HARARE ( News of The South) – The heart of Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, is facing a profound cultural and spiritual crisis, according to traditional leaders and cultural commentators. The core of the problem, they argue, lies in the long-standing absence of the Mbaris chieftaincy, a lineage that was systematically dismantled by British colonial forces over a century ago. This vacuum, they say, has created a disconnect between the city’s land and its spiritual custodians, leading to a cascade of societal problems that are now impacting the nation’s youth.
The Mbaris chieftaincy, which presided over the land now known as Harare, was a victim of a brutal colonial campaign. The British not only destroyed the Mbaris’ territory, burning crops and livestock, but also seized sacred artifacts and spiritual tools of the kingdom. This act of cultural and spiritual decimation, it is argued, has left a wound that has never healed.
In Zimbabwean culture, the relationship between people, the land, and traditional leadership is deeply intertwined. The death of an individual requires the family to inform the Chief, the custodian of the land, so that the nyikadzimu (ancestral spirits of the land) are aware of the burial. This ritual, known as achimumiwa, is essential for maintaining spiritual harmony. The current situation in Harare, where national heroes are buried at the Heroes’ Acre without the traditional notification of Chief Mbari, is seen as a major spiritual transgression.
“The Heroes say I am a freedom fighter, I fought for the liberation of Zimbabwe,” explains a cultural observer. “Yes, they are freedom fighters, but Paramount Chief Mbari was also a freedom fighter. It means the freedom fighters don’t know each other, but they were fighting for the same cause. That’s what it is, mukati meataxe, so it needs to be equalized in Mbari’s territory.”
This spiritual void is not just a historical anomaly; it is having tangible effects on contemporary Zimbabwean society. The article highlights that modern Zimbabweans, particularly in urban areas, have increasingly adopted what they perceive as British culture, often at the expense of their own. This shift is said to be fueled by the proliferation of churches and a government that, according to traditional leaders, follows laws and traditions set by the colonizers rather than indigenous customs.
The youth, in particular, are bearing the brunt of this cultural disarray. The article links the alarming rise in drug abuse, specifically the use of mutoriro, and the challenges young people face in getting married to a breakdown in traditional clan and family structures. It is argued that a failure to adhere to chikaranga (traditional customs) creates a spiritual vulnerability (mhepo) in families, leading to a lack of purpose and stability for the younger generation.
Traditional leaders claim they have repeatedly attempted to advise the government on these critical cultural issues, but their pleas have been ignored. They feel a sense of powerlessness, with many now simply watching from the sidelines as the country’s cultural fabric unravels.
For Harare, the stakes are particularly high. As the capital and most important city, the spiritual and cultural health of the land it sits on is paramount. The article asserts that Paramount Chief Mbari possesses the unique ability to “cool down the land” (kutonhodza nyika) during times of instability and crisis. Without this traditional authority in place, the nation is left without a crucial mechanism for spiritual and social stabilization, leading to a situation where “people are doing whatever they want.”
The article concludes by suggesting that those who benefit from the current state of chaos and a lack of accountability are the very ones who resist the resuscitation of the Harare chieftaincy. The revival of Chief Mbari’s role, therefore, is not merely a historical or ceremonial matter, but a vital step towards addressing the deep-seated cultural and spiritual problems that continue to plague Zimbabwe today.
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