Komba : girls' initiation rite and inculturation among the VaRemba of Zimbabwe

Peer reviewedThis article seeks to explore the Komba traditional rites practised by the VaRemba people of the Shona-Karanga ethnic group in Zimbabwe. The “Komba rite” is intended to move a mature girl (mhandra) from the state of girlhood to that of womanhood. It is also meant to initiate vashenji (uncircumcised non-VaRemba) women who marry VaRemba men into their female traditions and customs. While Christianity despised this rite as “paganism” and not acceptable to its faith, the VaRemba Christians practise it in good faith. This article will therefore explore the relationship of the Komba ritual to some Catholic Church sacraments. It will attempt to address the problem of whether the rite can be accommodated into Catholic sacraments such as baptism, confirmation and matrimony, and argues for the possible inculturation of the Komba rite.Research Institute for Theology and Religio

From ashes to ashes, dust to dust : cremation and the Shona concept of death and burial in Zimbabwe

Peer reviewedThe increasing death rate in Zimbabwe, caused mainly by HIV/AIDS, has resulted in a shortage of burial space, especially in towns. This, along with the cost of burials, has sparked problems related to notions of death and the hereafter in Zimbabwe. Since 1992, cremation has been put forward as a way of alleviating these spatial and economic problems. However, this option is not very popular with the Shona people, who prefer to observe the conventional burial practices enshrined in their traditional culture. Whilst they are open to new, modern ideas, they are resistant to the notion of cremation, which is regarded as alien and “un-African”. They would rather exhaust all resources to have a traditional funeral. This article explores burial practices among the Shona people of Zimbabwe and their resistance to cremation. It contends that cremation is a viable alternative mode of disposal of the dead, as it is cost-effective and there are theological precedents for this practice.Research Institute for Theology and Religio

Karanga Traditional Medicine and Healing

In this paper we present the Karanga traditional system of therapy of illness and disease manifest in the treatments administered by the medical practitioners. In order to establish the traditional system of therapy of illness and disease, numerous interviews were carried out with healers, herbalists and elders in the field area. This enabled a systematic compilation of cases. There was also the pressing need to be present at rituals and instances where healing was effected and to observe therapeutic processes