CHIVHU | RURAL ZIMBABWE | RUHUKWA VILLAGE | The Totem System | Zimbabwean Heritage & Culture

I was born and raised in Mutare. My rural home is in Chivhu, Mashonaland East. This is where my father's family is from. My mother is from Honde Valley in Manicaland. I am a grandchild of both areas, but treated totally different. I have claim to land and other benefits in Chivhu, I have no claim of anything in Honde Valley. I feel that our culture and customs are biased towards men. In my fathers family I am up the family ladder. In my mothers family, as son of a daughter, I am further down the ladder. There are family meetings from my mothers side that I could be excluded from, and it would be normal. These are just subtle differences i see and experience. Your father's side is where your identity from, in this case mine is Chivhu.

We used to go to Chivhu on school holidays. Spending 4 weeks in the rural countryside, living and experiencing a different way of life. Cities can get congested, I like to get away to space once in a while. I have life skills today, that are attributed to experiencing the rural life.

My father was raised by his maternal grandmother. He met his father and the rest of the family for the first time when he was 20. My father had been using his mother's maiden name. Upon meeting his father he was renamed Muwaniri, in honor of my great grandfather Muwanirwi. Somehow, when my father was registering his new name, the office accidentally forgot the 'w'. So instead of Muwanirwi, we are called Muwaniri. The commonly used name is Ruhukwa

Unfortunately both my grandparents in Chivhu are late. There has also been a lot of rural to urban migration, leaving only the elderly behind. Ruhukwa village has been affected by this. There are less people living in the village now than there used to be. Relatives come back to visit during Christmas and Easter. More needs to be done to bring industry and job to rural areas in Zimbabwe. Urban areas have become too crowded, crime and homelessness is on the rise. In my opinion urban life is overrated, I would prefer a blend of the 2 areas.

Please do not forget to Like, Share and Subscribe to my channel for more interesting documentaries. I promise to continue to not disappoint...

Видео CHIVHU | RURAL ZIMBABWE | RUHUKWA VILLAGE | The Totem System | Zimbabwean Heritage & Culture канала Sinyoro Abroad