User:Luziyca/Sandbox3: Difference between revisions

Jump to navigation Jump to search
No edit summary
No edit summary
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Infobox ethnic group
{{Infobox officeholder
|group = Murungu<br>Varungu
|honorific-prefix  = His Excellency
|image = [[File:Jock_and_Agnes_Smith,_1935.jpg|250px]]  
|name        = Samhuri Ngonidzashe
|caption = A white couple, 1935
|image       = Léon_M'ba_1964.jpg
|population = '''~100,000'''
|imagesize    = 250px
|region1 = {{flag|Rwizikuru}}  
|caption      = Samhuri Ngonidzashe in 1952
|pop1   = 21,595
|office      = [[President of Rwizikuru]]
|langs = {{wp|English language|Estmerish}}, {{wp|French language|Gaullican}}, and {{wp|Shona language|weRwizi}}
|term_start  = 2 July, 1946
|rels = {{wp|Christian|Sotirianism}}
|term_end    = 2 July, 1954
|related =  
|vicepresident = [[Shungudzemwoyo Nhema]] (1946-1950)<br>[[Vudzijena Nhema]] (1950-1954)
|predecessor = [[Shungudzemwoyo Nhema]] as [[Premier of Riziland]]
|successor = [[Izibongo Ngonidzashe]]
|birthname    = Daniel Samhuri Ngonidzashe
|birth_date  = {{circa|1899}}
|birth_place  = [[Vongai]], [[Rwizikuru|Riziland]]
|death_date   = 2 July, 1961 (age 61-62)
|death_place  = [[Port Fitzhubert]], [[Rwizikuru]]
|alma_mater  =
|nationality  = [[Estmere|Estmerish]] (1899-1946)<br>[[Rwizikuru|Rwizikuran]] (1946-1961)
|profession  =
|party        = [[Mubatanidzwa weRusununguko rweRwizikuru|Rwizikuran National Movement]] (1927-1946)<br>[[Mubatanidzwa weRusununguko rweRwizikuru]] (1946-1959)
|religion    = {{wp|Methodism|High Estmerish}}
|spouse      = [[Kugarakunzwana Ngonidzashe]]
|children    = 9, including [[Izibongo Ngonidzashe]]
<!--Military service-->
| nickname          =
| allegiance        = [[File:Rwizicolonialflaga.png|22px]] [[Rwizikuru|Riziland]]
| branch            = Colonial Militia
| serviceyears      = 1926-1936
| rank              = Warrant officer
| unit              =
| commands          =
| battles            =
| awards            =
| military_blank1    =
| military_data1    =
| military_blank2    =
| military_data2    =
| military_blank3    =
| military_data3    =
| military_blank4    =  
| military_data4    =
| military_blank5    =
| military_data5    =  
}}
}}
The '''murungu''' (pl. ''varungu''), also known as '''White Rwizikurans''' or '''Euclean-Rwizikurans''', are people in [[Rwizikuru]] who are of [[Euclea|Euclean]] descent, and have been citizens of Rwizikuru since its independence from [[Estmere]] in 1946.


==Etymology==
'''Samhuri Ngonidzashe''' (c. 1899 - 2 July, 1961) was an anti-colonial activist who organized the [[Mubatanidzwa weRusununguko rweRwizikuru|Rwizikuran National Movement]], which helped end [[Estmere|Estmerish]] rule over [[Rwizikuru]]. Following its independence in 1946, he was sworn as the first [[President of Rwizikuru]], as per the [[Constitution of Rwizikuru, 1946|constitution of Rwizikuru]].
The term '''murungu''' is a {{wp|Shona language|weRwizi language}} term referring to white people.  


The most common theory says that the term originated from a name that is commonly used by other {{wp|Bantu peoples|Bahian peoples}} to refer to God or the creator deity, {{wp|Mulungu}}. According to linguist and settler [[Marvin Carnall]], who first proposed the idea in 1911, when the [[Estmerish people|Estmerish]] first arrived to present-day [[Port Graham]] in 1638 and established a fort, the {{wp|Shona people|native veRwizi}} saw the Estmerish as Gods, and thus used the term ''murungu'' to refer to the Estmerish.
(TBC)


However, this interpretation has been met with substantial criticism, with many veRwizi arguing that Carnall's theory is Eucleocentric and plays into the common trope that "uncivlized peoples" see Eucleans as gods.
==Early life==
Samhuri Ngonidzashe was born sometime in 1899 in [[Vongai]] to [[Mutupo Ngonidzashe]], and Chivaraidzo Ngonidzashe, as the seventh child, and the second son.


