Blessing Chizhande
Danisa Masuku, [email protected]
CHIEF Dakamela of Nkayi District recently took Zimbabwean culture and traditions to the United Kingdom during a two-day cultural exchange that sought to strengthen links between communities in Zimbabwe and the diaspora.
The traditional leader was hosted in Reading by former Reading mayor Dr Alice Coles-Mpofu, with the visit building on a relationship established when the Bulawayo-born academic visited Zimbabwe last December during her tenure as mayor.
Chief Dakamela said the visit demonstrated how cultural diplomacy could be built through personal interaction and community engagement rather than formal platforms alone.
“The warmth I received in Reading made me feel connected. It shows that cultural exchange does not need a big stage. It can happen in community halls, in hotels, over food and conversation,” he said.
The visit also provided an opportunity for discussions on cultural tourism, heritage preservation and the role of communities and institutions in ensuring Zimbabwe’s traditions remain relevant to younger generations.
Chief Dakamela said cultural tourism should make heritage accessible while giving visitors a deeper understanding of the communities they visit.
“We talk about tourism, but people must be able to access cultural sites and heritage easily. In Reading, I have seen how history is preserved and made accessible to everyone. That is what we also want for Nkayi and Matabeleland North,” he said.
“When people visit, they must leave knowing our values, our music and our way of life.”
During his stay, Chief Dakamela and Dr Coles-Mpofu discussed Zimbabwean cultures, values and traditions and how these are preserved and practised both in Zimbabwe and among communities in the diaspora.
He said Reading’s multicultural character also provided an opportunity to reflect on the growing awareness of Zimbabwean culture in the United Kingdom.
“Reading is a very diverse town with different cultures. Some community members told me they know Zimbabwe and a bit of its culture and traditions through TV,” he said.
The discussions also touched on previous engagements involving Dr Coles-Mpofu and institutions in Zimbabwe and the UK, including the Reading Economic Development Agency, Bulawayo City Council, the University of Reading and the National University of Science and Technology.
The engagements explored possible areas of collaboration and research, including opportunities for people from the UK to gain first-hand knowledge of Zimbabwe’s diverse cultures and heritage.
Chief Dakamela also met Zimbabweans living in the UK, encouraging them to remain connected to their cultural roots and pass their traditions to younger generations.
Dr Coles-Mpofu said cultural exchanges could contribute to mutual understanding and serve as a form of soft power between communities and countries.
“During our conversation, Chief Dakamela and I reflected on Zimbabwe’s culture, traditions and history and on how cultural understanding between the two countries, or across different geographical spaces, is a form of soft power that goes beyond formal channels and builds relationships,” she said.
The two also discussed the shared values of Ubuntu and Christianity, including the relationship between indigenous traditions and Christian beliefs.
Dr Coles-Mpofu said colonialism had disrupted the transmission of some Zimbabwean traditions and cultural knowledge across generations.
“We also discussed how certain aspects of Zimbabwe’s cultural heritage, traditions, and values lapsed during the long period of colonisation, depriving several generations of the chance to experience them, and how some traditions and culture can coexist with Christianity,” she said.
As a senior researcher at the University of Reading focusing on identity, culture, immigration and diasporas, Dr Coles-Mpofu said academic institutions had an important role to play in broadening the understanding of indigenous knowledge.
“I also believe universities can decolonise the curriculum and broaden frameworks to include different knowledge,” she said.
Dr Coles-Mpofu, who was born in Bulawayo before relocating to the UK, said she remained interested in deepening her understanding of Chief Dakamela’s heritage and cultural initiatives.
She said she was particularly interested in the Imiklomelo kaDakamela awards, which she described as a potential platform for promoting cultural diplomacy.
“I remain spiritually connected to my hometown. I am also interested in learning and when I learnt from Chief Dakamela what the Imiklomelo kaDakamela awards do, I thought they were a strategic platform to showcase culture, traditions and heritage,” she said.
“It can be a strategic platform to create cultural diplomacy across Zimbabwean cultures and other nations, bringing people together.”
Dr Coles-Mpofu indicated that she would attend the annual Imiklomelo kaDakamela awards in future as part of efforts to deepen her understanding of Nkayi’s traditions and heritage.
Online Reporter