By Princess Eugene Majuru, Princess of Harare
The world recently watched as a prominent British royal, Prince Andrew, had his titles and military affiliations stripped due to scandal. The act itself—a formal removal of prestige and power—made global headlines. Yet, for Africans, this episode is a mere echo of a monumental historical theft that has gone largely unreckoned with for over a century: the systemic, colonial downgrade of powerful African Kings and Queens into mere “Chiefs.”
The core truth remains: Decolonization is not merely the lowering of a colonial flag; it is the restoration of dignity and sovereignty that was systematically stripped away. Without a profound knowledge of our lost history, and the political will to correct it, true national healing remains impossible.
From King to “Chief”: The Stripping of African Sovereignty
Before the arrival of European powers, Africa was a continent of powerful, sophisticated, and diverse polities. The leaders of these realms—the Obas of Nigeria, the Kabakas of Buganda, the Asantehene of the Ashanti—were not simply local administrators. They were:
Sovereigns and Spiritual Custodians: The link between the living, the ancestors, and the land. Their authority was sacred and non-transferable.
Supreme Judicial and Executive Powers: They held the power of law, war, and diplomacy, restrained by customary checks and balances.
The moment of colonization shattered this reality. The colonizers did not eliminate traditional leaders; they co-opted and crippled them through calculated strategies like “Indirect Rule”:
The Title Degradation: The title of “King” was reserved for the reigning British monarch. African sovereigns were legally reduced to the functionary, demeaning colonial title of “Chief” or “Paramount Chief.” This linguistic shift fundamentally lowered their status in the global hierarchy, making them appear subservient and local, not sovereign and international.
The Loss of Legitimacy: Traditional leaders were forced into the role of civil servants for the colonial state, collecting taxes, enforcing colonial laws, and providing forced labor—actions that destroyed their pre-colonial legitimacy in the eyes of their own people.
The most potent tool in this colonial arsenal was the erasure of the historical narrative. By destroying or suppressing the records of pre-colonial statecraft, the colonizers ensured that subsequent generations would inherit an amputated history, hindering their ability to demand the full restoration of what was lost.
The Case of King Mbari of Harare: A Living Scar
The struggle of the Mbari Kingship in Zimbabwe serves as a crucial, contemporary illustration of this erasure and the ultimate goal of decolonization.
The area now known as Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital, and the surrounding region was historically the territory of the Mbari Clan (Shumba Gurundoro). King Mbari, the supreme ruler before colonization, was the foundational figure after whom the city and the iconic suburb of Mbare are named.
The colonial project’s violence was swift and total:
Stripping of Title: King Mbari was unilaterally stripped of his sovereign title and his successors were referred to as “Paramount Chief,” effectively severing the spiritual and political link to the land’s original monarchy.
Total Displacement: The Mbari Clan was completely displaced from their ancestral land to make way for the establishment of Fort Salisbury (later Salisbury, now Harare) as a segregated administrative and commercial center for white settlers. The very capital of the nation was built atop the political and spiritual heart of an existing kingdom.
Ongoing Injustice: To this day, the Mbari royal family remains displaced and scattered, unable to perform crucial traditional and spiritual ceremonies on their own ancestral soil—the land that is now the modern capital city.
This isn’t just ancient history; it is a live, active injustice. There is currently an urgent and active process underway, driven by the Mbari clan, to have the Harare Kingship fully reinstated. The descendants, including Princess Eugene Majuru, argue that the deep socio-economic and political instability plaguing Zimbabwe cannot be fully resolved without addressing this core cultural and spiritual injustice—the restoration of the land’s original, rightful sovereignty.
The colonial wound here is a double one: land dispossession and the erasure of kingship are inextricably linked. The struggle for the Mbari Kingship is fundamentally a demand for the spiritual re-centering of the nation and the fulfillment of true independence.
The Weapon of History: The Role of Africans in Restoration
The comparison to the royal title-stripping in Britain is illuminating because it shows the absolute power vested in titles and how the systematic use of the same mechanism against Africans was an act of genocide against our governance structures.
The path to completing decolonization lies in recognizing that our current political systems, inherited from colonialism, have failed to correct this historical injustice. The final chapter of freedom must be written by:
The Quest for Documentation: African scholars and activists must relentlessly search for and publish the original constitutional and judicial frameworks of the lost kingdoms, empowering traditional leaders to demand a historically accurate restoration.
The Priority of Oral History: Every Mbari, every Ashanti, every Zulu, must actively preserve the oral histories that detail the full majesty of their lineage before the colonial assault.
The Constitutional Mandate: Traditional institutions, armed with irrefutable historical knowledge, must demand that their full titles (King/Queen) and roles as custodians of culture and land are formally recognized and integrated into the constitutional fabric of modern African states.
To truly decolonize, we must first know what we lost, and then unequivocally demand its restoration. The restoration of King Mbari’s kingship is more than a dynastic issue; it is a profound act of national healing for Zimbabwe, setting a precedent for the entire continent. The power to finish this fight lies in the history we are actively recovering.
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