The most common alternative theory, first proposed in 1975 by linguist [[Tazvitya Mhlanga]] claims that the term derives from the "pumpkin-like" appearance of the earliest Estmerish settlers in the 17th century. Thus, they called the white commmunity "people of the pumpkin."
In 1904, he entered the mission school in Vongai, where he was baptized as a {{wp|Methodism|High Estmerian}}, and took the name of Daniel. At the mission school, he was described as having "excellent potential" to be a High Estmerian minister, due to his "quick absorption and application" of the concepts he learned in school. He was seen as being incredibly learned by his teachers.


This term was historically only used by the weRwizi people to refer to all white people. However, in 1946, with independence looming, many white people chose to keep the citizenship of their home countries, instead of accepting Rwizikuran citizenship. Thus, [[Samhuri Ngonidzashe]] needed to devise terms, so to distinguish the "white citizens," and the "white expatriates."
While Samhuri Ngonidzashe wanted to continue his studies after he finished compulsory education in 1912, his family's poverty prevented him from continuing his studies. Thus, he was forced to work at his family's farm.


Thus, he chose to use the term "murungu" or "varungu" to refer to white citizens of Rwizikuru, and "munodzoka" or "vanodzoka" to refer to the whites who chose to not accept Rwizikuran citizenship. Since independence, the latter term has evolved to refer to all expatriates of Euclean descent, while the former now only refers to Rwizikuran citizens of Euclean descent.
His fortunes started to change when in 1916, he made his first trip to [[Port Fitzhubert]] to find work. There, he found a job as a servant with a white family, and met [[Shungudzemwoyo Ngonidzashe]] there. At his job, he admitted that:


==History==
<blockquote>"''While the Fulkers [the family Samhuri and Shungudzemwoyo worked for] paid well, and the work itself was not stressful, the attitudes of the family towards us were counter to the values I had held so dearly: they saw us as lower than them because of our skin, while I believed that we are brothers in {{wp|Jesus Christ|Sotiras}}.''"</blockquote>
===Slave trade===
It is believed that the earliest populations of what would become the varungu arrived in 1638 when [[Estmere]] established [[Port Graham]] as a place to facilitate trade with the [[veRwizi Empire]]. However, the presence of Eucleans in Rwizikuru was generally limited, even during the height of the {{wp|slave trade}} in [[Bahia]] in the 1670s and 1680s, with virtually all Eucleans in the area being either soldiers defending the forts, slavers who collected slaves, or sailors who were currently in port.


This period of varungu history meant that there was never a permanent sizable Euclean population in Rwizikuru at the time: after the loss of many of the forts due to the [[Gilded Wars]], coupled with the end of the slave trade in the 1740s, Estmerish presence declined, until the fort at [[Port Graham]] was abandoned in 1803.
In 1918, after receiving news that he was to marry [[Kugarakunzwana Ngonidzashe|Kugarakunzwana Mbangwa]], he quit his job and returned to Vongai, where he married her. With his savings, he was able to find a "better life" in Vongai than that of his parents, with him getting a job as a {{wp|lay preacher}} at his old mission school.


While there is evidence of relationships between Eucleans and the {{wp|Shona people|veRwizi}} during this period, which produced {{wp|mixed-race people|mixed-race}} ({{wp|Shona language|weRwizi}}: ''musanganiswa''), the mixed-race generally were assimilated into the veRwizi community, or else were assimilated into the Euclean community.
However, in 1923, realizing that Gamuchirai would be entering school the following year, he realized that if he stayed in Vongai, his children would not receive an opportunity to better themselves. Thus, he and his wife moved back to Port Fitzhubert, and their home was sold to some white settlers.


