By Zulumathabo Zulu © 2016

 

Dimakatso Discourse – Part 1

Dimakatso Discourse – Part 2

Dimakatso Discourse – Part 3

Dimakatso Discourse – Part 4

Dimakatso Discourse – Part 5

Dimakatso Discourse – Part 6

Dimakatso Discourse – Part 7

Dimakatso Discourse – Part 8

 

Enter Dimakatso Discourse – Part 6. This conversation is subsequent to Dimakatso briefing The Creator and Nteterwane about the real impact of colonization and enslavement and the direct impact on the evolution of the future. In this case, the Linguistics Engineer Nteterwane is sanctifying Dimakatso and inducting her into the Tosamasiu Planetary System. Dimakatso is then challenged by Nteterwane to provide forensic evidence with regards to the historical experience of her people. Dimakatso must then demonstrate the praxis of scientific support for her discourse. In this discourse, the conversation is mainly between Dimakatso and Nteterwane. The conversation is already in progress.

Dimakatso – Thokoza Makhosi! Tlhatlhamacholo ya kgabane! Haona ya tshwanang le wena (Tlhatlhamacholo; The ethically upright one! There is no one like you!). My ancestral companion Nteterwane. It is a sacred honour to be with you as always. You are transforming me into a better person every time I sojourn with you; thanks to the great creator for bringing us together. Thokoza Makhosi! Your knowledge, experience and skills are the greatest source of inspiration for me. Your superior skills of analysis and your rigour with respect to ontic and epistemic analysis are awe-inspiring. To be an engineer and a linguist is a rare combination that inspires awe. You have greatly inspired and motivated me. You are a venerated design analyst! Thokoza Makhosi!

Nteterwane (tribute) – Thokoza Makhosi! The sentiment is mutual our messenger of Lefatshe. As you venerate me, I equally feel energized by your zealous spirit. Siyabonga ka khulu! The indefatigable Dimakatso! The determined one! The undefeated one! Hitherto, the unconquerable one! Thokoza Makhosi! Just before we engage your presentation, we need to sanctify and pay deserved tribute to you as directed by the great creator. Thokoza Makhosi!

Nteterwane (the invocation) – We invoke the great spirits of the ancestors who have gone before us! Thokoza Makhosi! Arise the ancestors arise, to bless your messenger in our midst! To sanctify your chosen one who chooses humility; to watch over her when she crosses the precipice; to walk besides her when facing the unknown; to reveal yourselves to her at opportune time; to speak to her during uncertainty; to steady her when the going gets tough; to guide her when her path is uncharted; to make her feel like the directed one.

Holeotsa mefofono ya haye hosenola boemo ba sebaka (to sharpen her senses to detect the state of the environment); hohalaletsa ditaolo tsa hotshepa lesisa (to enshrine the principles of trusting the instinct). Holeotsa lelwalaleeka la haye ho hochofa leeka jwale ka selai sa lehadima (to sharpen her signal processing to process the stimulus like a lightening speed). to preserve her memory like oNdlovunkulu! (the great elephants of the ancestors!). Thokosa Makhosi! Hotla lekwa ke ditlou le mathe a teng a lekgala (to be consecrated by the great elephants and their medicinal saliva). Hereafter, the cosmic knowledge to broaden and deepen her understanding of what is expected of her as a messenger of the heavens. She has demonstrated her relentless pursuit of the deep secrets of the cosmos for which she is deserving of this sacred mission. Thokoza Makhosi!

Dimakatsatso ofetohile mong le Lesika la Hoila (Dimakatso has become one with The Ritual of Cleansing)! Thokoza Makhosi! Mobele wa haye oya halaletsa jwale ka Qhobosheyane ya Mankgonthe (Her body is sacrosanct like an impregnable fortress). Mmele o boemong ba hlweko kgafetsa kgafetsa hoba o tshireleseile ka motero o tiileng ka ditaelo le dikano tsa mahodimo. Thokoza Makhosi! (The body is in a consistent state of purity because it is well defended by a solid wall of the rules and covenants of the heavens)! Thope ena haelaelwe ke ditakatso tsa nama hoba e phela ka ditaelo tsa baholo (This undeflowered maiden is not overruled by the desires of the flesh because she adheres to the inviolate instructions of the ancestors). Her unblemished body is like a temple that exchanges the sacred state with the spirits of the heavens.

