TRADITIONAL leaders and elderly people here have welcomed the introduction of Nhanga/Gota/Ixiba concept by First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa, as she spearheads efforts to fight teenage pregnancies, immorality, drug abuse and disrespectfulness, among other vices which are now generally associated with today’s youths.
In what has never been seen since independence, the First
Lady is advocating for a return to the traditional way of life which had in
built mechanisms to foster morality.
Themed “Dzidziso yaAmai munhanga/mugota/ixiba
yevachirikuyaruka”, the concept involves elders playing their traditional roles
of imparting wisdom in youths, while also teaching them the dos and don’ts of
life.
At the captivating introductory session held at Chief
Nhema, Mr Ranganai Nhema’s homestead in Zaka on Saturday, the First Lady was assisted
by Gogo Fadzai Bwawanda-Nhema, mother to Chief Nhema and the chief’s wife —
Portia Nhema, Chief Mazungunye of Bikita’s wife Chiyedza Maipisi, Chief Ndanga
of Zaka’s wife Patricia Makono and Chief Bere of Masvingo’s wife Susan Bere.
All Covid-19 prevention measures were observed at the interactive session which had times for laughter and serious communication. In the gota with the boys were chiefs and Masvingo Provincial Affairs Minister Ezra Chadzamira.
In the nhanga, the First Lady appointed girls who were
present as ambassadors of the programme and gave them the responsibility to
educate others in their communities and schools when they go back and would
invite the First Lady after setting up groups to assess whether or not her
teachings would have circulated.
The children were drawn from all the districts from
Masvingo. Amai Mnangagwa began with an introductory lesson where she asked what
nhanga was all about. Others said it was a hut where girls slept, while some
did not know.
“We have come to teach you and remind you as young girls
and grandchildren that you are important,” said the First Lady.
“We want to lay a firm foundation for you to protect your
bodies. We also want to know whether you are performing domestic chores and the
way you relate to elders and whether or not you are keeping yourselves pure. We
also want to know whether you still treasure education.”
The wife to Chief Mazungunye, Chiyedza Maipisi, voiced
concern that some girls were now boastful and difficult to assign tasks to.
“Children of today are difficult to assign tasks and they
complain a lot thinking they are being troubled,” she said.
“Such a way of life is unacceptable and is among issues
that have prompted the First Lady to pay us a visit and roll out such a
programme.”
Mbuya Nhema weighed in, saying the First Lady’s programme
came at a time they had given up and did not know how to counsel young girls.
“We had lost hope and did not know how to control you, our
young children,” she said. “We wish to thank the First Lady for coming up with
this programme. It is her wish to bring us back to our traditional way of life.
Some of you our children, you no longer respect elders and your dressing is now
weird.
One of the girls learning how to grind rapoko during
Dzidziso yaAmai munhanga/mugota/ixiba yevachiri kuyaruka session in Masvingo on
Saturday
“Girls are now wearing trousers and mini-skirts in a very
shameful way. Hypertension among elders is partly being fuelled by naughty
children.”
The First Lady sought to know why girls were rushing into
sexual relationships. Tell me if there are any advantages of rushing to have
sex before the time is ripe,” she said.
“Do you know that you may fall pregnant and affect your
education, while you may also contract sexually transmitted diseases and be a
shame to your parents.
“Ishuviro yedu sevabereki kuti mukure murivasikana vane
hunhu hwakanaka muchikoshesa your education uye muzoitawo dzimba dzenyu kana
nguva yakwana.”
The young girls said no one had either sat them down or
inclined an ear to the challenges they faced and promised to be good
ambassadors.
Some of the girls aged between 14 and 16 indirectly
confirmed they had boyfriends and promised to break up with them after the
First Lady’s educative session.
They also attributed some of the mischief they engaged in
to lack of education from their grandmothers or aunts.
Mrs Portia Nhema expressed gratitude to the First Lady for
rolling out the programme, saying it helped restore the country’s cultural
values and dignity.
“Our values and dignity start in the Nhanga where the
proper dressing for girls is espoused,” she said.