===Colonization===
With the proceeds of the sale of their home in Vongai, they were able to buy a "well-off" home close to the Euclean core of town, and had enough left over to get [[Gamuchirai Mumbengegwi|Gamuchirai]] and [[Izibongo Ngonidzashe|Izibongo]] to attend the [[Charles Fitzhubert School]], as well as find a new job as a lay preacher at a nearby church. He soon made contact again with Shungudzemwoyo Nhema, where he discovered that the Fulker's fired him in 1922 after having spoken up against the Fulker's increasing mistreatment of their Bahian servants.
white immigration not as high as in other Estmerish colonies, what with the hot climate: [[Crogan]] becomes main center of the white community from 1890s on as it is somewhat cooler than [[Port Fitzhubert]], and is home to large farms of cash crops. by 1931, white population reaches 14,867 people.


===Post Great-War===
He noted that the conversation with Nhema:
With the end of the [[Great War (Kylaris)|Great War]] in 1935, the white community in [[Rwizikuru|Riziland]] were augmented by Gaullophones living in [[Yekumavirira|Olongaland]], or the portion of the [[Gaullica|Gaullican]] colony of [[Quigomba]] which was split between [[Nasana]] and [[Estmere]].


While most of the Gaullican residents in Olongaland were either expelled, or left of their own accord over the next few years, there was still a substantial white presence in Olongaland, which was predominantly Gaullophone. This led to increasing tensions between Guallophones and Anglophones, especially as many Anglophones viewed the Gaullophones as a potential threat to Estmerish rule over Riziland.
<blockquote>"...''caused my blood to boil in pure and unbridled anger. As we recounted our experiences of racism in our adulthood in Port Fitzhubert, compared to the values that we were taught'' [in school], ''I realized that there is something wrong, something unnatural with [[Estmere|Estmerish]] rule over this land. I couldn't quite place what, but I knew it had to be there.''"</blockquote>


Around this time, two major movements sprung up among the white population: the [[Alliance paysanne]], based in [[Port Tsalar|Saint-Germain]] (present-day [[Port Tsalar]], [[Nasana]]) and led by [[Jean-Louis Milhaud]], and the [[Conservative Front (Rwizikuru)|Conservative Front]], based in [[Port Fitzhubert]] and led by [[Alistair Perry]], each representing their side of the population. The Alliance paysanne wanted equal recognition for the Gaullophone community in colonial politics, while the Conservative Front advocated for assimilation of all whites into Estmerish culture.
Over the next few years, many at his church talked to him about the racism that they have faced by colonial officials and by Eucleans who have come to Riziland, and combined with his experiences in dealing with racism directed at him, he began to feel that Estmerish rule was inherently unjust.


By 1941, the white population reached 41,479 people, or about 0.58% of the total population, with only 17,375 originating from Estmere or descended from Estmerish settlers, with almost all of the remaining 24,104 white people being Gaullicans who were allowed to remain. Only 615 were of other Euclean descent.
==Military service==
By the time the [[Great War (Kylaris)|Great War]] begun in earnest in June 1926, despite his beliefs that Estmerish rule over [[Rwizikuru|Riziland]] was unjust, he enlisted in the colonial militia, saying that "it is better for us natives to deal with the devil we know as opposed to gamble with the devil we don't know."


While some radical white settlers, most notably the far-right ''[[Mouvement de civilisation (Rwizikuru)|Mouvement de civilisation]]'' led by [[Adolphe Crevier]], advocated for independence from Estmere under a white minority government, most Eucleans believed that permanent rule by whites would not be viable in the long term.
After training, he was deployed in October to [[Port Graham]], where he would live for the next five years. In Port Graham, he was assigned to defend the city from Gaullican attack by both sea and land, as Port Graham was the end of the rail line to [[Port Fitzhubert]]. While Port Graham was subject to several bombardments by the Gaullicans during his time in Port Graham, from both sea and air, he never faced a serious attempt by the Gaullicans or their colonial troops in [[Quigomba]] to attack Port Graham. By 1928, he had risen to the rank of Sergeant, and by 1930, to that of warrant officer.


