The Shona Culture: Life in Rural Zimbabwe
by Karyn Keenan
Many students engaged in model U. N. competition will represent Third World countries at Model Assemblies. Although you are very well versed in the history and foreign policies of these countries, you probably know very little about those activities that constitute daily life for the majority of their inhabitants. This past year, I was fortunate to spend three weeks living in a village in North Eastern Zimbabwe. I lived with a girlfriend who was volunteering as a representative of the Canada Crossroads Organization. I would like to share my experience with you, in the hope that you might gain a greater understanding of the people that you represent.
Zimbabwe's predominant culture and the heritage of the village in which I lived is the Shona culture. Most inhabitants spoke only the Shona language, however, some young people who had remained in school for the full duration of their education, a rare event, spoke English. The village was located in brush land. The spaces around the buildings were free of plants and had been worn smooth. Several papaya and mango trees provided much sought-after shade as well as some greenery in an otherwise parched environment. The people lived in round huts constructed from a shell of vertically placed sticks. The spaces between the sticks were mud-filled. Within a village, certain huts were designated as sleeping areas while another comprised the kitchen. This hut was a wonderful place. The dirt ground was smooth and cool from the pounding of hundreds of feet over its surface. A mud seat ran around the circumference of the hut, surrounding the fire. The seat was for men, the women and children being restricted to the floor. Outside were small "boxes" elevated up to four or five feet from the ground. Chicken lived here and were protected from pythons and other snakes by their lofty position. Village toilets were Northern Ontario outhouses minus the wooden seat, basically just a hole in the ground!
The nicest thing about the village was not its setting or the physical make up, but rather, the people living there. My only connection to this village was my girlfriend and yet, upon my arrival, a special dinner was held to welcome me and to initiate me as a new sisi (Shone for sister). I was accepted as a daughter of the head elder. A chicken, a very precious commodity, was killed and cooked in my honour. Because I am white, I automatically held the respect of the people in the village. I was assumed to possess qualities of intelligence, wealth and wisdom. It didn't take much time, however, before these people won my respect and I appreciated the knowledge and wisdom that they possessed. During my stay, I met very few men from the village. They had gone into Harare, the Capitol City of Zimbabwe in search of work. The women they left behind were some of the hardest working people I have ever met. Because they possess little or no money, they must grow all their food. The staple is a thick white paste made from maize meal. In Shona it is called sadza. In order to prepare this delicacy, the women begin work in the maize fields at sunrise. They tend the crops and gather maize. This is pounded by hand until it forms a very fine powder, an arduous task. Next the maize meal is cooked in large pots until it becomes a thick paste. The cooking is an enormous task in itself. First, water must be gathered. Because firewood supplies in the immediate area are exhausted, daily searches for fuel take young girls further and further from their village. When they finally return from their searches, it is with heavy bundles of branches tied together, carried on their heads. Finally, the sadza is cooked and is perhaps eaten with a little spinach or tomato. The entire process is completed, for both women and their daughters, with a young baby tied to the back. There are usually several other siblings old enough to walk, which are also the responsibility of the eldest daughter.
Besides differences in the pattern of daily life, there are enormous cultural variations between North Americans and the Shona people. One of the most interesting of these is the strong superstitious nature of Shona beliefs. Certain people in the culture are believed to possess special powers and in English, would best be described as witch doctors. Antagonistic villages use their respective witch doctors to inflict harm on their foes. Harm can also be sent to individuals, most recently in the form of "Scud Missiles", negative energy forces. In addition, one must always be careful to dispose of one's toenail clippings. If accidentally left behind, they may be used against the owner with terrible consequences. It is not the witch doctors, however, but deceased elders who command the greatest control. If unhappy, they may bring great harm to the village. Despite their poverty and the demanding daily tasks that face them, the Shona people are a very happy culture. When the work is done and if there are a few extra pennies, the villagers make their way to a small building that serves as the local store and bottle shop (Brewer's Retail). Here they dance wildly to Zimbabwe's chart topper, Thomas Mapfumo while drinking Chibuku, a lumpy beer made from maize. They laugh at my "murungu" (Caucasian) attempts to copy their moves and they ask when I will return to Zimbabwe. Soon, I hope.
(Karyn is a graduate of Fort Erie S. S. and McMaster U. (Hons. Biology). She is one of six students enrolled in York U.'s concurrent LL.B./ME.S. Program.)