Balobedu Rain Queen. Modjadji VI was the rain queen of South Africa's Balobedu people; the tribe is one of the few in Africa to have a leader chosen from a female line of succession. Makobo Modjadji was the sixth in a line of Balobedu rain queens and was crowned in 2003 at age 25 after the death of her predecessor and grandmother, Mokope Modjadji. Modjadji VI was crowned in a light drizzle which was seen as a sign of her power. Traditionally, the rain queen's power was so feared that the Balobedu were left in relative peace for centuries despite the tribal wars that raged in southern Africa. The queen's role was first given world wide attention in H. Rider Haggard's classic novels 'King Solomon's Mines' and 'She,' a reference to the queen's title, She Who Must Be Obeyed. Although the official cause of death was listed as 'chronic meningitis', many disregard the official report in favor of various conspiracy theories including the idea that she was poisoned. On the night before the Rain Queen's burial, a fire broke out in the building where her body was kept. Firefighters were called to the royal complex and saved her coffin from being destroyed. The queen was interred at the Royal Cemetery at Limpopo, South Africa. The queen's natural successor would be her five-month-old daughter, Princess Masalanabo.
Balobedu Rain Queen. Modjadji VI was the rain queen of South Africa's Balobedu people; the tribe is one of the few in Africa to have a leader chosen from a female line of succession. Makobo Modjadji was the sixth in a line of Balobedu rain queens and was crowned in 2003 at age 25 after the death of her predecessor and grandmother, Mokope Modjadji. Modjadji VI was crowned in a light drizzle which was seen as a sign of her power. Traditionally, the rain queen's power was so feared that the Balobedu were left in relative peace for centuries despite the tribal wars that raged in southern Africa. The queen's role was first given world wide attention in H. Rider Haggard's classic novels 'King Solomon's Mines' and 'She,' a reference to the queen's title, She Who Must Be Obeyed. Although the official cause of death was listed as 'chronic meningitis', many disregard the official report in favor of various conspiracy theories including the idea that she was poisoned. On the night before the Rain Queen's burial, a fire broke out in the building where her body was kept. Firefighters were called to the royal complex and saved her coffin from being destroyed. The queen was interred at the Royal Cemetery at Limpopo, South Africa. The queen's natural successor would be her five-month-old daughter, Princess Masalanabo.
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