February 3605
Chief Mlungisi preparing for his enthronement
Following continued international controversy over the new republican regime in Aldegar, Chief Mlungisi has been crowned as "Shah of Aldegar" at an elaborate ceremony in Isizinda, the Ibutho capital. All members of the Indaba and the Iphalamende, as well as all 10 tribal headmen were present - on pain of death, of course. So too were a number of foreign dignitaries, although it remains to be seen whether Mlungisi's claim to the Aldegarian throne will be recognised either by the Aldegarians themselves or by the international community.
Mlungisi Shabangu, Shah of Aldegar
After swearing his coronation oaths, the new Shah made a short speech condemning the Aldegarian government as "godlessly immoral traitors" and calling on his Aldegarian subjects to pour out onto the streets in his support. He also appealed to the governments of Terra to recognise him as Aldegar's rightful Shah.
Late night fire dances
The coronation itself and the festivities afterwards were rich in Yazdean ritual and symbolism. Chief Mlungisi, like many Ibutho, admires the Yazdean religion, and incorporates many of its elements - especially the reverence for fire - into his native Inkolo belief system.
The fire rituals continued all through the night and into the morning, apparently in the belief that the fire gods have fallen asleep and need to be "woken up" before they can deal with the problems in Aldegar.
Few in Ibutho are brave enough to publicly criticise or mock the Chief, but privately, many believe his grand coronation display was just that - a display. One member of the Indaba, who wishes to be anonymous, told us:
This event makes Mlungisi look and feel very important, but the reality is he is nearly powerless. We all know his mother is running the country and is Chief in all but name at the moment.
Another member of the Indaba, who also wanted to remain anonymous, was more acerbic:
This whole thing was a massive embarrassment. If our country really stretched its resources, it might just about manage to build a ship capable of travelling from Ibutho to Aldegar without sinking. But that's as far as we should set our ambitions. We can't seriously expect to overthrow Aldegar's leaders and run their country for them. I mean, that's ridiculous!
