Shona Proverbs and their meanings

The debut proverb is quite a common one.

Shona Proverb – Kuzivambuya huudzwa

Literal Translation – Knowing your grandmother comes from being told.

Meaning – You learn and become who you are from being taught by the elders in your family and community care about your growth and development. Your heritage is passed on through the stories of life struggles and triumphs.

It is important for one to know who they are and where they come from. It is one of the ideas that is frequently trivialized in conversation especially when it relates to traditional African heritage. It often degenerates into a controversial topic about religion, progress, backwardness, you name it. Still, I believe that it is critically important.

Why it’s important to know our history

To know our past, we rely, primarily, on those who came before us. There are many history books that have been written with varying depths and breaths of accuracy and bias. Since the African method of history has predominantly been via oral tradition and third-party written accounts, it is at best patchy and at worst debatable and controversial.  It is also important to note that history books are usually written by the hunter, the victor. We never get to hear the bravery of the hunted, how they survived previous attacks, how they sacrificed themselves in order to save their kin and kith and how they feel honour to meet their end after a lifetime of successful herd duties. We only see the trophy on the hunter’s wall and his account of his hunting prowess.

You own what you name

Think of the immortalised names of Christopher Columbus and David Livingstone. Their legacies/names have stood the test of time for “discovering” America and the majestic Victoria Falls, respectively. Yet many know that Native Americans had been on the continent since time immemorial. There is a map that was discovered in China that is dated more than 200 years before Columbus landed on American soil. This shows that he was not even the first distant traveller to discover that continent.

Our very own Mose oa Tunya (the smoke that thunders) has been bellowing and showering mist for eras and eons, being observed and even ignored by our forefathers, before David happened to take a stroll along the Zambezi Valley on that bright and sunny day.

So what do you know about your history? What did your grandmother tell you about your people, your land, your kind, the essence and meaning of your totem? Maybe you do not even know your grandmother. Your parents may have distanced themselves from the old folks because of their newfound faith and religion. Whatever the reason, is it is up to you to find out about your past.

I am in no way an expert on culture, whether in a clan, tribe, country or continental context. Yet I am a proud Zimbabwean, proud African and I hold my cultural heritage dear to my heart. I have set out on a journey of re-discovery. And that which I do not discover, I will create. Everything that exists on this planet has been created, even culture and religion. I am a student and a creator. Just like Columbus who “created” America by naming it and Livingstone – Victoria Falls in honour of his Queen.

The benefit of looking at your past is not for you to be stuck there. A stock broker looks at the history of company stock in order to make a purchasing or selling decision. An engineer looks at the ground and its make in order to design the suitable foundation for the building he wants to construct. The Jews look at the Holocaust in remembrance and pride to draw strength for building and strengthening themselves as a people. Who are we to shun our past unless we desire to continue being a lost nation amidst the winds of time.

Who is telling you stories?

We used to huddle around the fire and sekuru would tell us ngano tales of tsuronagudo, the symbols of societal behavior and teachings. Now, who tells you stories? Is it the Hollywood sarungano (storyteller), the radio DJ you don’t even know, the timeline on your Facebook profile, the hashtag on the trending tweet, the catchy picture on Instagram or a funny video on YouTube. Who is telling your children stories-cartoon network, the apps on the tablet, the babysitter or the naughty friends from down the street? And the stories you tell them, do they build their pride, self-worth, confidence, identity and solid foundation for self-leadership? Do they even listen to you or their ears are plugged out with earphones and attention swallowed by digital gadgets and social media?

So how is the story told?

One of the key disadvantages that our heritage suffers in the modern world is the lack of organization. I will give an example of Christianity as an illustration of what I mean by organization. The objective is simply to illustrate what I mean. I know the topic draws a lot of controversy, so if you could stay with my train of thought for a moment.

Foundational clarity

The Bible is very clear on what is right and what is wrong, what is evil and what is good. There are debates on some concepts but generally, it is clear. And when one needs to defend or oppose a point of view, they can quote chapter and verse and justify their position.

Enduring History

The Bible captures a history of the faith. It is a book with the history of Christianity that embodies the teachings, the statutes and the scenarios of how to behave, teach, and settle matters. It even contains a genealogy account of key players, how their encounters determined their lives and that of their children and their future generations for centuries and centuries.

There is also an account of the practices mainly in the old testament which have many similarities with African culture which included structured polygamy, animal sacrifices, use of black (escape) goats (mbudzi yekurasirirwa) to take sins out of the community. Please note this is not the point I am making, I am talking about organization. Stay with me.

Regular teaching and reinforcement

Christianity is taught at least once a week. And it is expected that you do some more activities during the week, but it is taught regularly. You embed it in everything that you do. This creates consistency and stability. It makes it expandable like a franchise business model. People on different continents from different cultures can identify with each other when they read and learn from a consistent source of teachings.

Sustainable Financial model

It has a self-sustaining financial model of tithes and offerings. Once again, I am not after the biblical merits of the model, my point is that it works and it is self-sustaining. It is based in a sense of identity with the biblical principles that make people contribute their portion to the institution. This helps the whole organization to continue and to grow. It makes it a very predictable institution such that many have chosen it as a career path and some as a calling.

Similar models

Many other cultures and religions follow a similar route, where they have a central reference book, recorded accounts of spiritual and physical nature, regular schedule of practices and habits. Look at the Muslim, Hindu, Buddhists, Chinese among many religions and cultures. I was totally taken by the Chinese Book of Wisdom which details the Chinese beliefs, way of life, diet, seasons, spiritual principles and more that they have endured through many centuries.

Imagine if African culture, at each core grouping level, were to be well-documented with clarity of what is good and what is bad. Where there is a distinction between the herbalist healer and the poison concoctor, the doctor and the witch. If there was a record of historical fables and parables, imbued with lessons and principles of progressive African behavior, written by us with the right understanding of the principles and morals they were meant for. If there was clarity of the objective of the lobola process, which is to unite two families through token rituals of gratitude and respect, as opposed to the monetization of the girl child or the settling of family scores in the process, we would progress far as a people.

If only we had a clear record of the history, origins and purpose of ceremonies and festivals for things like advent of seasons for planting, harvesting, hunting and the associated song and dance among others, we would have a strong base to work from. These are things that have deep meaning on who we are and what we used to know. We could have preserved some and modernized others as appropriate. For example, the Trinity song Jesa, comes to mind on the blending of traditional heritage and modern advancement.

When all that is said and done, people would still have a choice to follow, adopt in part or in full based on a consistent and predictable base. They could test, critic and refine for a natural evolution of a culture as it interacts with other cultures in the global village. Then the grandmothers will have more stories to tell the next generation based on the central foundation line.

Kuziva mbuya huudzwa

In conclusion. You need to know who you are and where you come from. When you do not know your history, history has a tendency to repeat itself. It is time for us to create a new history with the perfection of hindsight and good understanding. Let us be the hunters of our own stories.

I will be sharing more lessons anchored on tsumo and their relevance to our lives today.

I will leave you with an interesting quote from our own leaders, Kwame Nkrumahwho said I am not African because I was born in Africa but because Africa was born in me.

Apa ndipo paka perera sarungano

We were, we are, we will

Paivepo Ngano
On behalf of Paivepo Heritage Institute