Thus, when limited self-government was proclaimed in 1941, with a sixteen member legislative council, eight seats were allocated to the white community. With Adolphe Crevier's party destroyed as a result of the election, Jean-Louis Milhaud and Alistair Perry became the main political representatives of the white community.
By 1931, he had been redeployed from Port Graham to [[Rusere]], where he noted that the conditions there were significantly harsher than in Port Graham. In 1933, he fell seriously ill with {{wp|malaria}}, and nearly died from it. However, "divine providence," combined with treatment in [[Port Fitzhubert]] helped him recover from the illness, and he returned to service in 1934, although he was reassigned to Port Fitzhubert as a sentry to guard an armoury.


By the early 1940s, the whites had reached their zenith of political, and to some degree, economic influence, although most of the economy was dominated by [[Nokara people|Marathi immigrants]] who were unrepresented in the legislative council.
After the end of the Great War in February 1935, he maintained his position as sentry, while the military downsized, with the threat from Gaullica having passed. In March 1936, he was given a {{wp|Military discharge|honourable discharge}}, allowing him to leave the colonial militia.


===Post-independence===
==Early political career==
Following the independence of Rwizikuru in 1946, it was estimated that 2/3rds of the Anglophone community, and 3/5ths of the Gaullophone community either refused to take Rwizikuran citizenship or emigrated from Rwizikuru. Thus, it was estimated only around five thousand {{wp|English language|Estmerish}}-speaking whites and around ten thousand {{wp|French language|Gaullican}}-speaking whites took up Rwizikuran citizenship.
With the end of the war, he and [[Shungudzemwoyo Nhema]] decided to establish the [[Rwizikuran National Movement]] in 1937. They believed that with the end of the Great War, the war had, according to him:


While the whites lost much of their political standing, the 1946 general elections saw three white legislators: [[Jean-Louis Milhaud]] ([[Mubatanidzwa weVakuru|MV]]) representing Centre St-Germain, [[Ignace Dutoit]] (MV) representing Petit Pays, and [[Archibald Hayes]] (MV) representing Crogan. As well, the whites maintained their economic position, especially as managers and supervisors, and many of the murungu remained in the Rwizikuran civil service. However, they were starting to lose their stature, with the 1950 elections only returning Hayes and Dutoit, while Milhaud retiring from politics.
<blockquote>"...''thoroughly destroyed the notion that [[Euclea|Euclean]] imperialism can be maintained by the defeat and destruction of the [[Great War (Kylaris)#Entente|Entente]] forces. For the victors to continue to maintain their imperial rule over the colonies in [[Bahia]] are thoroughly unacceptable, and are a direct insult to all the Bahians who died in the war''."</blockquote>


In 1951, the murungu population was reported to be at 16,335 people, making up 0.1% of the total population. Of the 16,070 varungu, 9,958 were of {{wp|French people|Guallican}} descent, while 6,112 people were of {{wp|English people|Estmerish}} descent, and the remaining 265 varungu were of other Euclean origins.
Thus, on 1 May, 1937, the two held a conference in [[Port Fitzhubert]] to establish the Rwizikuran National Movement, with sixty people attending, most of whom were those who served alongside Ngonidzashe during the Great War.


During the early 1950s, the murungu population started to lose more of their strength, especially as the governing [[Mubatanidzwa weRusununguko rweRwizikuru]] began to institute policies to regulate the economy. By 1954, with the retirement of [[Samhuri Ngonidzashe]], and the accession of [[Izibongo Ngonidzashe]], the two remaining white legislators lost their seats. At the same time, policies of indigenization pushed many of the white civil servants out of their jobs.
Over the next few months, he and Nhema travelled across Rwizikuru to encourage people to join. He notably paid a visit to the recently annexed city of [[Port Tsalar|Saint-Germain]] in August, where he was met with a positive reception by many of the Bahian community, especially by the local {{wp|Shona people|veRwizi}}.


