Andrew
Charles Mavhunga
Historically, the ethos, values, and moral standards of ecotourism blend well with cultural brand values that are apparently detectible in Zimbabwe.
The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) defines ecotourism as responsible travel experiences to natural areas that conserve the environment and sustains the well-being of local people.
This involves the conservation of local plants, wildlife, and the harmonious blending of the natural and cultural environment of people in the community.
This article plows into the cultural brand values of the people of Zimbabwe, which blend well with the features of ecotourism to support sustainable tourism in the country.
In ethical terms, ecotourism is viewed from the perspective of responsible tourism whose target is to showcase resort centres and places of interest in such a way that the community and the environment become harmonised and improved.
Ecotourism is a new and developing phenomenon in the future of the tourism industry in the global world, however, in Zimbabwe, the features of ecotourism blend well with the country’s long-standing traditional customs.
This means Zimbabweans have long established the standards and ideals of ecotourism from a cultural perspective, thus forming a Unique Selling Point (USP) for the country’s tourism brand.
On records, the Zimbabwe destinations for Ecotourism include among others: Bumi Hills —Kariba, Victoria Falls (Mosi-oa-Tunya), Imire Game Park, and Hwange National Park among others.
Although there are a number of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) involved in the country to promote ecotourism, the cultural values of Zimbabweans have been a natural instinct in terms of depth in this category.
Ecotourism facilitates the promotion of environmental awareness, the creation of benefits and power of the local people in the preservation of the natural environment, respect for the culture of people in the community and education to protect the environment.
The major focus of ecotourism is to unite conservation and communities with sustainable travel and thus forming a Unique Selling Point for Zimbabwe`s tourism brand in the global world. The following are the key points that are outstanding in the country.
- Land and the Zimbabwean Culture
Zimbabweans connect land with ritualistic values that denote the relationship between God, human beings, and creation.
The cultural values of Zimbabweans observe the leadership hierarchy, which is established through Chiefs, and Kings who form the senior members to influence the community to protect the land as a valuable and sacred commodity to be protected for future generations. Land in Zimbabwe is identified under a specific group of people, and the Chief is the leader of the group.
The chief is the custodian of the traditional values that are observed by the group in the geographical space of the community concerned and the function of the chief is to ensure that land is protected, and the natural resources found in the area are protected from a ritualistic point of view, and this clearly promotes the values of ecotourism.
In Zimbabwe, ecotourism is a natural and cultural phenomenon and a ritualistic value that is used to establish the identity of the people in the country historically.
- Rituals and Ecotourism in Zimbabwe
The Zimbabwean culture throughout the 10 provinces is on record; it contains certain rituals that protect plants and animals.
For instance, in the Wedza District, the Muchakata tree (Umnkuna) (Mobola Plum Tree) is protected by the Shona people because the tree inhabits baboons, a totem for the Soko clan. Ceremonies such as Mukwerera (Rain-making) or Rukoto (Harvesting festivals) are associated with the Muchakata tree, hence the protection of the tree is highly regarded.
In addition, the way people pick Mazhanje fruits (Wild Loquat Fruit) for food in the forest, is also defined by cultural values that denies one to cutting down the tree or throwing stones to force the fruits to fall, but to pick only those that are ripe on the ground under that tree, this is a remarkable cultural value which is very protective to the tree for the future.
The cultural belief is that anyone who breaks the rules of picking Mazhanje in the forest will get lost, and may disappear forever.
This cultural value teaches people to behave properly and to protect the forests from wanton destruction. In a research carried out by Masengwe and Mufanebadza on theology and land reform programmes, it was established that the people of Zimbabwe protect trees and animals for customary purposes.
The researchers established the cultural values followed in Zimbabwe are associated with ritualistic values of totems that are protective of animals. The totems form the morality regulating symbol which is a critical feature in animal protection.
For instance, totems such as Mhofu/Mpofu (The Eland), Shumba (Lion), Madhuve (Zebra), Tshuma-Tembo (Zebra-Lion), Tshuma (Sheep), Soko/tsoko/Ncube (Monkey/Baboon), Maposa (Porcupine) and many others have a religious and sacred value, which regulates people to become sensitive to animal protection, to offer due respect to the named animals, and to protect them as valuables among the lives of the people concerned.
The level of protection of the named animal becomes a natural instinct and a ritualistic value to observe, and this naturally explains the connection between culture and ecotourism as a natural phenomenon among the Zimbabwean people.
The totems are also associated with geographical spaces, which means the Chiefs and or their followers feel proud to protect their environment as a cultural value.
Charles Mavhunga co-authored textbooks in Business Enterprising Skills and is currently studying for a PhD in Management at Bindura University. He can be contacted at [email protected].
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