The country risks losing centuries-old environmental wisdom unless it urgently documents and preserves indigenous knowledge systems that have long safeguarded the nation’s natural heritage, a senior government official has warned.
Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture ministry provincial arts manager Isaiah Mpofu said traditional beliefs and cultural practices were disappearing under the weight of urbanisation and globalisation.
“Today, many of these traditions are disappearing,” Mpofu said during Taboos and Conservation Indaba 2026 held at Bulawayo’s Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe.
“Yet this does not mean they have lost their value. Rather, it challenges us to rediscover their meaning and consider how they can contribute to contemporary environmental stewardship.”
He stressed that indigenous knowledge should be viewed as a practical resource, not merely a historical curiosity, as nations worldwide seek solutions to climate change and biodiversity loss.
“While scientific research and technological innovation remain essential, there is growing recognition that indigenous knowledge also offers valuable insights into sustainable living,” he said.
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Zimbabwe’s ancestors developed systems promoting respect for nature through taboos, customs and social values that protected rivers, forests and wildlife, practices Mpofu said must be revived.
The official shared a personal experience from his childhood in Manicaland, where he unknowingly crossed a sacred mountain before being warned by an elderly man to turn back.
Despite his curiosity, no one would explain the site’s cultural significance.
“Up to today, I do not know why that mountain was considered sacred because those who knew never documented it. That is why documentation is so important,” he said.
The ministry recently conducted a week-long workshop on intangible cultural heritage with Unicef support, focusing on documenting Zimbabwe’s cultural traditions.
Mpofu called on communities, researchers and traditional leaders to partner with the ministry in developing preservation programmes.
There are many places, stories and traditions that have never been documented. If we fail to record them, future generations will never know them,” he warned.
Describing Bulawayo as Zimbabwe’s cultural hub, Mpofu said the city should lead preservation efforts and emphasised that environmental sustainability required collaboration among artists, museums, researchers, traditional leaders and development partners.
“Environmental sustainability cannot be achieved by the government alone,” he said.
The indaba, organised by Black the New Green Arts and Climate Change in partnership with the Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe, brought together artists, researchers, traditional leaders and environmental practitioners to explore how indigenous knowledge systems can strengthen climate resilience and conservation efforts.