===Bottoming out===
By the start of 1938, the Rwizikuran National Movement had around ten thousand members. At around this time, the colonial authorities began to be concerned about Samhuri Ngonidzashe's and Shungudzemwoyo Nhema's activities, as the authorities deemed them to be a threat to the stability of the colony of [[Rwizikuru|Riziland]].
By 1961, the white population fell to 11,643 people, or around 0.09% of the total population. Of the 11,643 varungu, 5,915 were of Gaullican descent, 5,581 were of Estmerish descent, and 147 were of other Euclean descent. The white community by this point was largely concentrated in and around [[Port Tsalar|Saint-Germain]] (present-day [[Port Tsalar]], [[Nasana]]), [[Port Fitzhubert]], and [[Crogan]].


However, things got worse: with the passage of the [[Constitution of Rwizikuru, 1946#Eighth Amendment (May 1961)|eighth amendment]] to the Rwizikuran constitution, foreign investment dried up. As many of the whites in the country were employed by Euclean firms operating in Rwizikuru, they generally lost their jobs, or were asked to move out of Rwizikuru to keep their jobs. With a crackdown on bourgeois elites, many of them population feared that they will lose their lands and businesses, although unlike the [[Nokara people|Marathi]] population or the wealthy [[Irfan|Irfanic]] population, the varungu were not as badly affected by the policy, primarily because of their common faith, although a handful of families did lose farms and businesses to the government.
(TBC)


To make things worse, the [[Nasani-Rwizikuran War]] from 1968 to 1969 saw the loss of most of [[Yekumavirira]] to [[Nasana]]: virtually all of the Gaullophone community fled, with most of them leaving for [[Euclea]], with the rest fleeing to Port Fitzhubert and Crogan.
==Personal life==
Samhuri Ngonidzashe married the 18-year old [[Kugarakunzwana Ngonidzashe]] in 1918 in a marriage arranged by their parents. According to Samhuri, their marriage was "fruitful and happy," with the marriage lasting until his death in 1961. Kugarakunzwana Ngonidzashe died in 2014 at the age of 113, and never remarried: at the time of her death, she was the oldest person living in [[Rwizikuru]].


Thus, by the 1971 census, the murungu population fell to 6,229 people, or 0.05% of the total population. Of the 6,229 murungu, 5,977 were of Estmerish descent, 201 were of Gaullican descent and 51 were of other Euclean descent.
Together, they had four sons: [[Izibongo Ngonidzashe]], who was born in 1921 and died in 1979, [[Ingwe Ngonidzashe]], who was born in 1925 and is still living, [[Fred Ngonidzashe]], who was born in 1928, and was executed in 1981 for an [[Port Fitzhubert putsch, 1981|attempted coup]] against the [[Monarchy of Rwizikuru|monarchy]], and [[Shungudzemwoyo Ngonidzashe]], who was born in 1932.


During the 1970s, as Rwizikuru became more closed off from the rest of the world, many of the varungu who remained were farmers exporting cash crops to the few nations willing to trade with Rwizikuru, especially as few businessmen remained, and only a handful of varungu remained in the Rwizikuran civil service, with that number decreasing as many retired during the 1970s and 1980s.
They also had five daughters: [[Gamuchirai Mumbengegwi]], who was born in 1919, and died in 2015 at the age of 91, Tariro Ngonidzashe, who was born in 1923, and died in 1927 from {{wp|smallpox}}, Vimbainashe Ngonidzashe, who was born in 1926, and died in 2016 at the age of 89, and twin sisters [[Tinotendaisheanesu Chimusasa]] and [[Yemurai Kyagumbo]], who were born in 1931.


By 1981, the murungu population fell to a low of 5,789 people, comprising 0.04% of the total population. Of the 5,789 varungu, 5,565 were of Estmerish descent, 213 were of Gaullican descent, and 11 were of other Euclean descent, with the main centers of murungu population being in Crogan, where out of the 59,576 inhabitants in its urban area, there were 3,506 murungu living there, comprising 5.9% of the city's population, 1,055 living in Port Fitzhubert, making up 0.2% of the city population, and the remainder living in the countryside.
Samhuri Ngonidzashe was a devout {{wp|Methodist|High Estmerian}}, with his noted propensity for {{wp|plain dress}}, fasting on Sundays, and was a {{wp|teetotaler}}, refusing to drink any alcohol, and his strict adherence to the High Estmerian concept of {{wp|outward holiness}}. He was also noted to be a {{wp|lay preacher}}, often preaching at churches, even during his tenure as [[President of Rwizikuru|President]].
 
