The Sunday Mail
Ishemunyoro Chingwere
Government’s decision to accede to traditional leaders’ plea for a change of their official regalia has ignited debate on what the Zimbabwean culture entails regarding the leaders’ dressing.
Last week, the Department of Traditional Leadership Support Services in the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing set the ball rolling when it flighted adverts inviting designers to undertake the designing of chiefs’ regalia.
The current one, which resembles a colonial hangover, the advert noted, was designed to celebrate and venerate imperialism and is detached from our history, culture and traditions.
Former Minister of Education, Sports, and Culture, Cde Aeneas Chigwedere, who is also a historian of repute, was the first public official to propose a change in the regalia but his two proposed replacements were turned down by the chiefs who felt the proposals were not a reflection of Zimbabwean culture.
National hero, Chief Rekayi Tangwena, who is famed for standing up to imperialism, was the first traditional leader who objected to the current regalia, which he described as making chiefs look like Ian Smith’s donkeys. Julie Frederiske, in “None But Ourselves – Masses vs Media in the Making of Zimbabwe”, quotes Chief Tangwena as saying: They said, “You are no longer a chief, but a self-styled chief, because you are troublesome.
They took from me that chain that made one look like a donkey, that Smith used to indicate which of the chiefs were his donkeys so they would not go astray”.
“I didn’t mind because I didn’t like to appear like a donkey,” the iconic Chief Tangwena is quoted as having said.
Chief Zvimba, born Stanely Wurayayi Mhondoro, and Chief Nemakonde, are some of the current chiefs who have followed Chief Tangwena’s lead in refusing to wear the current regalia.
Director in the Department of Traditional Support Services, Mr Fanuel Mukwayira, said the issue of chiefs’ regalia was thorny in local communities and has been on the agenda for almost a decade.
“It’s an issue we have discussed for about eight years with leaders expressing disdain with the current one which they say does not represent our cultural values as a people.
“We are, as a department, not in a position to say what exactly defines who we are as a people and have therefore decided to go national in seeking people and designers’ views on what will best suit our leaders,” said Mukwayira.
The current chiefs’ regalia is made up of a red and purple gown, a white helmet, a breastplate, a name badge and a walking stick.
It is particularly the red on the gown that continues to raise stink in local communities.
Officially, the red signifies a chief’s judicial power but in local context red is widely viewed as a colour that signifies blood and proponents for its abolition have pointed to the national flag where the colour signifies blood that was spilled by the gallant sons and daughters of this country in the liberation struggle.
Chief Zvimba expressed his disdain with the current regalia but fell short when asked what Zimbabwean culture really dictates when it comes to rulers’ regalia.
“The current one is a resemblance of the Europeans’ colonial legacy and it’s something we should not be associating with.
“The red gown is particularly a source of bother in that red symbolises blood and blood by nature is usually seen when misfortune befalls and honestly you wouldn’t want to think of blood when you see your chief, would you? “Others had suggested that we adopt black which was synonymous with spirit mediums, but again black is associated with evil spirits.
“If my views were to carry the day I would have proposed that we use the leopard skin as is the case in South Africa with such Kings as Zwelithini of the Zululand.
“One would have also expected to see such things as popular national monuments that define who we are as a people and where we are coming from like the Great Zimbabwe, for example, on the breast plate,” said Chief Zvimba.
Mashonaland East Chiefs’ Council Chairman Chief Musarurwa, born Enos Musarurwa, who is also a Senator, is particularly not happy with the current head gear as well as the red gown and will be happy to see gold or diamond ornaments on the new regalia.
“We might spend the whole day debating on what exactly will be most appropriate in terms of colours and the like, but the bottom line is what we want is something with respect that shows one is royal.
“That hat we are currently using which looks like (pop star) Michael Jackson’s is not appropriate and we do not want to see it on the new regalia.
“Then there are things like gold ornaments that you have on mayors’ robes, surely these are things that we would also want on the new regalia and even diamond-decorated name tags.
“On the colour of the gown red is completely out.
“I don’t know what others think, but purple is a royal colour and I would want to see it returning together with such colours as green, which represent life,” said Chief Musarurwa.
Historian Dr Joseph Mujere of the University of Zimbabwe said it was commendable that the authorities have finally decided to get rid of the colonial legacy that is in the current regalia, but noted it will be difficult to come up with one that will be accepted nationally.
“The replacement process is going to be tricky in that cultural dictates differ from one locality to the other. So what might be accepted by a particular community might be alien to the other.
“I am not in a position to state as a matter of fact that such and such regalia is the true reflection of our culture but there are some symbolic artefacts that cut the social divide like the popular head gear “ndoro”, animal skin, and the walking sick,” said Dr Mujere.
With such differences in opinion, the Department of Traditional Leadership Support Services might as well consider allowing chiefs to use different regalia that best suits their communities and themselves.
A common breastplate and a name badge might then be the common denominator while individual chiefs are allowed to chose their own regalia which best suits their localities.
