If you have ever watched the movie Black Panther, you will know of the story of Wakanda. In the movie, Wakanda is a civilized monarchical society that remains secluded from the rest of the world. In many ways, the Kingdom of Mapungubwe is very similar.
Found in 1075, the Kingdom is believed to be the first monarchy in Southern Africa. That monarchical system set a path for the monarchies that we see today in Southern Africa and every monarchy that we have seen in Southern Africa since then. The hierarchy of Mapungubwe was one of the most civilized and complex hierarchies at the time. The leaders lived on a hill which no one was allowed to visit. By the time the hill was rediscovered in the 1930s, people still believed that it held sacred powers and that even look at it would cause them to go blind or even lose their lives.
The story of how the hill was found is an interesting one. Officially, the rediscovery of this site is credited to ESJ van Graan, but there is more to it. Van Graan visited a man named Mokoena near the site and found him drinking out of a cup made of gold. He began to pester him about where the golden cup came from but he would not budge. Van Graan even tried to bribe Mokoena but it was to no avail. However, the Mokoena’s son heard about it and he took the bribe. He guided Van Graan towards the hill but he too would not look directly at it. It is believed that he simply pointed towards it with his back facing it. He still did not want to disrespect his ancestors.
The people of Mapungubwe were also believed to be extremely civilized for their time. It is said that they traded gold and ivory with the likes of China, India, Persia, etc. The King and Queen of Mapungubwe were buried in massive clay pots on the hills were they lived with hundreds of gold and glass beads and artefacts. Their mere existence did not play into the ideology that black people are primitive and inferior. This was the case so much that after the University of Pretoria excavated the hill in 1932, their findings were kept secret. They did not want the people of South Africa to view black people in any way other than inferior. The findings were only revealed in 1994 after apartheid.
Today the history of Mapungubwe is taught in primary schools in South Africa and it is also recognized as a world heritage site by UNESCO. Rightfully so, as it is a piece of history that every African should know.
Shaping Africa 