===Contemporary era===
With the death of [[Izibongo Ngonidzashe]] in 1979, and his succession by [[Kupakwashe Ngonidzashe]], Kupakwashe Ngonidzashe began to engage in economic reforms to attract foreign investment in the country.
 
With the increasing economic freedoms, many varungu living abroad began to return, especially those who were businessmen prior to the 1960s, although most of them were short-term expats tasked with reestablishing foreign businesses in [[Rwizikuru]]. This led to an increase of varungu in [[Port Fitzhubert]]. However, most of the economic growth was driven by the [[Nokara people|Nokara]], who were invited back to Rwizikuru in 1982 by Kupakwashe Ngonidzashe.
 
By 1991, the murungu population had risen to 7,526 people, or 0.04% of the national population, with 7,191 Estmerish varungu, 228 Gaullican varungu, and 107 of other Euclean descent. The government estimated that of the additional people between 1981 and 1991, 1,390 were returning varungu from foreign countries, while only 350 were children born to varungu.
 
During the 1990s, the murungu continued to see their economic power rise: although it was not to the same heights as the Marathi population, who played a more dominant economic role than the whites. However, during the 1990s, many farmers were no longer able to produce cash crops, with virtually all {{wp|tobacco}} farms and {{wp|banana}} plantations closing: by 1997, royal officials noted that:
 
<blockquote>"''The only varungu-run farms remaining in operation are coffee plantations, what with the decline of demand for tobacco-based products, and the rise of other countries more suited to growing crops like bananas, combined with increasing coffee demand''."</blockquote>
 
In 2001, the murungu population had risen to 11,881 people, or 0.06% of the national population. Of the varungu, 10,533 varungu were of Estmerish descent, 954 were of Gaullican descent, and 394 were of other Euclean descent. In addition, the government estimated that of the growth between 1991 and 2001, only 602 were born to varungu parents, while 3,753 were returnees from other countries.
 
In the 2000s, with agreements signed between countries that led to increased mining of {{wp|coltan}}, {{wp|copper}}, and {{wp|coal}} by foreign countries, many varungu took on positions as managers of the mines, or as supervisors, while others took on administrative positions. At the same time, a small tourist industry began to arise, mostly driven by Eucleans and varungu living abroad, which attracted many varungu to work in the hospitality industry.
 
By the 2011 census, the murungu population rose to 21,595 people, or 0.11% of the national population. Of the varungu, 19,959 were of Estmerish descent, 1,021 were of Gaullican descent, and 615 were of other Euclean descent. As well, the government estimated that between 2001 and 2011, there were 1,426 born to varungu parents, while 8,288 were returnees.
 
As of 2011, the main centers of the varungu were still Port Fitzhubert, which has a varungu population of 10,798 people, making up 0.3% of the city's population, and [[Crogan]], which has a varungu population of 9,718 people, making up 4.1% of the city's population, with 1,079 scattered throughout the rest of the country.
 
==Culture==
===Arts===
 
===Cuisine===
The cuisine of the varungu population generally has two sources: [[Estmere#Cuisine|Estmerish cuisine]] and [[Gaullica#Cuisine|Gaullican cuisine]], which generally depends on the origins of the murungu in question.
 
Popular foods among the varungu include {{wp|oatmeal}}, {{wp|mashed potatoes}}, {{wp|macaron|macarons}}, and either {{wp|fish and chips}} or {{wp|steak frites}}. However, many varungu consume [[Rwizikuru#Cuisine|Rwizikuran cuisine]], so {{wp|roast beef|yakagochwa mombe}} and {{wp|sadza}} are also commonplace among the white community.
 
===Sports===
The varungu have interested many Euclean sports to [[Rwizikuru]], with [[Estmere]] introducing {{wp|association football|football}} and {{wp|rugby league}} to Rwizikuru.
 
Popular sports among the white community include {{wp|horse racing}}, {{wp|netball}}, and {{wp|field hockey}}, each also introduced by the Euclean population in Rwizikuru.