Thokoza Makhosi! Like the sanctified legend of Ngonyama who served as a Zulu engineer and metallurgist but remained physically and spiritually pure in accordance with the strict instructions of the sacred ore, the indefatigable Dimakatso is the re-embodiment of new heights with respect to Lewa la Ditaola, Makoko le Meralo ya teng (The Strategy of Geomancy, their Clusters and their Designs). In this way, the indefatigable Dimakatso underscores the cosmic resonance between the spirit and the material in fulfilment of the philosophical constructs of ontological coexistentialism. Thokoza Makhosi! The great spirits are able to dwell in her sacred temple whenever they sojourn! Her endless love for the cosmos is recorded on the sacred pages of the ancestors to be forever engraved by a logosyllabric script. Thokoza Makhosi!

Hotheha mehlala ya bohalaledi ba sedimo sechabeng sa haye sebakeng sa Lefatshe (To exemplify the sacredness of ancestral godliness among her people on the planet earth of Lefatshe); hore Tlhatlhamacholo a se swabele moralo wa haye (to ensure that Tlhatlhamacholo does not regret the design of Yena i.e. the creator). Tlhatlhamacholo is forever pleased to have designed a model creation of your calibre; a flawless execution of the designs of the heavens. Your thoughts ignite like the sacred lights of Tosa (Jupiter) and you are forever cherished by the heavens hereafter to be granted the citizenship of Tosamasiu. Thokoza Makhosi!

Dimakatso (reacting to the hallowing) – Thokoza Makhosi! I am greatly humbled by the ceremony of sanctification. Hohalaletswa ke mahodimo ha moya osa kopane le nama ho kgahlisa ho homenahane (To be hallowed by the heavens while the flesh is still in accord with the spirit is most pleasing). Hoboka dikakapa tse kgolo tsa leloko le bao retsamayang le bona jwang kapa jwang dirapeng tse thata hare hahlaula polokwe ya lefatshe (To hallow the great legends of the clan and those with whom we traverse the rough patches of the terrestrial globe no matter what). My ancestral companion! The sacred one! En espanol, quiero decir “Tu eres muy amable para sanctificarme como esta” (In Spanish, I want to say you are too kind to sanctify me like this). I am but a mere mortal. Moreover, I come from a humble background whereby I was never fed with a silver spoon in my mouth because there was no silver spoon. Along with Tlhatlhamacholo, you could have chosen a more worthy vessel to carry your tidings but somehow you settled for a humble and plain vanilla messenger with no frills. I am greatly honoured and highly energized by your confidence in me. To weigh me against the sacred light of Tosa is a tall order but I shall work hard to adhere to those high standards. Thokoza Makhosi!

Dimakatso (pushing back retrospective tears) – This evokes a painful memory when I look back on my humble beginnings i.e. my painful childhood. Honna, honlokolla ditlamong tsa kgale (According to me, this releases me from the restraints of the past). Thokoza Makhosi! I was born like Mochochono (meteorite) with no real roots to speak of. Like algae without any true roots, I became like miraculously grounded as if I had the roots to begin with. As if that was not challening enough, there were no boys at home and I had to milk the cows of my family. Milking cows is usually a boy’s job. I was a father’s girl; a very good thing to give thanks for if you ask me.

I went with the boys to the Motebong school system; the only girl in what is otherwise a boy’s pedagogical tradition. Sometimes, I was an object of jest but I stood my ground like a lioness and earned respect of my peers. In a way, I was like a desert flower that refused to be defined by adversity. Perhaps this explains why I chose the profession of a soldier because I have the heart and the discipline of an indomitable lioness. What you have done for me at this sacred hour is to vindicate my chosen path and validate me as your chosen messenger. To add icing to the cake, you have inducted me as a citizen of Tosamasiu which is the highest principle of that honour. This induction shall forever be a treasure to me; the greatest gift ever bestowed by the heavens on a mere mortal. Siyabonga ka khulu (We are very much grateful)! Thokoza Makhosi!

Nteterwane (thanking Dimakatso and turning attention to a discursive analysis) – Thokoza Makhosi! The honour is ours. We have now established the connection between the heavens and the terrestrial globe through your mission. Thokoza Makhosi! Whoever seeks to commune with us, they now have the option via the indefatigable Dimakatso and now a citizen of Tosamasiu. At an opportune time, we shall go through the induction of that citizenship. Welcome to Tosamasiu! Thokoza Makhosi! Now, we turn our attention to the analysis of your discourse. Thokoza Makhosi!

As mentioned, when you delivered your instructive address, we celebrated the day of the cosmic rain the following day.

