IN Zimbabwe we are blessed with sacred sites comparable to the cathedrals and holy springs in the Western world.
In this country lie the ancient birthplaces of all our ancestors- our most revered and sacred historical places.
In them, beyond the roar of human traffic, birds sing, animals raise their young, flowers bloom.
The rain nourishes every living being, tides flow back and forth.
Seasons succeed each other in entrancing sequence.
Each of the events in the natural world is a poem, a painting, a drama, a celebration, and not for a certain human race.
However, the Matobo Hills which used to provide a strong focus for the local community by using shrines and sacred places closely linked to traditional, social and economic activities, has slowly been turned into a small ‘England’ by some die hard white Rhodesians.
The defilement of the Matobo Hills World Heritage Site in Bulawayo under the guise of conservation by white groups such as the Matobo Conservation Society could be described as the rape of our sacred sites by these organisations that pretend to be genuine conservationists of our natural historical places.
Their conservation efforts, if they were real in any sense would be spread other historic shrines such as Shavarunzi the home of Mbuya Nehanda, Chitungwiza the home of Chaminuka and the Nharira Hills which are lying derelict because of neglect and lack of funds to rehabilitate them.
The organisation simply chose the Matobo Hills to trample on our heritage as evidenced by the serious conservation efforts of some colonial replicas in the hills.
The majority of the area which now forms the Rhodes Matopos National Park was declared a conservancy in 1926.
Cecil John Rhodes ordered his burial on one of the granite hills that commands a magnificent view of the landscape.
Today this natural landscape stands out as one of the highlights for local and international visitors.
Local communities have viewed Rhodes’ burial as desecration of the landscape, since the burial places are reserved for Zimbabweans whose roots are in the hills of Matobo.
Many people in the country and around Matobo Hills have specific places or sites where they carry out clan rituals such as appeasing spirits, praying for the sick (for example at Dula), praying to territorial spirits in times of disasters or outbreak of diseases, and other traditional ceremonies which are important in their day to day lives.
There are also pilgrimages to the Njelele rainmaking shrine which take place every year, but these organisations have over the years put undue influence on the local chiefs not to accept outsiders citing desecration fears yet they were the ones responsible for the cultural breakdown of the area.
Wetlands and valleys below boulders, pools, springs and wells, on top of hills used for rain making ceremonies, are being used for diving lessons and as picnic sites by hordes of white groups who throng the hills every weekend.
Landforms that represent points of communication with the spirit world have also been invaded.
Rhodes’ grave, the memorial plaques, the famous anthill where they brokered a peace settlement with the Ndebele warriors as well as dams and wetland are well cared for at the expense of some shrines such as Dula and Njelele and some sacred pools that are now derelict because they lack proper care.
Another place well-regarded by the whites is where Rhodes is said to have rested on top of a hillock just outside the hills at the Matopo Research Station, his resting shed has been restored and those whites seeking ‘spiritual’ guidance are taken there where they also rest their troubles as Rhodes did.
One intriguing fact is that the Matobo Conservation Society a predominantly white organisation has been carrying out several activities that had nothing to do with the conservation of these hills except for a few white colonial replicas in the park.
Also worrying are some of Conservation Society’s activities such as angling in the sacred pools, horse riding, rock climbing, bird watching, cycling and nature walks guided by white guides among other elitist activities that have nothing to do with African heritage, while the United Nations Educational and Scientific Organisation (UNESCO) whose mandate is to fund the preservation of World Heritage Sites has not done much in terms of conservation efforts in the Matobo.
The world Heritage Fund has not given much money to this site ever since it was declared a World Heritage Site in 2005.
The organistion has insisted on a comprehensive management plan of the Matobo hills while clandestinely providing financial support to organisations purporting to be taking care of the Matobo.
“The Management Plan needs revising so that it is a living and relevant document that addresses the opportunities provided by inscription,” noted a UNESCO document on the Matobo Hills.
“The plan also needs to support integrated management to achieve sustainable development, which respects both cultural and natural parameters of the cultural landscape, and fosters the integration of intangible heritage issues into management and interpretation.
“There is also a need for conservation plans for key aspects of the site.”
Political analysts say since the United States government which is one of the Western countries that arbitrarily imposed illegal sanctions against Zimbabwe, is the major funder of the United Nations it is highly unlikely that they would directly release funds to help in the preservation of our heritage sites in Zimbabwe.
In colonial and post colonial times, people have utilised the gigantic boulders for spiritual purposes, especially those that are elevated, delicately balanced, or protect springs and pools.
Studies of intangible heritage show that selected boulders and pools in the Matobo landscape have been, and continue to be used as sacred venues for worship.
The Mwari religion which is still practiced in the area, and which may date back to the Iron Age, is the most powerful oracular tradition in southern Africa.
The Matobo rocks are seen as the seat of god and of ancestral spirits.
Sacred shrines within the hills are places where contact can be made with the spiritual world.
The living traditions associated with the shrines represent one of the most powerful intangible traditions in southern Africa and one that could be said to be of universal significance.
This is a community response to a landscape rather than individual ones.
The natural qualities of Matobo, in terms of the power of the rocks and of the produce from the surrounding natural environment, thus have strong cultural associations.
Around the two shrines, there are no artificial buildings, structures, walls or other traces of human presence, apart from a wooden palisade that demarcates the area beyond which people may not proceed without permission from the ancestral spirits.
There is pressure for the demand for amenities and facilities by visitors, which is not compatible with such sites.
Increased population has had a negative impact on the natural environment, especially the trampling of the natural environment by horses, cars, bicycle and human traffic.