HomeOld_PostsBaTonga values vis-a-vis modern communication

BaTonga values vis-a-vis modern communication

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THREE men were attacked by a hippopotamus in Binga three years ago.
Their bodies were disfigured, dismembered and left on the shores of the Zambezi River.
Likewise, a man was trampled by an elephant.
His intestines were left hanging outside his body.
A few days later, a rogue buffalo gored an elderly woman who was coming from a traditional beer drink.
She was left lying on the footpath.
These are gory incidents of human and wildlife conflict in Binga.
However, despite having smartphones, those who witnessed these bloody scenes did not take pictures.
Why?
The BaTonga tradition prohibits the taking of pictures of a dead body or an accident lest the same fate will befall the witness, according to BaTonga elders.
It is believed, in the BaTonga culture, if one sees a dead person and fails to report to the elders, the spirit of the dead person will haunt him/her forever.
According to the elders, dead people hide themselves from young children and only prefer to be seen by older people.
They say if, for instance, one stumbles on a dead person, it is required that he/she covers the person with a cloth or tree branches, then proceed to alert village elders.
In the past, women were not allowed to attend the scene of any tragic accident.
Upon arrival at the scene, some rituals are carried out to calm the spirit of the dead person before relatives are notified of the death.
Village elders would then make sure the body is secured before it is taken home, usually at night, so that children and women do not see it.
Emissaries are sent to the village head or chief to relay the message.
The village head or chief, upon seeing the body, would then send his messengers to the family of the dead person.
The messengers are not allowed to break the news to the family as it is the duty of the village elders and chiefs to relay the message.
The family is not told directly that their relative has passed on, they are told in riddles or asked the whereabouts of the dead person.
When they profess ignorance, they are then told that their beloved one ‘has joined their ancestors’.
They are also told of what would have killed their relative, in case of wild animals or an accident.
The family is then asked to accompany village elders to the scene where the deceased would have been kept.
They perform last rituals and the body is carried home in preparation for burial.
Meanwhile, all relevant authorities are notified of the death.
However, in cases of murder, the body is usually taken to a morgue for a post mortem or handed to the police for investigations.
Again, in murder cases, rituals to calm or awaken the spirit of the deceased are performed.
The deceased is asked to ‘rise and fight’ his murderers or forgive them depending on the circumstances.
However, during all these processes, elders do not allow pictures of the dead person to be taken because it is believed the dead person would become a shadow and bring bad luck.
If the dead person is not known in the village or community, a traditional healer is consulted to guide the people in ‘resting the spirit of the departed.’
Rituals then follow so that the spirit of the deceased will not wander around the community.
There are other numerous incidents where strange happenings took place where dead people sought the attention of villagers.
However, none of these events circulate on social media.
Far from these superstitions and cultural taboos, where the dead are no longer respected, the nation was inundated with horrific pictures of dead people strewn all over the tarmac after an accident that claimed 50 people along the Harare-Mutare Highway.
The social media was awash with these pictures and there was a serious debate on whether some Zimbabweans had some cultural grain left in them by watching and taking pictures of people writhing in pain.
Radio stations had serious debates on whether this was acceptable or not, or was this culturally acceptable.
However, Zimbabweans from across the country had different opinions with the majority roundly condemning the posting of sensitive material on social platforms.
In February this year, I wrote an article in The Patriot on how our communication culture had been hijacked by technology.
There is nothing wrong with the use of some technological gadgets and connecting to other people, but there is everything wrong if we become slaves to that technology and using it irresponsibly.
It destroys our cultural and family values.
What has happened to the cultural family unit due to the so-called technological age?
What has happened to the values we had in the cultural context?
Currently, some people prefer communicating through social media platforms like WhatsApp, facebook, twitter and other social network communication platforms.
Technology has also had an effect on our older generation.
Their roles as advisors, counsellors and teachers has been eroded.
These days, with smart-phones to add to the technological mix, so many of us are connected all the time; constantly attentive, always taking pictures and broadcasting them. This has left a communication cultural gap.
People are spending more time in front of the big and small screens and less time in face-to-face interaction.
Worldwide, the abuse of technology has led to the breakdown of families, leading to divorce and crimes of passion.
The role of our grandparents as custodians of upholding our cultural values through folklore has also been taken over by modern technology.

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