By Vitalis Ruvando

TRIBUTE goes to the indigenous spirits of Zimbabwe.
The spirits include Musiki: Creator, vadzimu: intercessors and mashavi: talent conferring spirits.
Their nuncios are mhondoro (regional) or masvikiro (local): sacred practitioners like Mbuya Nehanda, Sekuru Kaguvi, Lobengula, and magodobori: indigenous medical practitioners.
Sacred practitioners are honourified as Tateguru, genderised as Mbuya (woman) or Sekuru (man) for one hosting indigenous spirits.
This tribute is inspired by the loud death scare cries heard when colonialists and gospel mercenaries hanged Nehanda.
Celebratory telegraphic messages were sent to Cape Town and London that colonial resistance in ‘Mashonaland’ was over after Nehanda’s surrender.
Nehanda’s loud death scare vibes presage Zimbabwean revolutions to deconstruct global development and economic models.
Her teardrops on the ground ritualised and invoked the immanency of a continuum of robust paradigm shifts washing away the colonial past to create a prosperous Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe’s land reclamation, indigenisation programmes and the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim-ASSET) blueprint exhibit the immanency of a continuum of those paradigm shifts.
In cultural parlance, the Second Chimurenga transubstantiated Nehanda’s death scare cries into liberation war and battle cries.
Nehanda’s death symbolises the decisive demise of colonialism and her refusal to be baptised symbolises imminent religious revolts.
The colonial cabal’s telegraphic messages denote the superhighway that is awash with scripts which vilify Zimbabwe’s revolutionary agendas.
Despite her death, the name Nehanda haunts the colonial cabal.
During the colonial era, any public invocation of her name could lead one to jail.
National hero, the late Vice-President Simon Muzenda was jailed after reciting the poem: Nehanda Nyakasikana.
Tribute goes to Matongeni, Tangwena and Nehoreka spirits that inspired our leaders on their journey to Mozambique.
Prospective cadres made solemn promises: mhiko with indigenous spirits before sojourning to Mozambique, but the promises are yet to be fulfilled.
In Mozambique, ‘mhondoro’ were chaplains who often directed combat situations against enemy warplanes as was the cases at Chimoio in 1977, Pungwe 3 in 1979 and Tembwe bases.
“A number of zvapungu: bateleur eagles prevented enemy warplanes ‘birds’ from bombing Chimoio armoury in 1977,” said a three time survivor of enemy warplane attacks, Cde Tendai Zvichapera.
“On the battle fronts, combatants got war ethos and chaplaincy from Mhondoro.”
Inexorably, indigenous spirits endured in the face of betrayals from Sithole, Nyathi, Muzorewa and agent provocateurs who diffidently remained in the liberation front.
Indigenous spirits remained the categorical claimant to the total liberation of Zimbabwe in the face of omissions and rejections.
Colonialists and gospel mercenaries were also haunted by the guardians of the land: vadzimu.
Enduring battle cry songs invoking Nehanda and vadzimu were broadcast from Mozambique during the war of liberation.
Cde Shingairayi led Chimurenga choir singing:
“Nehanda mutsa mudzimu…..Mutsa mudzimu…Mutsa mudzimu…MuZimbabwe.”
Consulting mhondoro spirits and magodobori was a revered ethos for liberation cadres.
For two decades, the ferocity of gospel charlatans was sterilised by the war of liberation.
For two decades, indigenous spirits were empowered and reclaimed their spiritual sovereignty.
Total spiritual sovereignty was earned during the watershed of the liberation war, 1975-79.
This spiritual independence edified the execution of the armed struggle.
Indifference towards indigenous spirits emerged after independence. Indigenous spirits were suffocated and some (mashavi) died a stillbirth.
Former ZANLA and ZIPRA fighters, integrated in the Zimbabwe National Army were disenfranchised and divorced from mhondoro and masvikiro spirits in their establishments.
Legates, if not sleepers of the gospel charlatans that hanged Nehanda and demonised freedom fighters presided over chaplaincy.
Regrettably, names of some barracks, police stations and prisons remain symbols of Rhodies.
The ZANLA and ZIPRA liberators lived in spiritual dilemma or exile during and after their integration.
What happened to their indigenous spirit inspired fighting talents: mashavi upon the demise of their long time alliance with cadres?
Liberation war refugees got orphaned by the glorified colonial offices, ‘churches’ upon their return?
When will mhondoro and masvikiro spirits be acknowledged in national institutions?
Indigenous spirits are the resolute cornerstones that resource our history and future.
Directly or indirectly, indigenous spirits resourced every Zimbabwean through land reclamation.
Beneficiaries need to embrace a compulsory altruism: zunde towards indigenous spirits.
There is an imminent wrath resulting from our spiritual omissions.
Part of the omissions includes the inadequate land designated for cultural development during land reclamation.
Media space is patronised by gospel mercenaries, a putschist cabal for erstwhile oppressors that discredits indigenous spirits who inspire Zimbabwean revolutions.
The media stands accused of muting the genuine character and functions of indigenous spirits.
No doubt, there is a media blackout on indigenous spirits and their liberation war history.
The anti-African venom of the gospel mercenaries is resonated. Indeed, this is an adage regime change appendage which national broadcasters sanction.
The media, emerging as a putschist cabal conduit for gospel charlatans, demonises indigenous spirits who hardly give up their esteem for a sovereign Zimbabwe.
Cultural amnesia is distorting the integration of indigenous spirits into liberation institutions.
This cultural amnesia was outfoxed by indigenous spirits during the 2008 general elections when Zimbabwe’s sovereignty was bullied and litigated by a putschist cabal – MDC party.
Regrettably, there are unhealed sores, unquenched thirst and omitted rituals for the spirits of deceased cadres.
The process of reburying the remains of deceased cadres has been slow.
Is the provincial hero Simon Chimbetu’s song played to a deaf and dumb generation?
“Mavaudza vedzinza rake here kuti mwana wenyu wakashaika?
“Mupeivo zororo”.
Indigenous spirits that fermented the spirit of the war of liberation are a ‘forgotten tribe’.
It is in the ‘forgotten tribe’ that the loud death scare cries of the hanging Nehanda abodes.
The ruling party, war veterans and National Museums have pioneered projects on the roles of indigenous spirits during the liberation struggle.
Researches and shrine projects in Mozambique (Chimoio and Nyadzonia), Zambia (Lusaka), Chinhoyi, Hwange etc have been undertaken.
This can be cascaded to the grassroots by the Ministry of War Veterans.
Plans need to be put in place to resonate the spirit and femininity of Nehanda in the media.
None, but us need to advocate indigenous spirits through social media platforms.
Immodest patriots need to educate youths about the indigenous spiritual matrix.
Let us not ignore or taciturn indigenous spirits’ unconditional love!