As the citizens of Tosamasiu, we are concerned about the state of affairs at Lefatshe. Since the birth of Tosamasiu from Kgubukganare (The Galactic Core), we have had the tradition of Kolobetso (Baptism) by cosmic rain since time immemorial. Tosamasiu sends the cosmic rain to Lefatshe as part of ceremonial cleansing. The cosmic rain reconnects, rejuvenates and impregnates your sacred ceremonies i.e. (The ceremonies of abstinence, cleansing and strategic thinking) in order to empower your people. We uphold their sacred calendar of Phato. The ceremony of Hoila is a powerful ritual because it imparts the cleansing powers by washing away the blemishes of chaos so that the people are rejuvenated and cleansed.

In accordance with cosmic knowledge, we don’t have the concept of evil as is the case with other knowledge systems of Lefatshe. Rather, we talk about Bobe (the absence of symmetrical beauty i.e. the chaos). Chaos is a powerful concept because in order to correct it you require Ditaelo (The sacred rules). The concept of Ditaelo (the sacred rules) harmonizes with Ditaola (the sacred geomancy). This ensures that the knowledge of the sacred star systems, as modelled by Ditaola, restores the symmetrical order so that we are not overruled by a state of disorder. We shall focus our discourse on this knowledge system during the segment of that timeline. At this juncture, we concern ourselves with the cosmic resonance and the ethical sense of higher purpose.

Ceremonial cleansing is extremely important in order for your people to remain unblemished. This is not a one time event but must be performed on a regular basis in order to perpetuate the state of refreshing. It is this state of personal sacredness both within and without the physique that ensures the cosmic resonance. We shall converse more about this important cosmic event when we devote the whole discourse to cosmic knowledge. Suffice it to say that the citizens and the descendants of the sacred cosmos require this godly cleanliness in order to resonate with their purpose of creation.

We are concerned about the explicit instances of moral decay that have befallen your people. Nonetheless, you still have the ceremonies, the rituals and the geomancy to correct this through your medicine people along with the great legends of Rakgadi who remain connected to us. Thokoza Makhosi!

Dimakatso – Thokoza Makhosi! Arise the ancestors arise! The sacred one, we venerate the cosmic efforts that exist to correct the wrongs of Lefatshe. Thokoza Makhosi! The cosmic rain has been venerated by those who have gone before us for thousands of years. However, we have fallen upon the hard times of discontinuity whereby these ceremonies and rituals of cleansing are no longer being observed by everyone.

The creator of Tosamasiu has given the sacred seeds of Mabele to our forbears so that we can sanctify the cosmic harmony and thus sanctify our lives like the gods hereby refreshing our memory about our cosmic genesis. We understand that given the fact that Mabele is the food of the gods, as a people we were meant to live like the gods. The tragic fact is that these sacred seeds have since fallen into the hands of those who desecrate them. It is a cruel fact that we have not reached the stage of redemption whereby we should be turning a corner. We are still trapped and fixated on the trajectory of moral decline. This is like being caught in a black hole. Arise the ancestors arise to give us a searchlight so that we fastrack the turning of the corner.

Going forward, we say strengthen and sharpen our beak like the great Letlaka (bird of prey) so that we can be daring and deliberate in our great struggle for the freedom and advancement of our people. Renew, heal and strengthen our broken wings so that we can soar into the heavens in order to invoke and experience the transcendental powers of transdisciplinary departure. Even our most cherished and sacred ceremony of Mokete wa Lewa (The ceremony of strategic thinking) has become like a lost heritage that needs to be resuscitated. We are eternally grateful to the cosmic rain that restores and renews the Lefatshe Planetary System in spite of the moral degeneration that has befallen us. I shall take these good news to my people of Lefatshe that they still have access to the sacrosanct status as the chosen ones and that they need to arise from their deep sleep and retract themselves from their self-destructing ways. The hour of rebirthing their cosmic resonance is now.

Nteterwane – Thokoza Makhosi! Dimakatso feel free to jump in to fill in while I make remarks about your most moving account of your people. In your rendition, you made a profound statement when you said that those who seek to bring you under subjugation first propose love to you and when you become captivated by their friendship overtures, they brutally backstab you at which point you get trapped in the claws of their entrapment from which you cannot extricate yourself. Can you provide some evidence of this fact from some archival history? We want to understand the ontology of this experience.

Nteterwane (restating) – In other words, what evidence exists to corroborate the fact that some conquerors use friendship as a staging platform to take away the land of your ancestors? Is this kind of experience recorded anywhere in some form of genre?

Dimakatso – Thokosa Makhosi! This fact is attested for in the official diaries of Vasco da Gama, Jan van Riebeck, Christopher Columbus and others. This fact is also attested for in the Star Trek series. Eminent scholars like Dr. Ivan Van Sertima who wrote the book They Came Before Columbus also shed light on this fact. These uncontested sources, among others, confirm that often the conquerors presented themselves as friends when their real intention was to colonize the indigenous peoples of the land and rob them of their natural resources like gold.

