The Sedated Sacred: A socioreligious analysis of Zimbabwe’s land reform programme and environmental degradation

Abstract

Traditionally, amongst the Shona of Zimbabwe environmental conservation was greatly tied to their religious beliefs. The use of taboos was meant to regulate the way natural resources were utilised. Academic scholars have noted how taboos played a crucial role not in only promoting environmental conservation but also in punishing those who would degrade the environment. Appealing to the sacred was a useful tool in ensuring adherence to the socioreligious beliefs that were meant to maintain sustainability within the environment. That colonialism tampered to a certain extent with these beliefs is well documented. Within the Zimbabwean context, the Fast Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP) of 2000 seems to have had a negative impact on what was left of the taboos amongst the various Shona ethnic groups. It is the contention of this chapter that the FTLRP has had the effect of 'sedating' the sacred, as people have violated the taboos related to the environment with impunity. The focus of this chapter is to find out if a process of reawakening the sacred amongst the Shona would help in promoting the kind of land ownership that is closely linked to environmental conservation, which would in turn eventually lead to sustainable development for Zimbabwean communities. In this endeavour, the critical role of women in environmental conservation needs some interrogation. The chapter is a desktop study, hence it draws largely on secondary sources. Ecowomanism will be used as the theoretical framework informing this study.

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“…Secondly, the resettlement programmes embarked upon by the government were not only chaotic but gendered as well. Manyonganise and Museka (2020) have shown how women were side-lined http://www.hts.org.za Open Access in the process of the Fast Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP). In their analysis, the silencing of women has resulted in the degradation of the environment.…”

“…These huts are manned by retired female teachers. Manyonganise and Museka (2020) applauded this development as one that is giving women a voice as well as creating spaces for critical engagement between women as culture teachers and the younger generation. Such spaces were shown to be critical for inculcating positive environmental attitudes in young people.…”

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“…In her presentation at the conference in Botswana, Molly Manyonganise from Zimbabwe posed the question: "Have we sedated the Holy Other?" (Manyonganise, 2019). The "Holy Other" is her definition of the Sacred.…”