Ugandans, Tanzanians, and Rwandese were under a similar Queen by the name Nyabinghi. Some people referred to her as Muhumuzi, the peacemaker. In the Runyankole kingdom in Uganda, she was called Nyabinghi, the abundance.
Her fighting skills involved the use of water, air, and fire when chasing away the colonialists. Her name, Nyabinghi, was of Jamaican origin. She had fighting skills and led her troops through a difficult moment. However, the courageous value made the neighboring community fear her territory. So she started using the advantage to expand the territory.
When was Nyabinghi born?
No archeologist knows exactly her birthdate. But according to anthropologist Jim Freedman, the Nyabinghi movement took place between 1750-1800. Unfortunately, Jim Freedman, the researcher, only got information about Nyabinghi being a leader and not a growing child. Although some anthropologists have tried to research, there is no evidence showing her clear parents or birthdate.
What about her Religion?
The spirit of the lady in Rwanda commenced its journey in 1800. She was known to be formidable. Almost all the religious practices took place after receiving a touch from Nyabinghi’s spirit. Before elders could offer sacrifices, they discussed with her spirit first. She was a medium of communication between the community members and God.
The traditional believers trusted Nyabinghi. They offered a lot to entice her during holy days. Her ghost could transform their problems and pray to the Almighty for help. Her spirit descended anytime the people offered sacrifices.
The Queen had helpers who did not pose any of her spirits. Before any communication, the men acted as intermediaries. There were also different activities that a person needed no medium but to interact directly with the Queen. Norway, the northern part of Uganda, and northern Rwanda were the main regions where religion was respected.
Who was Muhumusa?
Muhumusa was a famous Nyabinghi medium in the 19th-20th century. Muhumusa claimed that he was the mother of Rwandan thrown. She wanted to overrule the region alone. She was very strong, fighting the anticolonial activities.
The lady went ahead to defy the European colonial powers. In 1913, Nyabinghi was under arrest for afflicting women. She claimed some belongings across East Africa. It took few months before she was set free. Research shows that the Nyabinghi bloodline settled in Zimbabwe.
Influence on Rastafarians
Federico Philo’s article about the Nyabinghi spread to the Jamaicans. The writer published his articles in 1935 in Jamaica. Nyabinghi had a club known as ‘Nya-Binghi,’ which meant ‘Death to all White Farmers.’ She took the campaign even to South Africa. Those periods were referred to as the Jamaican times.
Federico goes ahead to claim that the leader of the order was emperor Haile Selassie. He got the mandate to lead the revolution in 1930 at a secret congregation in Moscow. The man led his army to war, where they killed four Italians, and they were never colonized. He had one of the strongest armies in the world. He then started the evolution to help other Africans gain self-independence.
But some report indicates that the anthropologist, Philo was spreading propaganda. He wanted the colonialists to crush the resistance among the African countries.
Nyabinghi’s essay is prominent also in Italy as Federico launched the article in 1934. It went viral and made him a famous writer. People were overwhelmed reading about the Nyabinghi’s culture.
There was a religion that praised Haile Selassie. It started in the 1930s. The influential spirit came from Philo’s essay. The name ‘Nyabinghi’ turned to be a designation where Rastafarian could hold their secrete gatherings. They connected Haile Selassie with the biblical verse in Isaiah, where a new black King is born. They prayed through him and consulted for some religious and spiritual matters.
The term Nyabinghi led to the revolution of the Rastafarian in the 1930s. The Jamaican Rasta drummers developed ritual music called Nyabinghi drumming. Religions like the Kumin and Revival employed the Burru drumming style, influenced by Afro-Jamaicans. The group members felt good where their ruler transformed his leadership to his son, a Rastafarian. They knew the Rastafarian Kingdom would never fail; hence the term ‘Rastafarians never dies.’ Until now, the Rastafarian community is still in Jamaica. However, they perform their rituals differently and maintain their loyalty to Haile Selassie.
At one point, Nyabinghi was referred to a house where the Rastafarians could sit and have their cool discussions. It was like a holy place for the Afro-Jamaican community, where they believed their spirit could hear them.
Queen Nyabinghi also kept long Rasta. She followed the ways of Rastafarians to act as role models. Nyabinghi embraced who kept Rastas to show how powerful they were. People in her kingdom respected her decisions. No women were oppressed in the three regions. She had much influence on women.
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