Mazisi Kunene’s Anthem of the Decades: A Zulu Epic Dedicated to the Women of Africa exemplifies several of the qualities that have made Kunene one of the most significant among South African poets—and, indeed, among African poets—of the 20th century.
As with all Kunene’s work, Anthem of the Decades is grounded in Zulu cosmology, or philosophical and religious beliefs. Like another of his most famous works, Emperor Shaka the Great, Anthem is an epic poem and, at approximately 12,000 lines, a gargantuan work.
This sense of massive scope extends to the subject matter as well, which is the creation of human beings by the gods and the ensuing debate about their proper role in the universe. Since understanding the story depends on a certain degree of familiarity with basic concepts from Zulu cosmology, Kunene explains these briefly in the introduction. The poem comprises three parts, each of which contains five books.
In the first part, “Age of the Gods,” the two gods Sodume and Somazwi debate the merits of creating the new species of human beings. Sodume rejoices at the idea of new creation, while Somazwi argues that humans will be continually unhappy because of the difficulty of life on Earth. Both are reasonable positions, but Nomkhubulwane, the Princess of Heaven and daughter of the divine Creator, Mvelinqangi, ultimately sides with Sodume, and the gods set about creating humans.
Mazisi Kunene
The newly created humans impress the gods by taming wild dogs, and the gods send a chameleon as messenger to let humans know that they will live eternally.
In part two, “Age of Fantasy,” the chameleon is led astray by Somazwi’s wife, Nofuka, who wants humans to be destroyed. The gods then send a salamander, who reaches the humans. The humans, nevertheless, embrace death, displeasing the gods. Lost in the realm of individual fantasy, humans fail to act in their community’s best interests. Finally, after a brutal war between humans who side with the chameleon (or forces of creation) and those who side with the salamander (or forces of destruction), both sides surrender, and balance between the two forces is restored.
In part three, “Age of the Ancestors,” the spirits of humans who have died begin to play a more active role in the lives of human beings, meeting with the gods on their behalf and conveying knowledge and a sense of continuity to the human race. The ancestors and the gods join together to protect the Sun, which is necessary for human life, from Nofuka, who still seeks to destroy humanity. After an epic battle, Nofuka is finally defeated, and the continued life of humans is ensured.
The poem demonstrates that a balance among different views reached through community consensus is crucial for humanity’s survival. Because, as Sodume says,
“True wisdom is only of a woman /
She alone holds the balance between opposites /
She nourishes the forces that bind day and night together,”
it is fitting that Kunene dedicates the poem to the women of Africa.
Bibliography
Kunene, Mazisi. Anthem of the Decades: A Zulu Epic Dedicated to the Women of Africa. London: Heinemann, 1981.