Harurwa (Edible Stinkbugs) and Conservation in South-Eastern Zimbabwe
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FOREST INSECTS, PERSONHOOD AND THE ENVIRONMENT: HARURWA (EDIBLE STINKBUGS) AND CONSERVATION IN SOUTH-EASTERN ZIMBABWE MUNYARADZI MAWERE (MWRMUN001) Thesis Submitted For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the Department of Social Anthropology, School of African and Gender Studies, Anthropology and Linguistics University of Cape Town August 2014 University of Cape Town Supervisors: A/PROF. LESLEY GREEN DR. FRANK MATOSE The copyright of this thesis vests in the author. No quotation from it or information derived from it is to be published without full acknowledgement of the source. The thesis is to be used for private study or non- commercial research purposes only. Published by the University of Cape Town (UCT) in terms of the non-exclusive license granted to UCT by the author. University of Cape Town Declaration I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person nor material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma of the university or other institute of higher learning, except where due acknowledgement has been made in the text. Signature……………………………………………………………………………………….. Date……………………………………………………………………………………………. i Acknowledgements My fieldwork in the Norumedzo and the writing of this thesis involved the help of many people. Prior to my field research, my training at the University of Cape Town was shaped under the guidance of A/Prof. Lesley Green, Prof. Francis B. Nyamnjoh, Prof Fiona Ross, Prof. Jean Pierre Warnier and Prof. Akhil Gupta. The latter two were Visiting Professors in the Department of Social Anthropology at the University of Cape Town in 2011. I am especially grateful to my main supervisor A/Prof. Lesley Green for her unwavering support, untiring guidance, acute insights and unparallel expertise that made this thesis a laudable reality. Your encouragement and faith in my work emboldened me to work more speedily and effectively than otherwise I might have done. To my co-supervisor Dr. Frank Matose, I thank you for the informative signposts, unflagging support, and constructive comments that you expeditiously rendered during my long tiring, but exciting journey. I am similarly indebted to Prof. Marisol de La Cadena, Prof. Helen Verran, Prof. Viveiros de Castro, Prof. Laura Rival, Prof. David Turnball, Prof Mario Blaser, and the rest of University of Cape Town Sawyer Seminar Series Visiting Fellows who saw the potential of this work during a conference in Cape Town in 2011 and cheered me onward. I also wish to acknowledge my indebtedness to the members of Norumedzo Communal Area, and in particular the Machirara High School Administration, Machirara School Development Committee (SDC), and the Bikita District Education Officer (DEO), Mr Lawrence Jenjedzwa for their generous hospitality and for accommodating me during my twelve and half months fieldwork research in the Norumedzo. From the Norumedzo community, I single out Chief Chapwanya Mukombe Norumedzo for allowing me to carry out research in his area and for his steadfast support throughout my fieldwork. My profound and honest gratitude also go to my two key informants/research assistants, Mr Tendai Uriga and Mr James Mugumisi for helping me in collecting valuable data for my research during fieldwork. To the District Administrator, Mr Senza, I thank you so much for directing and recommending me to Chief Norumedzo for assistance on my research. Much the same can be said of my numerous other friends in the Norumedzo from whom I benefited greatly socially and morally during fieldwork. There are few words to convey my gratitude for their patience, their invaluable much-needed trust, sincere hospitality, and for providing me with relevant data for my research. ii The workshops and discussions we held as PhD students with colleagues such as Marieke Norton, Artwell Nhemachena, Joshua B. Cohen, Christopher M. Mabeza, and Kelsey Draper cannot go without mention. They were very exciting, insightful and challenging, and I benefited immensely from them. Thanks, A/Prof Green, for organising such eventful workshops. To the Wenner-Gren Foundation, no words can adequately express my profound gratitude for sponsoring my studies throughout my PhD journey. To Judith Kreid, the International Programmes Officer for Wenner-Gren Foundation, many many thanks for your support. You were so encouraging. My wife, Annastacia Mawere, you overwhelmingly supported me and endured loneliness during the long journey of my study. To Panashe and Probity, my daughters, your tender but incredible resilience during the lousy days of tiresome academic work is worth praising. Thank you for the endurance, love and moral support. To my late mom and dad, Sarah and Enock Mawere, I humbly, gratefully and posthumously dedicate this work, which you did not live long enough to cherish its blossoming. May your souls rest in eternal peace! To my brothers and sisters, I thank you all for your unwavering moral support that boosted not only my confidence but encouraged me to work even harder. Finally to God, you will not cease to amaze me for faithfully keeping your promise that you will take me throughout this lengthy, tedious and demanding journey. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements...................................................................................................................ii Abstract.....................................................................................................................................vi List of Acronyms and Abbreviations........................................................................................ix Instruments..............................................................................................................................xi Glossary of terms....................................................................................................................xiv INTRODUCTION: Setting the Research Agenda...................................................................1 Background to environment conservation and insects debates in Zimbabwe.......................13 Harurwa in Zimbabwe.............................................................................................................21 Why harurwa?...........................................................................................................................22 Research questions…………………………………………………………………………….23 The importance of studying humans and other beings relationships....................................24 Theoretical framework of the study.........................................................................................25 CHAPTER 1: Fieldwork site background and methodological issues...................................28 Entering the fieldwork site......................................................................................................28 Study area: Norumedzo Communal Area................................................................................31 The governance or administrative context in Norumedzo.....................................................37 Ethnographic and methodological approaches......................................................................43 Selection of site and participants.............................................................................................................................45 Multispecies ethnography........................................................................................................................................47 Specific research methods.......................................................................................................49 Justification..............................................................................................................................57 Ethical considerations of the study.........................................................................................63 iv Organisation of the dissertation………………………………………………………………..65 CHAPTER 2: Harurwa and the challenge of the jiri..............................................................68 Introduction.............................................................................................................................68 The Norumedzo Jiri.................................................................................................................68 Understanding harurwa...........................................................................................................74 Ritual ceremonies and cultural beliefs associated with harurwa............................................82 Post-humanities perspective in conservation and the conservation problems in Zimbabwe: A critique.....................................................................................................................................89 Challenging conservation in Zimbabwe..................................................................................95 CHAPTER 3: Personhood, stories on harurwa origins and social networks: Relationalities and conservation practices in the Norumedzo………………………………………………..98 Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………..98 Ethnographic accounts of personhood in Norumedzo Communal Area.....………………...99 The origins of harurwa in Norumedzo……..…………….…………………………………..106 Nemeso discovered harurwa................................................................................................................................108