In the footsteps of Charles Swan:
Friendship in an unlikely place
The story of Charles Swan begins in Great Britain, in the town of Sunderland and takes shape in Africa, where Swan would spend many years. A missionary and devout member of a church known as Plymouth Brethren, a congregation opposed to centralized leadership and bent on evangelism. While in Europe, Charles Swan became very interested in the work that a fellow Brethren missionary named Frederick Stanley Arnot was doing in Central Africa in a region known as Katanga. F.S. Arnot, like many Europeans of his time, had come to Katanga to do missionary work, but to also visit Bunkeya, the capital of Garanganze, M’siri’s kingdom. From 1884 to 1893, no fewer than ten expeditions were dispatched to Bunkeya by european leaders to win M’siri’s capitulation and take over the mineral-rich lands he controlled.
However, not all Europeans were keen on seeing M’siri’s demise. One such rare European was F.S. Arnot, whom M’siri trusted and allowed in 1886 to build a church called Garenganze, named after M’siri’s empire. It is said that M’siri consulted his soothsayers who confirmed Arnot’s trustworthiness. M’siri would extend this trust to Charles Albert Swan who came to relieve F.S. Arnot in december of 1887.
Charles Swan and Faulkner would take over the arduous work that F.S. Arnot had started in Bunkeya. In a strange twist, the monarch needed them for their knowledge of the outside world and european modus operandi, especially with the increasing number of european expeditions that were coming to his capital. Conversely, Arnot and Swan, felt imbued by divine inspiration to evangelize an african people.
Very quickly, M’siri and Charles Swan would strike up a friendship and trust that would last for years. Others have reported that Swan was held against his will in Bunkeya. We may never know with certainty. What we do know is that Charles Swan was consulted by M’siri on many occasions. Neither political or colonialists, and against all kinds of exploitation, by M’siri or the europeans, the Plymouth Brethren missionaries thwarted more than one attempt by the europeans to exploit M’siri. In one instance, emissaries of Cecil Rhodes, the renowned British explorer who vowed to dominate the whole of Africa for the british empire were dumbfounded to discover that Charles Swan had translated an agreement they had drafted arbitrarily. With the help of his friend ‘Swana’, M’siri had been warned of the European scheme, and he subsequently refused to sign the document. This is one of the reasons M’siri could not part with Charles Swan.
While Charles Swan was in Bunkeya, he witnessed M’siri’s generosity and acts of magnanimity. But he also saw M’siri’s harsh methods of punishment, which included capital or corporal punishment . These sentences may have been foreign to a missionary, but not to european explorers, who meted out the same sort of punishment on the africans.
M’siri’s trust grew so much that he trusted him with his own life. Occasionally, he would ask his friend ‘Swana’ to cut his hair with scissors. Being a monarch whose land was the envy of many europeans and africans, I am sure the thought that Swana could use the same scissors to end his life crossed his mind. But the trust he had for Charles Swan was too great to interfere with his passing fears.
Like many Yeke, I vaguely knew the story of Charles Swan and of his friendship with M’siri. Songs of yesteryear mentioned ‘Swana’ and the people had a lot of affinity for this missionary whom their ancestor befriended a long time ago. Well, on september 3, 2011, I received an email from someone named Graeme Swan. The name Swan made me sit up in my chair and pay attention. I opened the email that would end my distant and vague knowledge of Charles Swan. In his internet research, Graeme Swan, grandson of Charles Swan, had found me, the great-grandson of M’siri. This was the most improbable email. Graeme wrote: «I am the grandson of the late (missionary) Charles Albert Swan. Charles had ( I believe) a very good rapport with Chief Msidi as I know that we still have the scissors with which he used to cut the chief’s hair. My father reported to me that the Chief would only allow Charles near his head with a blade as he feared for his life otherwise.» With those words, I knew this was not a hoax.
In our ensuing correspondence and Skype conversations, Graeme mentioned his interest in traveling to the Congo and presenting to the Kingdom, the scissors his grandfather used to cut M’siri’s hair. True to his word, on July 7, 2012, Greame Swan arrived in Bunkeya, in the footsteps of his grandfather. Taking part in a ceremony that coincided with the Mwami’s 14th year in power, Graeme was introduced to the royal court and villagers. In a simple, yet poignant rekindling of the undying friendship, Graeme presented the scissors and addressed the assembly. The loop was henceforth closed.
