The First Chimurenga: 1896-1897 Uprising in Matabeleland and Mashonaland and the Continued Conflicts in Academia

In this article, it will be argued that the First Chimurenga, or uprising in Southern Rhodesia was a complex set of struggles over land, cattle, and taxes rather than a planned, unified movement intended to overthrow the whites; neither the Africans nor the British were unified. It will evaluate historiography available on the subject, analyzing various weaknesses in scholarship due to the inherent lack of primary source material available from indigenous perspectives. In order to explore largely ignored aspects of African resistance to colonialism which was important in shaping later twentieth century African liberation movements, this article focuses upon African societies, not the British settlers, nor Cecil Rhodes who was not in Southern Rhodesia at the time of the revolts. The First Chimurenga was a compelling demonstration of early African resistance movements. However, the historiography for the First Chimurenga is incomplete, and in this paper I aim to discuss and analyze flaws and gaps in this historiography. In some cases this paper reflects those gaps and contradictions, as some elements of Shona and Ndebele religious practices and culture remain unknown. Scholars ’ perceptions provide a valuable source for analysis as they ca