The Spirit of Africa - King Vuvu

I have been asked to bring a little light into the realm of the vuvuzela.

Now, you may never have heard the word vuvuzela before BUT, if you are to attend any of the FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup games, you will certainly hear King Vuvu's reason of understanding. Hated by the German Football Federation, despised by the Spanish and yet loved by the entire African continent, this simple and yet effective ( very African this ) three foot hand held trumpet will bring Disprin an all time high stream of revenue. However, I digress, my charge is to bring you the history behind the realisation of King Vuvu.....

Picture if you will a typical African kingdom back in the sixteenth century. Devoid of insidious mobile phones, coca cola signs and politicians, this community lived in relative peace and harmony. Their monarch and absolute ruler was the inimitable King Vuvu. Solid of girth, weak of mind and fully aware of his short comings of his stature decided to entrench his rule by any means possible. Now, as an early day leader in Africa, it all boiled down to your size. King V lacked to such a degree in this aspect that even his Council sought to find a way to elevate this stature.

During King V's first quadrant of rule ( fifteen years )his focus on his vertical growth was sometimes farcical. Tethers were attached to his arms and legs and for hours a day he would berate his people to stretch him, all to no avail. During his second quadrant, he met a traveler from north Africa. Oh my, was he tall, I am talking seriously tall, well over two meters. The King was fascinated and yet daunted to meet this traveler. In the Kings mind he knew that here was the answer to his quest for vertical growth.

He welcomed the traveler to tarry a while in his kingdom, enjoy his hospitality and that of his people. The traveler looked around at the abundant food & water, the very short King and his people and agreed to stay a while, but only a short while. King Vu then ordered that a feast be prepared for their mobile guest and no expense was to be spared ( he had a Platinum Amex card so who cares ). What a bash ! They killed the fatted calf, slaughtered the fatted cow and made merry with the chicken chow mien. Fun was had by all, well except the chosen sacrifice but hey, what a way to go. In the early hours of the following morning King V and his guest were way gone on mbanje and chikubu ( you do not need to know ) and the King asked " My friend, you are our guest of honour and we are very very proud to be your hosts. There is just one question I would be honoured if you would answer for me though " The traveler looked down on the King and in a quiet voice said " Anything Nkosi, you only have to ask ".

King Vuvu was suddenly gripped by fear, an inexplicable fear for he was King and feared no one. " I see that the Spirit has blessed you with a tall frame my friend " came out in a small voice. Silence fell and both King Vu & his guest fell into a troubled sleep. Now as you will appreciate, I was not there to prove all of this but in traditional African story telling I do know that during this troubled sleep that King V & the traveler met up. As in a dream, was it real or not ? King V, his people and the traveler all together on a vast African plain. King V was well over two meters tall, the traveler a little smaller and holding in his hand a trumpet made from the skin of animals. The King turned to the traveler and said " My friend, what is that you are holding in your hand ". " This Nkosi is the Spirit of Africa and when used calls to the Spirits of our forefathers to come to our aid in times of war or BP spills in the Gulf ". Sjoe, he was a sidekick then....

" When we are together as Africans in our thousands and thousand, we take this and together we summons the Spirit to our side, to our aid, to help defeat our foe. It is the very essence of African Spirit, true, loud and knowing our place in this land ". The King smiled, then laughed, then he reached out and took this instrument and in one swift movement understood, it is not the stature of the man that makes him, no Nkosi, it is his love of Africa, her land, her people and living life the African way.

As the sun rose over the western horizon King V awoke with a serious babalas but soon chased her away and from that moment onward lived his life in the firm knowledge that the African Spirit was alive and within him. He did change his name to King Vuvuzela but I have absolutely no idea why....

In defense of the tsunami of vitriol against our Spirit of Africa.

Ciao

Colin J. FRYER.