Makanna Unveiled The Life and Times of Nxele The Traitor Who Betrayed The Xhosas

The legend of the so-called prophet-chief Makanna (Nxele) is a cornerstone of South African colonial discourse, yet it masks a profound historical injustice. This book tears down the celebrated myth to reveal the heart-wrenching story of Chief Mdushani, a forgotten Xhosa hero whose legacy was destroyed when his colonial resistance leadership, military genius, and accomplishments were deliberately miscredited to Makanna.

Discover how a British poet and press-freedom activist, Thomas Pringle, single-handedly created the legend of Makanna to fuel his personal vendetta against the Cape colonial government over free speech, and how the legend was later used by early Christian converts (ama-Gqoboka) to discredit Xhosa nationalism during their bitter war against ama-Qaba (Xhosa nationalists).

Makanna Unveiled not only sheds light on this forgotten son of Africa, Mdushani, but it also restores the dignity of the Xhosa people, which the legend of Makanna undermines, and exposes how the missionary press was used to reshape indigenous collective memory.

This is not just history?it's a reclamation of a hero and a nation's dignity.