Chronicle Editor
Amanda Mlevu, Sunday News Reporter
THE annual Lozwi King Mambo Day was held in Mawabeni, Umzingwane District yesterday to mark four years of celebrating people’s cultures where values of ubuntu were emphasised and societal challenges such as drug and substance abuse, child marriages and child abuse attacked.
Speaking during the ceremony, that was attended by traditional leaders and people from various communities, King Mambo said the number of people that showed up reminded him of the importance of unity.
He said the function was a celebration of the diversity of Zimbabwean tribes, adding that appreciating that diversity was indeed part of the country’s strength.
“You have brought us together regardless of our works, links, tribal backgrounds, gender and colour. Indeed you have indicated that our cultural heritage is going higher and higher for hundreds and hundreds of years to come,” he said.
The King was concerned about the youth and young people on the issue of drug and substance abuse, child abuse, child marriages, and crime in general.
“At this minute, the young people in urban centres are committing themselves to drugs and substance abuse while gender-based violence, child abuse including child marriages are taking place and as a King, I want to speak against that and ensure that there are projects that are there to help victims and protect the ones that are not yet endangered.”
He said his mission encompasses making sure teenage girls and young women were trained in personal hygiene, fostering good morals, promoting abstinence, and encouraging self-sufficiency.
Likewise, he said, he was there to ensure boys were conscientised to become defenders of their communities, advocate for crime prevention, and have principles of productivity instilled in them.
In his statement, he said the Rozvi was not a particular tribe nor dialect but the whole nation with its different tribes and languages or dialects, which was the strength which made the country’s forefathers emerge as warriors and victors.
He said the broader traditional culture community and spiritualists from across Zimbabwe should be instrumental in rekindling traditional values not only in rural areas but also within urban landscapes.
“We should tirelessly work towards reinstating cultural coherence and, in essence, restoring humanity (ubuntu/hunhu).”
Ms Siphephele Siziba from Regina Ruins in Insiza District thanked the King for what he had done for their community through praise poetry and traditional dances that showed him respect.
The King ended the event by encouraging the youth to treasure their lives and taking a further step to secure a better future for themselves by embarking of self-help projects.
The event was held at the King’s traditional homestead, with more than 10 buses ferrying those that wanted to attend from Bulawayo and other areas in the country.
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