Lest we forget, Nsingo the warrior prince
JACK ZIMBA, Chipata BEYOND the cloud-covered Nyamfinzi Hills in Chipata, Eastern Province, not too far from Ependukeni Palace of Paramount Chief Mpezeni of the Ngoni people stands a museum and a statue erected in honour of Nsingo. The Nsingo Community Museum at Feni village was opened in 2017 as a repository of Ngoni history and culture, while the statue was unveiled in February this year. But who was Nsingo, and why is he being put on a pedestal now? By the close of the 19th century, the Ngonis had conquered all the tribes that stood in their way and established a kingdom around modern-day Chipata, under Ntuto, who was Mpezeni I, having succeeded his father Zwangendaba. But then came the British, searching for land and minerals, and the Ngonis had a new enemy. Ntuto is said to have given in to the demands of the Europeans, but his son Nsingo refused to give up the land. As a result, war broke out between the British soldiers and the Ngoni warriors led by the warrior prince –