The Sunday News
Pathisa Nyathi
Peering at and undertaking a journey into the cosmos amounts to undertaking a journey to Great Zimbabwe. Borrowing mental eyes of ancient Africans to gaze at the heavens translates to undertaking an expedition to Great Zimbabwe, a mirror image of the same heavens. This is to say we need to begin with the cosmos before we seek to meaningfully look at Great Zimbabwe which in no more than a reflection of the cosmos as seen through African mental eyes.
Today we focus the spotlight on the cosmos as some sort of chalkboard that provided ideas and knowledge to ancient Africans peering at visual images and writings from which cultural replicas were built and fashioned out. We do this in the full knowledge that Africa has considerably lost out in terms of knowledge of astronomy. This is even more so in urban areas where the cosmic chalkboard is no longer that visible as a result of the blinding effect of cultural stars in urban landscapes.
There was, undoubtedly, time in the past when Africa possessed more knowledge regarding astronomy as cultural activities on the planet were determined, in terms of timing and other considerations, were influenced by movements of celestial bodies. The agricultural season was influenced by the movement of the earth around the sun. The seasons were decided by revolution of the earth. Equally, movement of the moon influenced timing of certain cultural activities, particularly rituals resplendent spirituality. What comes out clearly here is the link between cosmic activities and mirrored cultural activities on earth.
Quite often we know when to commence certain cultural activities and when to end them. Hardly do we link these timings to movements of celestial bodies. Life on earth is very much dependent on what is happening in the cosmos, particularly in terms of rhythmic movements of stellar, solar and lunar bodies. There are more ways in which we may perceive these links, beyond seasonality, diurnal occurrences and lunar cycles to visual and performing arts at the cultural plane. We all know and acknowledge the fact that African dances are rhythmic. Also included here is African architecture and sculpture, the two foremost artistic expressions resident at Great Zimbabwe. Both are visual art forms. Here we see the link between astronomy and Great Zimbabwe’s artistic expressions and representations. Thus before we dissect Great Zimbabwe’s artistic representations and expressions, we need to pin down the sources of art-in heaven.
There are several attributes of the cosmos that were identified by ancient Africans. Remember cosmic phenomena reside on the natural front, so are human beings. They are part of nature, that aspect of nature that is advanced in worldview and thought and creates, at the cultural level, images of what has been gleaned in the cosmos. Humans thus create in the image of the heavens or cosmos. In this regard, they bear godly elements or attributes. God creates, as said in the Bible. So does man.
God creates in his own image and likeness. Equally, man does the same at a lesser level. Being part of nature created by God, humans also create in their own images, the image of God and the image of the cosmos. In every human being there is a bit of God, and a bit of creativity.
The very first thing that is displayed by the cosmos on its chalkboard is the circular design. It seems the entire known universe is built on a circular design. The sun is easy to see its shape when partially covered by clouds and also during sunrise and sunset. During eclipses its shape is discernible. It is a perfect circle. Beyond this, Geography and Astronomy tell us that all cosmic bodies are in constant motion, moving at constant or predictable speeds. Movement, whether around own axis or around a planet or sun, is rhythmic or predictable or periodic. The orbits themselves are elliptical. There are no straight lines, right angles or rectangles. Do we see these as a matter of rule at Great Zimbabwe?
More importantly, is the interpretation and meaning of these rhythmic movements. It is movement of circular bodies along elliptical, read circular orbits. There are times when parts of the circle are presented curvilinear. A curvilinear shape results when an eclipse takes place or a new moon emerges. Beyond what is visible to the naked eye, electrons orbit a nucleus. It seems reality at micro-level is replicated at the macro-level. While this is true at the natural level we glean the same at the cultural level. An African hut is a micro-level replica of the village outline at the macro-level.