In his journal, Graeme Swan wrote: «The Congo…I have been delaying this account as it is, first of all, difficult to digest and secondly, it is the matter of attempting to recount details that might interest a few. Background…I had decided to visit Bunkeya after many years of pursuing the historical record of my grandfather Charles Albert Swan. Originally, many years ago, I had debated the option of walking from Benguella Angola to the interior of DRC, following Charles’ footsteps but abandoned the idea as pipe-dream due to my inexperience, the violence and the lack of clear mapping. Just this past year, doing more research, I discovered the Prince Of Katanga (province where Bunkeya resides) living in Riverside California (yes truly!) I related to him that my family (my sister Beverly) still possessed the scissors from 1890 with which Charles used to cut Msidi’s hair. Msidi was a famous chief who took over a larger portion of Eastern DRC after moving from Tanzania. Charles was the only one allowed near his throat or head as he was justifiably concerned about his numerous warlords who would have embraced the opportunity to inherit?? the kingdom. Charles was one of the first 3 missionaries to work in this area of Africa. I was told by Prince Patrick, of California, that they still sung songs about Charles and his relationship with Msidi in the capital Bunkeya. I decided at this point, that I must go and deliver the scissors back to a people who so revered my grandfather and for whom the scissors were a very important symbol of trust and respect. I did not know what lay ahead but was tentatively eager to embrace the journey. I also decided that I would not drag my family into this personal and perhaps dangerous dream as the drama of the unforeseen far outweighed my desire to share the unfolding adventure.
I arrived at Lubumbashi airport to what could be described as some form (indeterminable) of organized chaos. Each bag was unloaded through a small hatch and the name of the person was called out and a porter who had grabbed my luggage slip waved indicating he had the correct slip. I was met by a representative of the King (Mwami) of Bunkeya. It was a 200 plus km ride through the most desolate land I had ever seen. The people were living in dry dusty impoverished villages with only charcoal being the main commodity of sale. On the way to Bunkeya ( a large village of 25000) I did not see a single cow or narry a goat or sheep. Kenya seemed like a farming paradise in retrospect.
Throughout my time I was treated very well and I quickly realized that it was very much an honour as any who even spoke to Mwami (king) approached and knelt at his side. This was not required of me and I even had the lone seat beside him for a ceremonial meal commemorating his inauguration as King. I was announced as his guest in front of a few thousand people and had the great opportunity to hand over the scissors publicly. I was able to speak of the trust and respect that need to characterize relationships between all peoples from diverse cultures.
This however, was not the highlight. The most wonderful time occurred in absolute quiet as I sat on the ruined steps of my granfather’s home. Eunice Rhoades, a missionary of 40 years in Bunkeya, drove me to the site set on a small hill about 6 km’s from the village. The three small rooms outlined in stone lay in a remote area where only a few Christian villagers still knew it’s spiritual, emotional, and historical significance. But I now know…I saw the aloe lined path whose botanical ancestors were planted by Charles and the others who shared this simple home. I could feel the weight of his responsibility working with a ruthless chief who would call him at a whim with his talking drum from across the valley. I felt the hardship of having to walk 7 km’s for water carried in wooden containers. I could feel the angst of being separated from friends and family. Now I know.»
The story of Charles Swan’s friendship with M’siri is unique. Though ancient, it is kept alive by the elders in Bunkeya and now even the youth. They remember this european missionary, whose sole purpose was to evangelize and not to exploit or plunder. In those days, this character trait and disposition must have been welcome. Charles Swan came from a far way land only with a map, a few belongings and a caricature of the monarch he was to find in Katanga. Instead of bringing the predisposition and prejudices that many europeans were bringing to Africa, Charles Swan proved to be different, at the very least, in his interaction with M’siri.
For the Bayeke people, values such as honor, trust, respect and loyalty are at the core of our cultural beliefs. As a people, we will continue to honor the memory of Charles Swan and the friendship that existed between him and our beloved ancestor M’siri.
In echoing our Mwami Wihala Mwenda Bantu Kaneranera, we thank Graeme Swan for visiting Bunkeya and bringing us a piece of history that would have fallen into oblivion had it not been for his willingness to return into the footsteps of his grandfather, Charles Albert Swan.
As a testament to Honor, Trust, Respect, Loyalty, and Friendship.