The Power stone
A History of the Kwanyama Kingdom
by Andrew BOTELLE & Kelly KOWALSKI
Mamokobo Video & Research, Namibia, 1999
Duration 53 min
Language: English, Oshikwanyama with English subtitles
This true story follows the journey of a sacred stone belonging to the Kwanyama people (Northern Namibia -Southern Angola). Passed down from generation to generation, this sacred power stone has remained at the center of the Kwanyama Kingdom, until its disappearance after the murder of the last Kwanyama king, Mandume, in 1917. More than the incredible journey of the power stone, this documentary shows the story of an African Kingdom told by Kwanyma storytellers, musicians, poets and artist.
Part One: “When We Were Kings” traces the stone’s migration through precolonial Africa and witnesses the rise and fall of the Kwanyama kingdom.
Part Two: “Africa Gets Light and Security” examines the effects of colonialism on the kingdom and follows the stone’s secret journey to Europe during the war against Apartheid until its return home after Namibia’s independence in 1990.