A circle has no beginning and no end. In terms of human occupation of the cosmos, the age of the heavens translates to eternity, continuity, endlessness, perpetuity and immortality. This is what ancient Africans perceived as cosmic reality. For them, as biological entities the idea of continuity or endlessness was sought, albeit achieved at the level of sexual reproduction. What this means essentially is that eternity is achieved in more ways than one: through sexual reproduction on the one hand and rebirth and regeneration as captured through movement of celestial bodies on the other. As we shall see the solidity of stones such as those constituting the walls at Great Zimbabwe translate to continuity and eternity as a result of their resistance to weathering processes.
It thus should not be surprising to find a link between sexual reproduction, circularity and solidity. Hopefully there are related elements that reside at Great Zimbabwe at reality level but also at symbolic level. The question is how, at concrete level, are these attributes displayed? In other words how are sexual reproduction, circularity and solidity represented and symbolised at Great Zimbabwe? Would these three attributes individually and severally capture the same theme, and if so, what theme? When we begin to link these ideas, elements, representations and symbolisms resident at Great Zimbabwe to the artistic attributes residing in, and carried by, architecture and visual arts traditions, Great Zimbabwe will begin to make intelligible sense beyond enormity and seemingly confounding stone walls.
A circle and circularity symbolise eternity, endlessness and perpetuity. No one knows when the cosmos was created. It is as if it has always been there. Uvele ekhona, uficwe ekhona, uhlala ekhona! The earliest ancestors saw the sun, the moon and other visible-to-the-naked-eye stellar entities. Since that unknown time, the cosmos has always been around. Humanity has always been around from the time he came into being. It was this observation that led me to coin the adage, “Individuals perish, humanity is forever.” Other that circularity what else did ancient Africans glean from the cosmic chalk board?
Celestial bodies, ancient Africans observed, were characterized by movement. A circle creates some movement in the mental psyche. It may not be that apparent nor obvious to some people. Equally observable was that movement was not haphazard. If anything, observed movement was predictable, seasonal and cyclical. The one word that describes this kind of movement is rhythm. In the absence of rhythm, itself tied to movement, life on earth would be unimaginable. It is seasonality that allows for crop production. Each season has climatic conditions that allow for growth of crops, in terms of availability of natural rain water and adequate warmth. Our growing season starts in October/November each year. Rains fall and temperatures are high enough to allow growth. Imagine if rhythm were lost and, one month into the summer season, winter set in. Crops would die and there would be no food for both humans and their livestock. Rhythm, predictability, seasonality and periodicity are important for continued existence of life on the planet.
Agriculture and other forms of culture are dependent on predictability, periodicity and rhythm. This allows for planning. Imagine the crops that are ripening in the fields and, suddenly, summer sets in. Grain would be destroyed through germination or rotting. These are periodic and predictable happenings at the cosmic or astronomical level that ensure continuity of life on earth. This is where destruction of the ozone layer comes in. Emission of gases with a green house effect temper with the natural cycle, periodicity or rhythm, resulting in the seasons losing their natural rhythm with disastrous consequences on food security and the possibility of submergence of low lying coastal areas when glaciers that hold a lot of water in the form of ice begin to melt following global warming..
Rhythm represents and results in sustainable life. Extended dark nights may result in temperatures going below freezing point to a level which threatens existence of life. Extended exposure to day heat is equally harmful. Temperature extremes pose a threat to life in its multifarious manifestations. Movement mediates between cold and hot temperatures so that extremes are avoided and life is guaranteed and sustained.
So far, what has been gleaned from the cosmic chalk board is the circular design, movement and rhythm. It is easy to see these cosmic characteristics reflected on the cultural planes on earth. As we shall see later, the Great Zimbabwe Monument, created by the created (Africans) will inevitably bear the same attributes gleaned from the cosmic chalkboard. For humankind, getting inspiration from the cosmos comes effortlessly as he is part of the cosmos and is thus naturally endowed with the same cosmic attributes. Where, in the human body, does one find right angles? Have you observed that no human organ or tissue has a rectangular design?
So, after all, we are circular in design. It is easier to see this when you take a look at all apertures, holy and unholy, on a human body. All of them are circular in shape. As a former Biology teacher, I now regret that I did not then see these natural attributes and failed to give due emphasis to them. Well, it is better late than never.
