Makanna, Or, The Land of the Savage: Makhanda ka Nxele in English Literature

Makhanda ka Nxele has finally received official recognition by the South African government as a national hero. While recent historical research has made great contributions to our knowledge of Makhanda as an historical figure, surprisingly little attention has been paid, except in the case of Thomas Pringle’s poem ‘Makanna’s Gathering,’ to other representations of the man in English literature. This article attempts to fill this gap by comparing four substantial texts on Makanna, starting with Pringle’s poem, and followed by an anonymous novel of 1834, Makanna, Or, The Land of the Savage, Bronze Napoleon, a novel by M. Norbert Morgan (1940), and a slightly later poem by John Cargill Rae, ‘Makanna and The Battle of Grahamstown.’ Makhanda has been depicted in the historical record in a range of guises, from that of a heroic freedom fighter to a very demon. Whether he is praised or vilified, it is hard to deny that Makhanda is a man who emerged from a complex contact zone and used his knowledge of both European and amaXhosa culture to unite the majority of his own people and make a substantial mark on history. This article will investigate how the four authors have situated the character ‘Makanna’ within this dynamic, and then question how literary depictions of Makhanda might function in either negative or positive ways.