**THE ENDURING LEGACY OF AMBUYA NEHANDA: UNITY, SPIRITUALITY, AND THE PRESERVATION OF ZIMBABWE’S INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE* Join our community for more updates https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vai0FQJ11ulJHRRO3r0l In the sacred soil of Dzimbabwe, the spirit of *Ambuya Nehanda* — revered heroine, spiritual medium, and freedom icon — continues to live, breathe, and guide generations. Her defiant voice against colonial injustice still echoes today, not only in historical memory but also in her enduring *SIX COMMANDMENTS * conveyed through her last known medium, *Mbuya MAZVIONA.* These teachings are not relics of the past but foundational principles rooted in unity, spirituality, leadership accountability, environmental guardianship, and cultural integrity. Today, as our society wrestles with modern challenges — from identity crises to ecological degradation, from leadership dilemmas and amnesia to fractured communities — Nehanda’s sacred instructions emerge as strategic pillars for a just, inclusive, and prosperous Zimbabwe. *The Six Commandments of Ambuya Nehanda* These commandments were not imposed edicts, but sacred covenants meant to guide the rebirth of our nation. Each commandment is a seed of nation-building, healing, and spiritual alignment: 1. *Return the Land to Our Ancestors* “Kana mapedza hondo, dzoserai nyika kuna madzitateguru.” - Upon victory, return the land to our forefathers. Land is not just economic; it is sacred. It is where our ancestors rest and our spiritual identity is rooted. 2. *Appoint Leaders Through Traditional Means* Leaders must be selected through community consensus, rituals, and ancestral blessings, ensuring spiritual and communal legitimacy. 3. *Protect Sacred Forests (Midhara — ancestral groves typically near villages, Nharira, Dambakurimwa)* These forests are not merely ecological zones; they are living shrines of ancestral memory. The sacred forests of Dzimbabwe are integral to the country’s creation myths, reflecting the deep interweaving of ancestry, nature, culture, heritage, and spirituality. As we face climate change and biodiversity loss, this commandment is a clarion call to protect what is both ecologically essential and spiritually irreplaceable. 4. *Safeguard Sacred Sites – Even If Occupied by Enemies* Sacred spaces — rivers, hills, caves, graves — must be respected and cleansed. These are Zimbabwe’s living heritage, essential to our cultural and spiritual continuity, progression, purity and or perfection. 5. *Leaders Must Be Chosen by the People and Sworn Through Ritual* Authority must be grounded in both community will and ancestral rites. True leadership is accountable to both the human physical realm (Nyika-Vanhu) and the spiritual realm (Nyika-Dzimu). 6. *Offer Traditional Beer as Part of Ceremony (Doro Remadzinza)* Traditional beer brewed from millet and sorghum symbolizes unity, gratitude, and ancestral communion. It is central in rituals that bind the living with the departed and unite the community. *Why This Matters Today: Rebuilding Through Unity and Cultural Renewal* Ambuya Nehanda’s commandments are a national blueprint that transcends any locally existing religion, political, academic/philosophical/intellectual, social, and economic/industrial classes and systems. They guide us in: * *Fostering National Unity:* By reclaiming and celebrating our shared history and spiritual traditions, we can restore harmony and cohesion. * *Preserving Intangible Cultural Heritage:* Sacred sites, rituals, languages, and practices are vital to our unique sovereign identity or composition and must be jealously guided and preserved. * *Promoting Environmental Stewardship* The call to protect sacred forests and sites aligns powerfully with today’s need for sustainable development and climate resilience. The sacred mountains, caves, waters and forests of Dzimbabwe remind us of our interdependence with nature and the ancestors. As custodians of the land, we must ensure that modern development does not destroy the spiritual and ecological foundations of our heritage. It ought to dawn on each and every citizenry of Dzimbahwe that, one cannot explicitly separate between nature and spirituality - just like the head and tail of the same coin. Nature and spirituality exist in tranquility, reciprocation, resonance and equilibrium. These commandments challenge us to reflect on our relationship with the entire land falling within our jurisdiction, guardianship or custodianship, to conserve sacred spaces, and to pass on a formidable vibrant rich, living legacy to future generations. *A Message to All: Legislators, Chiefs, Mhondoro, Masvikiro, Academics, and Common Citizens* * *To Legislators:*. Embrace indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) in policy. Let our laws reflect ancestral wisdom and ecological consciousness. * *To Chiefs, Headmen, and Spiritual Leaders:* You are the guardians of these sacred commandments. Use them to resolve conflict, teach youth, and bless the land. * *To Teachers and Academics:* Integrate Nehanda’s teachings into curricula. Teach the value of our own epistemologies. * *To Communities:* Reclaim our pride. Let us walk without shame, revive our totems, stories, dances, and rituals. This is where our strength lies. *Conclusion:* _*Let Us Collectively Reclaim, Restore, and Rise Together*_ Ambuya Nehanda’s legacy offers a sacred compass for our times. By returning to her commandments, we do more than honour a heroine — we reconnect to our roots, our values, and our future. Without shame. Without exclusion. Without excuses. Without compromise. Without deceit. Without leaving anyone behind. Without leaving any place behind. *Compiled By - Tigere Mubayiwa* *Contact Information:* Email - *[email protected]* *NB: LET US RETELL OUR NARRATIVES. 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