Online Reporter
Lloyd Makonya
Correspondent
IN a dimly lit corner of Mutare Museum’s Beit Gallery, behind a glass panel and beneath a thatched shrine, kneels a figure that has captured imaginations, stirred fears, and awakened cultural pride.
This is no ordinary display.
It is a commanding reconstruction of a traditional healer, modelled in stunning realism, surrounded by divining bones, charms, woven baskets, ceremonial gourds, and animal tails which are ritual tools of his trade.
Even in stillness, the figure radiates presence.
The Beit Gallery is dedicated to showcasing the cultural heritage of the Eastern Shona people, whose spiritual traditions and healing practices have long shaped life in Zimbabwe’s eastern districts.
Among these, Chipinge, Chimanimani, and Nyanga stand out as sacred landscapes, birthplaces of renowned n’angas, spiritual seers, and herbalists who have drawn seekers from across the nation.
This gallery does more than display, it tells stories of deep-rooted belief systems.
It holds space for ancestral knowledge and traditions that still pulse through the region.
And perhaps no figure symbolizes this more than the lifelike healer who kneels as if mid-consultation, pipe in hand, eyes cloaked in dreadlocked mystery.
Many visitors have been struck by the emotional weight of the display. Some are fascinated others are spooked.
For children and the faint-hearted, this is a section often avoided, so convincing is the figure and so powerful the atmosphere.
Museum staff say visitors frequently ask whether the exhibit is inspired by a real person.
While the figure is not an exact replica, its essence draws heavily from a long tradition of Eastern Shona spiritual healing and the aura of legends like the late Sekuru Ndunge of Chipinge is unmistakably present.
Sekuru Ndunge was one of the country’s most celebrated traditional healers, known for his spiritual prowess and deep influence.
His name became synonymous with power, and his clientele stretched from high-profile politicians to ordinary citizens.
Though he passed away in 2019, stories of his impact and speculation around the timing of natural disasters like Cyclone Idai have kept his legacy alive in both reverence and folklore.
Some traditionally inclined Zimbabweans whispered: “The gods are escorting their own.”