Revision as of 04:28, 29 September 2019

His Excellency
Samhuri Ngonidzashe
Léon M'ba 1964.jpg
Samhuri Ngonidzashe in 1952
President of Rwizikuru
In office
2 July, 1946 – 2 July, 1954
Vice PresidentShungudzemwoyo Nhema (1946-1950)
Vudzijena Nhema (1950-1954)
Preceded byShungudzemwoyo Nhema as Premier of Riziland
Succeeded byIzibongo Ngonidzashe
Personal details
Born
Daniel Samhuri Ngonidzashe

c. 1899
Vongai, Riziland
Died2 July, 1961 (age 61-62)
Port Fitzhubert, Rwizikuru
NationalityEstmerish (1899-1946)
Rwizikuran (1946-1961)
Political partyRwizikuran National Movement (1927-1946)
Mubatanidzwa weRusununguko rweRwizikuru (1946-1959)
SpouseKugarakunzwana Ngonidzashe
Children9, including Izibongo Ngonidzashe
Military service
AllegianceFile:Rwizicolonialflaga.png Riziland
Branch/serviceColonial Militia
Years of service1926-1936
RankWarrant officer

Samhuri Ngonidzashe (c. 1899 - 2 July, 1961) was an anti-colonial activist who organized the Rwizikuran National Movement, which helped end Estmerish rule over Rwizikuru. Following its independence in 1946, he was sworn as the first President of Rwizikuru, as per the constitution of Rwizikuru.

(TBC)

Early life

Samhuri Ngonidzashe was born sometime in 1899 in Vongai to Mutupo Ngonidzashe, and Chivaraidzo Ngonidzashe, as the seventh child, and the second son.

In 1904, he entered the mission school in Vongai, where he was baptized as a High Estmerian, and took the name of Daniel. At the mission school, he was described as having "excellent potential" to be a High Estmerian minister, due to his "quick absorption and application" of the concepts he learned in school. He was seen as being incredibly learned by his teachers.

While Samhuri Ngonidzashe wanted to continue his studies after he finished compulsory education in 1912, his family's poverty prevented him from continuing his studies. Thus, he was forced to work at his family's farm.

His fortunes started to change when in 1916, he made his first trip to Port Fitzhubert to find work. There, he found a job as a servant with a white family, and met Shungudzemwoyo Ngonidzashe there. At his job, he admitted that:

"While the Fulkers [the family Samhuri and Shungudzemwoyo worked for] paid well, and the work itself was not stressful, the attitudes of the family towards us were counter to the values I had held so dearly: they saw us as lower than them because of our skin, while I believed that we are brothers in Sotiras."

In 1918, after receiving news that he was to marry Kugarakunzwana Mbangwa, he quit his job and returned to Vongai, where he married her. With his savings, he was able to find a "better life" in Vongai than that of his parents, with him getting a job as a lay preacher at his old mission school.

However, in 1923, realizing that Gamuchirai would be entering school the following year, he realized that if he stayed in Vongai, his children would not receive an opportunity to better themselves. Thus, he and his wife moved back to Port Fitzhubert, and their home was sold to some white settlers.

With the proceeds of the sale of their home in Vongai, they were able to buy a "well-off" home close to the Euclean core of town, and had enough left over to get Gamuchirai and Izibongo to attend the Charles Fitzhubert School, as well as find a new job as a lay preacher at a nearby church. He soon made contact again with Shungudzemwoyo Nhema, where he discovered that the Fulker's fired him in 1922 after having spoken up against the Fulker's increasing mistreatment of their Bahian servants.

He noted that the conversation with Nhema:

"...caused my blood to boil in pure and unbridled anger. As we recounted our experiences of racism in our adulthood in Port Fitzhubert, compared to the values that we were taught [in school], I realized that there is something wrong, something unnatural with Estmerish rule over this land. I couldn't quite place what, but I knew it had to be there."

Over the next few years, many at his church talked to him about the racism that they have faced by colonial officials and by Eucleans who have come to Riziland, and combined with his experiences in dealing with racism directed at him, he began to feel that Estmerish rule was inherently unjust.

