THE Ndau people, based in eastern Zimbabwe, have their livelihoods based primarily on agriculture. It has been the case for many generations.
However, over the years, traditional farming techniques and indigenous crops are being replaced by genetically uniform, high-yielding varieties due to market trends and changes in diet.
With a projected 30% decrease in rainfall over the next decade due to climate change, local communities are searching for alternatives to mitigate this worrying situation.
Phillip Kusasa, a teacher at Chikore High School in Chipinge, started the Ndau Festival of the Arts as a clarion call for the people in this town located in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe to appreciate and safeguard their culture, especially the indigenous agrarian culture, which was slowly eroding.
Beyond it having an entertainment edge, the festival provides socio-economic empowerment for small-holder farmers who are predominantly women.
The public is exposed to the nutritional value of the food but also the traditional agricultural systems they employ.
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Most of these farmers were taught by their elders how to grow vegetables like “mutikiti” and “muchicha”, which are indigenous in the area.
Due to his commitment to the promotion of local culture in Chipinge, Kusasa has been identified as a resource person for Gaza Primary School, as part of the project “Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage in Basic Education in Namibia and Zimbabwe”.
Gaza Primary is one of the 24 participating schools in Namibia and Zimbabwe, where the project aims to support the integration of living heritage in the basic education system by developing tools and resources to support teachers in the elaboration of lesson plans and teaching materials.
This initiative, supported by the Government of Flanders, aims to anchor this indigenous knowledge related to foodways as well as other indigenous practices in the school system, guaranteeing the intergenerational transmission of valuable living heritage and quality, relevant education adapted to the context.
“I was happy to see that Gaza Primary School was selected to participate in the ‘Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage in Basic Education in Namibia and Zimbabwe’ project, representing Chipinge district. Our culture is our legacy and if we do not find a way to protect our way of life, it will be lost,” Kusasa said.
Part of the project activities is for schools to develop whole school action plans, which guide school administrators and teachers how to integrate living heritage in the schools’ education material and activities.
“I am very excited to be involved, not only because I will be working with children to safeguard our heritage, but we will be developing practical tools that will help us transmit this knowledge for future generations, through these whole school action plans we are developing,” Kusasa added.
The schools choose the living heritage elements they would like to include in various learning areas in their curriculum. “I believe Gaza Primary School will take it a step further and complement the ongoing activities. We are thinking of starting a garden of indigenous vegetables, which will be used for their meals at school,” he said.
“The students will learn about traditional agricultural systems and the nutritional value of these vegetables. This garden will then be a place where science, geography, mathematics, heritage studies and food and nutrition are taught.”