Sekuru Kaguvi

Sekuru Kaguvi[1] (Kagubi,[2] Kakubi), was a svikiro (medium), a nationalist leader in pre-colonial Zimbabwe, and a leader in the Shona rebellion of 1896-1897 against European rule, known as the First Chimurenga. The soubriquet "Kaguvi" was given to him because he was said to speak for the traditional Shona spirit Mwari. When the rebellion collapsed, he was charged with the murder of an African policeman called 'Charlie', whom he had accused of collaborating with the colonial authorities.[3] Kaguvi was found guilty and hanged in 1898.

Nehanda Nyakasikana (left) and Sekuru Kaguvi (right), after their 1897 capture

Some Ndebele historians say that the form "Kaguvi" is a bastardization of his name by Europeans, and that his real name was "Kakubi Ncube". They also claim that together with Nehenda, he ensured that the Shona would rise up at the same time as the Ndebele people in the First Chimurenga.

The name "Kaguvi" was also given to a man called Gumboreshumba (c1870-1898), who claimed to speak for the original Kaguvi's spirit. Gumboreshumba was one of the many people who claimed to be mediums of famous First Chimurenga personae during the so-called Second Chimurenga. Gumboreshumba (meaning: "lion's paw"), lived in Chikwaka's village by Goromonzi Hill, Zimbabwe. He had four wives, one of whom was Chief Mashonganyika's daughter. The other three wives were received from a headman named Gondo. It is alleged that Gumboreshumba Kaguvi was known as a source of good luck in hunting and that he was able to speak to trees and rocks. He was believed to be the spirit husband of the other great Shona svikiro, Nehanda.

Notes
  1. "The Trial of Mbuya Nehanda and other Chimurenga Revolutionaries". Zimbabwe News. 13 (1). 1982. p. 14. as cited in Lyons, Tanya (2004). Guns and Guerilla Girls: Women in the Zimbabwean National Liberation Struggle. Trenton, New Jersey: Africa World Press. p. 81. ISBN 978-1-59221-167-8.
  2. The form Kagubi has a "b" being substituted for the "v", due to differences in pronunciation between Shona language and other Bantu languages.
  3. Charumbira, Ruramisai (2008). "Nehanda and Gender Victimhood in the Central Mashonaland 1896-97 Rebellions: Revisitingthe Evidence". History in Africa. 35: 101–131 (p. 120). JSTOR 25483719.

Sources
  • Rasmussen, R.K., and Rubert, S.C., 1990. Historical Dictionary of Zimbabwe, Scarecrow Press.
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