The Statue of Mbuya Nehanda is a bronze monument of a Zimbabwean Shona spirit medium and heroine of the 1896-1897

First Chimurenga The Second Matabele War, also known as the Matabeleland Rebellion or part of what is now known in Zimbabwe as the First ''Chimurenga'', was fought between 1896 and 1897 in the region later known as Southern Rhodesia, now modern-day Zimbabwe. ...

war against British colonists. The monument is erected at the intersection of Samora Machel Avenue and Julias Nyerere Way in Harare's central business district.

Background

It is the first statue of a Zimbabwean female liberation war hero and was unveiled on Africa Day, 25 May 2021. The monument is part of the

National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe The National Monuments of Zimbabwe are protected and promoted in accordance with the National Museums and Monuments Act 1972. This law replaced the colonial-era Monuments and Relics Act 1936, which in turn replaced the 1902 Ancient Monuments Prote ...

. The 3-meter high statue crafting was guided by a photograph of Mbuya

Nehanda Charwe Nyakasikana Nehanda Charwe Nyakasikana also known as Mbuya Nehanda ( 1840–1898) was a '' svikiro'', or spirit medium of the Zezuru Shona people. She was a medium of Nehanda, a female Shona mhondoro (a powerful and respected ancestral spirit). As one of t ...

that was supplied by the National Archives of Zimbabwe. It was crafted by Mr David Mutasa, a bronze casting artist at Nyati Gallery; construction of the site was carried out by Zimbabwe CRSG Construction. Construction began in June 2020 and during construction, portions of Harare CBD roads including Samora Machel Avenue between Leopold Takawira Street and First Street and Julius Nyerere Way between Sam Nujoma Street and Kwame Nkurumah Avenue were temporarily closed. Construction was scheduled to be completed by August 2020 but took longer than expected. In December 2020, Zimbabwe President

Emmerson Mnangagwa Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa (, American English, US: (); born 15 September 1942) is a Zimbabwean politician who has served as President of Zimbabwe since 24 November 2017. A member of ZANU–PF and a longtime ally of former President Robert Muga ...

ordered the statue to be re-crafted after public criticism of the statue's structure, which did not depict how the only known photo of

Mbuya Nehanda Nehanda Charwe Nyakasikana also known as Mbuya Nehanda ( 1840–1898) was a '' svikiro'', or spirit medium of the Zezuru Shona people. She was a medium of Nehanda, a female Shona mhondoro (a powerful and respected ancestral spirit). As one of t ...

looked like, after the statue's images went viral on social media during the president's visit to Nyati Gallery.

Controversy

The idea of making and constructing this statue project sparked public debate and criticism from public figures and analysts like Fadzayi Mahere and

Tsitsi Dangarembga Tsitsi Dangarembga (born 4 February 1959) is a Zimbabwean novelist, playwright and filmmaker. Her debut novel, ''Nervous Conditions'' (1988), which was the first to be published in English by a Black woman from Zimbabwe, was named by the BBC in ...

questioning the government's priorities in its decision to spend an undisclosed amount of money on the statue while the economy and health system are in a state of collapse. More criticism emerged when the statue had to be remade after the original sculpture was rejected for not looking enough like Mbuya Nehanda. The actual cost of this project is unknown, although popular journalist

Hopewell Chin'ono Hopewell Rugoho-Chin'ono is a Zimbabwean journalist. He has won numerous awards in journalism and has worked in both Print media, print and broadcasting journalism. He was a fellow at Harvard. History Hopewell Rugoho-Chin'ono is a documentary film ...

claimed that transportation of materials from South Africa for crafting the statue alone cost US$100,000.

References

{{Reflist 2021 sculptures Bronze sculptures Sculptures of women Statues