Matabeleland Culture Event - The Communique

Whereas the situation in Matabeleland/Midlands presents as calm, in truth a perverse and sinister war of attrition is being waged against the cultural base of the people of the region;

This war is and has been always waged on many fronts: ranging from attack on Language, Education, Cultural base, Economic and Opportunity Deprivation of the people of the Region in all other spheres which impact human life. The resulting grinding poverty of peoples from the Region, which is set to continue unabated unless checked, is a result of the attack on their basic human rights;

The aim of the clandestine war, is to disempower, dehumanise, disenfranchise the people of the Region and create an underclass of subservient people;

Proof of this, if any were needed, is the now accepted norm that highest positions in spheres of political or corporate governance that the peoples of Matabeleland/Midlands can aspire to are as deputies and in the majority of cases, much lower in Zimbabwe;

Every now and then information is obtained about the evil and sinister Grand plan strategy which laid down the formal foundation stones aimed at  turning the people of Matabeleland/Midlands into second class citizens reducing them to becoming vassals to the dominant tribal group and culture in Zimbabwe;

Even though de facto Zimbabwe is unitary state thanks to the completely inane 1884 Berlin Conference which delineated countries and states into entities completely oblivious of the incompatibility of peoples simply lumped together for the convenience of European masters in truth Zimbabwe comprises of two nations with clearly distinct perspectives on nationhood and treatment of minorities;

Other edits that followed under colonial rule set out to stoke the fires of hatred, creating a falsified historical narrative bent on the divide and rule philosophy which well suited the governing dispensation in Zimbabwe;

A strategy to divide and divide everything Ndebele was planned a long time ago and its aim was and still is to completely obliterate anything of value to the Ndebele people;

One of the earlier phases of the attack on the Ndebele people was the massacre of thousands who were killed simply because of tribe;

At the conclusion of the wanton savagery perpetrated against the Ndebele people, the next phase of the Grand plan set in; this is what phase we are in, the total subjugation of the people of Matabeleland, their values, Culture and beliefs;

Evidence of this Grand plan stage are to be seen every sphere of life, Diminution language,  Education, Health provision, Employment opportunities, Property ownership and rampant overt and covert abuse of the people of the Regions;

Matabeleland comprises of many sub-groups with their sub-cultures. The efforts to portray Ndebele as reference to those extracted from the Zulu nation are, sad to say, to an extent succeeding;

Yet in truth, peoples of Matabeleland are extracted from the fifteen or sixteen sub-groups who have always existed together in harmony and even under the onslaught to divide them, firstly by white minority regime and lately the current government;

A common rich culture resulting from amalgamation of the sub-cultures had taken shape, examples being in the orderly structure of communities, respect for human life, methods and places of worship, offerings and libations, the Njelele shrine being the supreme example;

The rich Culture gave structure and meaning to Society leading to all feeling valued and no one considered an outsider. Social deviancy and delinquency under the Culture were to all intents and purposes, non-existent;

Unless a purposeful, robust defence is put up, this rich Culture of the peoples of Matabeleland/Midlands is perhaps at the final stages of its demise and with it the huge unique advantages it carries.



These were some of the issues raised and brought to the fore by the Culture Day of June 2, 2018 at Queensbury House Hastings.

It need be noted that, whereas the aggressors seek the demise of our Culture, ours is a strategy aimed at self-preservation and has nothing to do with an attack on the cultures which have placed ours under siege.

The following are proposed strategies for defending the culture under threat:

We will, as soon as is possible set up a research group to monitor, evaluate the threats posed to our Culture and set up ways of conscientising the people of Matabeleland/Midlands about the sinister strategies, plots and threats against them;

Together with the first mentioned aim, the group will identify and bring together currently emerging sub-groups who seem to have woken up to the threat to the peoples of Matabeleland and Midlands;

The composition and strength of the group will be determined by the first meeting of those who showed interest on June 2, 2018 and thus will be contacted shortly but no later than 30 June, 2018;

It will be highly recommended that the group put together a constitution or guiding document governing its work and operations;

The group will act as conduit of information dissemination and repository of culture celebratory events worldwide; the aim being for each group formed or in existence to hold at least one annual event;

We will aim to maintain centrally, a register and compendium of every activity related to the preservation of our culture; this will be availed, on request to all groups listed;

The group will also explore every way possible to bring about economic power both to individuals and groupings and  associations under the Culture umbrella;

It is intended too that a system of awards to recognise special achievements of individuals and groups working to uplift our culture will be set up.

This initial Communique is the property of the Matabeleland Culture Day Event, Hastings.

Any quote or sharing, whether in part or as a whole needs to be authorised through the source.


Compiled by Dr Ralph Mguni
Bambanani Association Secretary for Education and Culture