As a specific example, when Christopher Columbus meets the natives of the Americas, he records this entry in his journal on Friday October 12, 1492: “I, that we might form great friendship, for I knew that they were a people who could be more easily freed and converted to our holy faith by love than by force, gave to some of them red caps, and glass beads to put round their necks, and many other things of little value, which gave them great pleasure, and made them so much our friends that it was a marvel to see.” The emphasis is mine.

In this journal entry, Christopher Columbus is articulating the colonial strategy of using friendship overtures as means of conquest. In fact this journal entry confirms the use of two things as weapons of conquest namely (1) friendship and (2) religion. So religion is also part of the weapon of conquest. The statement shows that force is still an option but the conqueror would like to use the friendship method as a means of achieving what could otherwise be achieved by force. In fact, in another part of the journal, Christopher Columbus dispatches his men from the ship to go to the village to ask for water. The real purpose of the dispatch is also to find out if there was any gold to be had in the village. In this case, Christopher Columbus ensures that his men are armed as they go to the village. How does then one ask for water while armed to the teeth? Moreover, Christopher Columbus and his men had already determined that the people of the village were peaceful and not armed.

The conquerer then makes another journal entry “… These islands are very green and fertile, the climate very mild. They may contain many things of which I have no knowledge, for I do not wish to stop, in discovering and visiting many islands, to find gold …” The emphasis is mine.

In the episode The First Contact of Star Trek, The Next Generation we are also treated to this strategy of friendship as a means of conquest. Captain Picard of the USS Enterprise proposes a toast to Chancellor Durken of the Malcor planet using these words: “We have a tradition, Chancellor, called a toast… a drink to salute one’s friends and good fortune. I propose a toast to a new friendship.” The emphasis is mine.

Chancellor Durken studies Captain Picard and responds thoughtfully: “You speak the language of diplomacy very well, Captain Picard… it is a language I appreciate and understand… but I have learned to not always trust it…”.

Captain Picard delivers this agile response: ” Trust requires time and experience…”.

Chancellor Durken makes this astute retort: “ My world’s history has recorded that conquerors often arrived with the words, ‘we are your friends.’ “. My emphasis.

These two accounts confirm that the words “We are your friends” were used by colonizers, slave masters and conquerors to prime the unsuspecting natives of the land for a colonial conquest and brutal backstabbing.

Nteterwane (taken aback) – Thokoza Makhosi! I can’t believe that some humans would be so conniving as to use words like “love”, “friends” or “friendship” or “we are your friends” as weapons of conquest. Dimakatso you have given us a scientific account of human experience that has long been suppressed by the conquerors and the propagandists. Today, you have shed an uncontested light so that we understand the methods of conquest even better than before. What you are doing is extremely important so that your people and the new generation acquire intellectual fighting sticks that will make them more adaptable in their great quest for economic justice. Thokoza Makhosi!

Nteterwane – What is the long-term impact of all this?

Dimakatso – The short answer is that the long term-impact of all of this is the point of no return with respect to losing our ability to own and direct our destiny as a people. Things like loss of land; loss of control over economic destiny; overruled and supplanted by foreign occupation; separated and uprooted from our way of life i.e. indigenous institutions of learning; loss of indigenous spirituality; loss or destruction of indigenous therapeutics; destruction of our indigenous architecture; destruction of our indigenous systems of economy; the advent of the migrant labour system that has decimated the family structures and its norms and values; the imposition of historically colonial institutions of learning; and the prevalence of moral decay among the people. These are some of the long-term effects of colonial conquest.

Nteterwane – You then need to reclaim and own the narrative with respect to what has happened to your people. You have demonstrated your intellectual prowess and the true passion in this regard. This gives us the ontological tools for further discursive analysis. Thokoza Makhosi!

Dimakatso – Absolutely! We need to reclaim and own the narrative with regards to our historical experience; no one should speak for us; we can speak for ourselves. Thokoza Makhosi!

Nteterwane – Thokoza Makhosi! We have covered enough ground for the day. I think we need time to digest what you have dished out. Let’s take a recess to continue another time.

Dimakatso – Thokoza Makhosi!

Afterwards:

Dimakatso was pleased with the opportunity to narrate the story of her people. This was like the greatest catharsis she needed. The validation of her role as a messenger of the heavens has provided the greatest boost to her spirits. She was very scholarly when she presented the scientific evidence of the use of friendship overtures as means of conquest. In this way, she has demonstrated the praxis of forensic evidence with regards to the historical experience of her people. Dimakatso returned to Lefatshe to take the much needed rest before resuming her duties as a member of the military academy.

To be continued…