The 1856 Xhosa Cattle-Killing and the Prophetess Nongqawuse
The Story of South Africa: Empire, Apartheid, and Transformation — Fexingo HistoryPlay episode
Show notes
In 1856, a teenage girl named Nongqawuse emerged from the banks of the Gxarha River in British Kaffraria with a prophecy: the amaXhosa must slaughter their cattle and destroy their crops to usher in a new age. This episode follows the rise and aftermath of the cattle-killing movement that devastated the Xhosa nation. We explore Nongqawuse's uncle Mhlakaza, the role of the paramount chief Sarhili, the belief in the ancestors' return, and the catastrophic famine that killed an estimated 40,000 people. The British colonial governor Sir George Grey took advantage of the chaos, annexing Xhosaland and flooding the Cape Colony with cheap labour. We also discuss the contested historical memory: was Nongqawuse a dupe, a visionary, or a product of colonial pressure? This is a story of faith, desperation, and the collision of two worlds. #Nongqawuse #XhosaCattleKilling #Mhlakaza #Sarhili #SirGeorgeGrey #BritishKaffraria #GxarhaRiver #amaXhosa #ancestors #prophecy #famine #colonialism #EasternCape #SouthAfrica #1856 #history #FexingoHistory #catastrophe Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
