We call these ‘guerilla tactics’.
While our gallant fighters and comrades learnt much from Mao-Tse-Tung (or is it Zedong), the Chinese revolutionary leader, about guerilla warfare, our own Mwari (God) through our ancestral spirit, Murenga, at Njelele shrine, had already given us the basic principles and tactics of fighting a vastly super-armed enemy.
We call the guerillas ‘vanorwa muchivande’ or ‘amalwa ecatsha’.
That is why the various phases of our liberation struggles in Zimbabwe have been called Chimurenga ‘1’, ‘2’, ‘3’ and so on.
Our main point here is to stress the role of the Njelele or ‘Njerere’ shrines as war command centres.
They have inspired, guided and literally led the people’s struggles to defend or liberate their territories.
In the next article we shall look at the various religious practices and rituals carried out at these different ‘njerere’ shrines in Zimbabwe and in Rwanda.