Military service

By the time the Great War begun in earnest in June 1926, despite his beliefs that Estmerish rule over Riziland was unjust, he enlisted in the colonial militia, saying that "it is better for us natives to deal with the devil we know as opposed to gamble with the devil we don't know."

After training, he was deployed in October to Port Graham, where he would live for the next five years. In Port Graham, he was assigned to defend the city from Gaullican attack by both sea and land, as Port Graham was the end of the rail line to Port Fitzhubert. While Port Graham was subject to several bombardments by the Gaullicans during his time in Port Graham, from both sea and air, he never faced a serious attempt by the Gaullicans or their colonial troops in Quigomba to attack Port Graham. By 1928, he had risen to the rank of Sergeant, and by 1930, to that of warrant officer.

By 1931, he had been redeployed from Port Graham to Rusere, where he noted that the conditions there were significantly harsher than in Port Graham. In 1933, he fell seriously ill with malaria, and nearly died from it. However, "divine providence," combined with treatment in Port Fitzhubert helped him recover from the illness, and he returned to service in 1934, although he was reassigned to Port Fitzhubert as a sentry to guard an armoury.

After the end of the Great War in February 1935, he maintained his position as sentry, while the military downsized, with the threat from Gaullica having passed. In March 1936, he was given a honourable discharge, allowing him to leave the colonial militia.

Early political career

With the end of the war, he and Shungudzemwoyo Nhema decided to establish the Rwizikuran National Movement in 1937. They believed that with the end of the Great War, the war had, according to him:

"...thoroughly destroyed the notion that Euclean imperialism can be maintained by the defeat and destruction of the Entente forces. For the victors to continue to maintain their imperial rule over the colonies in Bahia are thoroughly unacceptable, and are a direct insult to all the Bahians who died in the war."

Thus, on 1 May, 1937, the two held a conference in Port Fitzhubert to establish the Rwizikuran National Movement, with sixty people attending, most of whom were those who served alongside Ngonidzashe during the Great War.

Over the next few months, he and Nhema travelled across Rwizikuru to encourage people to join. He notably paid a visit to the recently annexed city of Saint-Germain in August, where he was met with a positive reception by many of the Bahian community, especially by the local veRwizi.

By the start of 1938, the Rwizikuran National Movement had around ten thousand members. At around this time, the colonial authorities began to be concerned about Samhuri Ngonidzashe's and Shungudzemwoyo Nhema's activities, as the authorities deemed them to be a threat to the stability of the colony of Riziland.

(TBC)

Personal life

Samhuri Ngonidzashe married the 18-year old Kugarakunzwana Ngonidzashe in 1918 in a marriage arranged by their parents. According to Samhuri, their marriage was "fruitful and happy," with the marriage lasting until his death in 1961. Kugarakunzwana Ngonidzashe died in 2014 at the age of 113, and never remarried: at the time of her death, she was the oldest person living in Rwizikuru.

Together, they had four sons: Izibongo Ngonidzashe, who was born in 1921 and died in 1979, Ingwe Ngonidzashe, who was born in 1925 and is still living, Fred Ngonidzashe, who was born in 1928, and was executed in 1981 for an attempted coup against the monarchy, and Shungudzemwoyo Ngonidzashe, who was born in 1932.

They also had five daughters: Gamuchirai Mumbengegwi, who was born in 1919, and died in 2015 at the age of 91, Tariro Ngonidzashe, who was born in 1923, and died in 1927 from smallpox, Vimbainashe Ngonidzashe, who was born in 1926, and died in 2016 at the age of 89, and twin sisters Tinotendaisheanesu Chimusasa and Yemurai Kyagumbo, who were born in 1931.

Samhuri Ngonidzashe was a devout High Estmerian, with his noted propensity for plain dress, fasting on Sundays, and was a teetotaler, refusing to drink any alcohol, and his strict adherence to the High Estmerian concept of outward holiness. He was also noted to be a lay preacher, often preaching at churches, even during his tenure as President.

Retrieved from "https://iiwiki.us/mediawiki/index.php?title=User:Luziyca/Sandbox3&oldid=114652"