“Because of having an early sex debut you end up seeing
yourself as being of the same age with your mothers and start being
disrespectful. We want to thank you Amai for the intervention.”
Amai Mnangagwa said early signs of maturity like
development of breasts could be driving some girls wayward.
She asked what developing breasts meant and one of the
girls said it was a sign of growing up and one can get married.
However, the First Lady and the chiefs’ wives disagreed
with her, saying some people developed breasts even when they were not yet
mature, hence one should not rush into early marriage all because she would
have developed breasts.
During the interactive session, the girls were afforded an
opportunity to ask questions.
The First Lady spoke about menstrual hygiene and after the lessons they all went into the kitchen hut where they were taught household chores from lighting fire to cooking and grinding finger millet.
Chief Ndanga, Mr Wilson Makono, who presided over Gota
proceedings in the Gota there were cardinal factors each boy had to take into
account each day. “When starting the day, children must greet their parents
with respect,” he said.
“Each day a child does not just leave the house without
performing a schedule of tasks they would have been assigned by their parents.
We told the children that they should not intervene in their parents’ quarrels.
Should they find their parents quarrelling, they should notify elders or
neighbours to intervene.”
Chief Ndanga said in the olden days, boys and girls used to
even swim together without challenges since they grew up with good morals.
“No child is born stealing and this is something that
develops over time,” he said. In separate interviews, elderly men and women
from the community praised the First Lady for the noble idea.
Mbuya Tendai Mavhu-Mashava (89) said the First Lady’s
intervention could not have come at any better time as today’s youths needed a
complete overhaul from their dressing, right up to morals.
“In the olden days we lived well, teaching our children as
they grew up,” she said.
“As they reached puberty, we gave them rules on dressing.” They were not allowed to leave their knees bare so that they looked presentable, not nowadays when they walk semi-naked. It was taboo. During our times we sat down with our mothers for counselling sessions.
“Even the way we lived in the home doing our household chores like grinding millet, everyone was given her own winnowing basket and mothers would notice one who worked hard and the lazy one.
“She would take remedial action on the lazy one immediately
and made sure she followed her up until she changed her ways. That is how we
grew up. Nowadays, if you ask a child from the community to fetch you even
bathing water, they will ask whether or not you have money for payment.
“This is something new as we never grew up that way. Even
when we met an elderly woman carrying a load, we would take it and carry it.
But nowadays it’s no longer the case. You carry your own burden.”
Gogo Mavhu-Mashava expressed gratitude to the First Lady
for her intervention, which she said will help mould today’s youths into
morally upright citizens.
“What the First Lady is doing is helpful because the
children of today are a lost generation. With the clothes they wear nowadays,
you can foresee trouble because even girls are putting on a trousers,” she said
while throwing her hands about in disapproval.
But it is not only today’s girl child who needs help. Sekuru
Adonia Mberikwazvo (71) decried that today’s boys were rushing into marriage
before they were fully prepared to handle the home.
“In our Shona way of life, all boys would be taken by our
grandfathers to the dare, especially in the evening because we were not allowed
to be near where women were preparing meals,” he said. “At the dare, you were
expected to bring even mice and were taught fatherly roles like trapping
animals, farming and even roofing houses so that you can be able to run your
home in the future.”
Sekuru Mberikwazvo expressed worry at the way today’s boys
were running issues concerning courtship, wishing they could take a leaf from
what transpired in the olden days.
“As boys, we were warned against rushing after girls,” he
said. “If there is someone you loved, you would have to go through elders like
their aunt who would arrange her for you, not nowadays when people just meet in
buses and kombis and the next thing you hear they have agreed to stay with each
other.
“There was a go-between called gwevedzi. Until matters were
sorted, you would not meet each other. There was nothing like going out
together. You would only be considered a grown up man capable of getting
married after assessing how you use your hands to weed, roof houses, making hoe
handles so that you would use the skills in your home. Nowadays we are looking
after grandchildren when we are still raising their parents and this was not
the case in the olden days.”
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