Moshweshewe might be considered as one of the most significant leaders in the history of South Africa of the 19th century. He mixed offensive military actions against rivals and smart diplomatic performance regarding colonial intrusions (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2020). Moshweshewe founded a remarkable African country during the invasions of Boers and the British. He was a chief of the Sotho – people who were living in the eastern part of South Africa. During Moshweshewe’s governance, the Sotho were constantly conflicting with Boers. Using his diplomacy skills, Moshweshewe intended to get help from the British to overcome the Boers’ expansion.
The letter provided for the discussion was written in 1858 by Moshweshewe to Sir George – High Commissioner of the Cape Colony – to gain British mediation and support to dissolve the territorial contradictions with Boers (“Letters from Moshoeshoe,” n.d.). This piece of writing is an essential historical document that reflects the colonial world order of the 19th century. Thus, in order to understand the historical process of Africa of the mentioned period, Moshweshewe’s letter might be a relevant topic to discuss.
Moshweshewe demonstrates his high-quality skills of a communicator from the very beginning of the appeal to Sir George, “It may scarcely appear necessary to lay before Your Excellency” (“Modern History Sourcebook,” n.d.). Such an approach shows the state of the art of relationships between metropole and colony in the 19th century. It might seem that the British were expressing a high level of dominance to which the Africans tend to follow strictly.
Nevertheless, the colonists protected Sotho at times, which resulted in the dedication and trust of the latter to the British. Hence, Moshweshewe considered the letter as the opportunity to prevent war with Boers and avoid numerous deaths of people. Right in the first passage, he emphasizes the horrors of the war and asks Sir George to provide his mediation. In the second paragraph, Moshweshewe expresses the deep respect to the English Government and contrasts it with Boers, who were aggressive and hostile (“Modern History Sourcebook,” n.d.). It might be supposed that he implements a flattery trick here to get Sir George’s favor in the purpose of peace and fair borders being established.
Moshweshewe does his best to depict that the Boers’ policy against the Basutos is unfair and vile. He claims, “the Boers went further and further … in troubling the Basutos and threatening war” (“Modern History Sourcebook,” n.d.). Moshweshewe also states that he undertook many actions to avert war even when it was not of his and his people’s interests. He depicts the vast extent of oppression that the Basutos were facing due to the Boers’ aggression in a masterpiece, balancing between dignity and vulnerability of his nation.
Furthermore, in depicting the deceit of the Boers, Moshweshewe said that they were attacking his people who were not even supposed to be attacked. Here, he invokes the plea of Christianity to make an emphasis on the fact that the Basutos’ victims were counting on it (“Modern History Sourcebook,” n.d.). They believed that the white people who, in theory, had to be Christians would not kill innocent people or kill at all; at least, the Basutos thought that the Boers would hunt only thieves. It might be supposed that Moshweshewe was quite successful in presenting his nation as the one being constrained and the Boers as the ones being cruel and evil.
To sum everything up, Moshweshewe was a noticeable leader who, using his strong diplomatic skills, tried to avert the war with the Boers peacefully. He wrote a letter to Sir George in which he asked him to mediate the conflict. This letter contributes to the understanding of the world order in the 19th century, as well as depicts the historical events in Africa of the period. The one getting acquainted with this Moshweshewe’s appeal might get a comprehension about the cruelness of the Boers, their territorial conflict with the Basutos, and the extent to which the latter were oppressed.
References
Letters from Moshoeshoe. (n.d.). Web.
Modern History Sourcebook: Moshweshewe: Letter to Sir George Grey, 1858 [The establishment of Basutoland]. (n.d.) Web.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2020). Moshoeshoe. Web.