Rain Queen

Every month of October, more precisely, on the 22nd day of that month, a ceremony is conducted among the Lovedu people of South Africa to ensure that rain falls in abundance and that the community is spared the dreadful experience of droughts. The people approach their queen with gifts, dances, and songs, and they organize this elaborate ceremony, known as the Rainmaking Ceremony, to appeal to her benevolence. The [Page 562]ceremony takes place in the royal compound in the village of Khetlahkone.

The Rain Queen, indeed, is believed to have the mystical power to control rain. In a community where agriculture and cattle rearing play a critical role in the sustenance of its members, as it is with the Lovedu people, the importance attached to the falling of rain comes as no surprise. Furthermore, rain, generally speaking, is linked in African life and religion to the fundamental notions of fertility and life transmission. Through her spiritual control of rain, the queen is therefore assumed to have control over the welfare of her society. The Rain Queen of the Lovedu people is therefore much respected and feared. She is seen as the embodiment of the divine and cosmic order on which harmony and balance rest. Although there have been and continue to be many queens in Africa, the Rain Queen of the Lovedu people has the distinction of being both a monarch and a rainmaker.

The Rain Queen is called Modjadji. There are several stories about how Modjadji came into being. According to one account, an old king who lived during the 16th century in the kingdom of Karanga, in what is now southeastern Zimbabwe, following his ancestors' orders, got his daughter, Dzugundini, pregnant to pass on to her the powers to control rain. As a princess, his daughter was called Modjadji, literally “ruler of the day.” Modjadji gave birth to a girl, who eventually succeeded her as queen. In another account, it is Modjadji's brother who would have made her pregnant. Fleeing her father's kingdom out of shame, she setded in Venda with some of her followers.

Although the queen is to have children, she is to live in seclusion and never to marry. When the time of her death nears, the queen must select her successor, usually but not necessarily the oldest of her daughters. She then commits ritual suicide by absorbing poison.

Rain Queen Modjadji II succeeded her mother, Modjadji I, and reigned between the years 1855 and 1894. A mysterious figure, she rarely appeared in public. She had several children, but, following the tradition established by her mother, she never married her children's father. In 1894, she committed ritual suicide after having named Leakkali as her successor. Rain Queen Khetoane Modjadji III reigned until 1959, the year of her death. She was then succeeded by Rain Queen Makoma Modjadji IV, from 1959 to 1980. In 1981, Queen Modjadji IV was followed by Rain Queen Mokope Modjadji V Her reign was characterized by a strict adherence to tradition. For example, she lived in almost total seclusion. Among the three children she bore, she chose Princess Makheala as her successor. Unfortunately, the latter passed away 2 days before her mother. This is how her granddaughter, Makobo, rather than her daughter, became the next Rain Queen in 2003. She became known as Rain Queen Mokope Modjadji V, but her reign was of short duration because it ended in 2005. The circumstances surrounding her death remain unclear. However, what is certain is that Rain Queen Modjadji failed to display the behavior expected from someone of her rank and importance. Fond of “modern” life, her lifestyle did not conform to the traditions established by previous Rain Queens. This might have been the reason for her short reign because many within the Royal Council were quite displeased with her failure to live up to her noble lineage. Her successor is yet to be nominated.

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