COLONISER KNEW OUR SPIRITUALITY:CHIEF MAKONI

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3 years ago admin

By Margaret Kamba

Chief Makoni whose real name is Cde Simbayi Gwasira says the coloniser knew the importance of African spirituality hence his resolve to carry the remains of the First Chimurenga heroes.

Speaking alongside the meeting by the Repatriation Committee at the ZANU PF Headquarters this week, Chief Makoni noted that the importance of remains goes beyond the African culture as it is evident in the Bible as well.

“The issue of remains or skulls or bones is not just important to us as Africans because even in the Bible Joseph emphasized that if he died in Egypt his remains needed to be carried back to his home,” Chief Makoni said.

“It means that something in the creation of man requires that the soul and body have value and that we must value the life of man and remember him when he is gone.

“Even in our culture we do rituals kudzora mudzimu or kudzora mweya wemunhu and in this instance of our First Chimurenga heroes where do we go because their physical is not buried. The white man knew the importance of this that is why they never wanted us to do this ritual.”

He added that this process was meant to “pacify or kutsipira so that the country does not rise but suffer. When we continue to have these remains where they are we will not rise because their spirits are not settled.”

Casper Gadza who is Headman Gadza noted that when a person dies he must be buried by his own and in his own rituals.

“For one to be said they are buried, it means their head is together with their body but for us as the grandchildren of the First Chimurenga heroes we cannot say that we have buried our own because their remains are being exposed to the heat and dust which is a taboo in the African culture,” Cde Gadza said.

“Manifestations occurring in our lives among them misfortunes are signs that something is amiss.

“Our relatives are not only ours but for the nation as they died while resisting the coloniser.”

He added that it is important to bring back the remains of the First Chimurenga heroes and all those who died for the country as they may think that they are forgotten.

“We rely on our ancestors as a people and we believe that the white man took their remains because they knew about this reliance and wanted to keep us downtrodden. We wish that this exercise goes beyond just the First Chimurenga heroes but to all those who died for the country.”