shona ShoKitchen Architecture & Design Ndendebele Real Valery Manyuchi KITCHEN ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN SHONDE Real Valery Manyuchi Acknowledgements All thanks to God for being with my mum and l through all the steps l took to produce this book. Her support gave me the courage to persevere with the project which sometimes proved to be complex. With her support and advice l gained more strength and wisdom. With- out my mother’s encouragement and support, l would have found this task difficult. Despite her ill health she continued to give advice. A number of people helped me with information through my mother and these are Mrs. E. Mvura of Chegutu, Mr. D.Mpofu (Umzingwane), Mr. N. Mpofu (Umzingwane), Mr. M. Nyathi (Matopo), Mrs. Moyo (Bulawayo), my grand parents Mr. and Mrs. H.E. Chikuhuhu, my uncle Owen Chikuhuhu who helped me with the design part of the structure. Nonsi Mutiti’s encouragement and ideas she gave me are highly appreciated. Many thanks 10 also go to my Professor Mr. Mafundikwa for 11 Acknowledgements inspiring me and being patient with me despite Acknowledgements the short comings l had when l was working on the project. All these people’s contributions helped me understand the cultural values of my own people. Contents Acknowledgements 6 Contents Foreword 14 History 24 Culture and Society 44 Architecture 68 Motifs 104 Conclusion 118 Biliography 124 Foreword The information presented in this book was collected through interviews with elders, documentary research and through the internet. Many people interviewed have shown much interest because they want to share information about their African customs. They felt that it was important for those who are growing today in mixed cultures- African and Western, to learn more about their own cultures. The main focus of this book is on traditional and modern Shona It should also be remembered that due to ethnic and Ndebele (hence the book is titled ShoNde) history, variations, the details on the structures, history culture and kitchen structures. or cultures may differ as experienced in different areas. Also, the time to carry out- depeer The book will be useful in the sense that it research was limited due to the timeframe of will help readers understand the Ndebele and the project. l hope whatever information is Shona cultures and why they designed their provided will stimulate the reader’s interest to kitchens using specific structures. As the kitchen seek more information from other sources. structures continue changing it became increasingly important to understand why. Photographs of the present kitchen were taken. 18 19 Foreword Readers should take note of the fact that when Foreword people talk of the Shona this includes different groups who consist of the Zezuru, Manyika, Ndau, Karanga and the Korekore. Also when people talk of the Ndebele they should think of the Nguni who consisted of the people who spoke different dialects like Zulu, Xhosa, Thembu, Mpondo, and Swazi. The origin of the Ndebele will be discussed in detail later on in the section on history. 21 Introduction Introduction Zimbabwe is situated in the southern part of Africa with Botswana, Zambia, Mozambique and South Africa bordering it. The country was named after the famous 11th century stone-built city of Great Zimbabwe. Its population is divided into ethnic groups, the two main ones- Shona, Ndebele and the so called minority groups of the Tonga, Venda, Kalanga and the Nambia. Zimbabwe was a site of several African States - the Great Zimbabwe, Mutapa and the Rozvi Empire. Zimbabwe was a British colony from the late 1800’s until 1965 when the then current regime declared self independence which the British refused to recognize. In 1980 Zimbabwe became independent under black majority rule. It would not be enough to fail to mention the natural regions that influence the kitchen 22 A brief overview of Zimbabwe structures of the locals. These are region one to five. 23 Introduction Introduction Zimbabwean climate is dependent on the rains brought in by seasonal winds. Region one and two have a favourable climate which produces a rich green landscape. The regions are among the most favourable because they have rich farm land. Region three is also good for crop farming though the rain is not as favourable as that in region one and two. Regions four and five are not favorable for crop farming because of dryness. These regions are favorable for cattle ranching and wild life. The Ndebele mainly settle in regions four and five. The Shonas are scattered in areas that are in the region one to five. The book came into being as a thesis project when l was in my final year (GD2) at Zimbabwe Institute of Vigital Arts. I chose the project because l personally wanted to understand why certain things were/are done in my own African society. The colonialists had a tendency of wanting to convince the local inhabitants that when they arrived that’s when Africans started being organized. It was actually the opposite. When they came they took us out of our own ways of doing things. However, our own ways of doing things did not disappear completely though there is a mixture of other cultures. Since societies consist of groupings or arrangements of peo- ple, different structures were built depending on what 24 About the book a particular group valued. Structures were designed for different 25 Introduction purposes and different values were attached to specific structures. Introduction A kitchen structure had or still has its social values which are going to be discussed in the book. The values extend from such items as appeasing the spirits, holding ceremonies etc. The social values of a kitchen structure are far reaching and important. It is the cornerstone of a social structure in a home. 27 History History The source of the Ndebele and the Shona history, in this book was from different literature that is going to be included in the bibliography. Part of the information was from oral tradition passed on from person to person through several generations as shown in the picture on page 23. Those interviewed were part of the source of information. Before writing the history of the Shona and the Ndebele it is 28 important to show the regions where they are inhabited. 29 History The regional or geographical feature and culture influence the History type of structures built in the different areas. For readers to understand or have an idea of the regional demarcations they are encouraged to study the map shown: The Shona and powerful. As they conquered the local inhabitance they started building enclosures which became both political and religious centers. This is were the famous Great Zimbabwe originated from. As the population increased and the state grew in size some of the regions were entrusted to some of the men who became Chiefs. Though they pushed away the local inhabitants or placed them under their rule they humbled themselves and took the opportunity to learn from them. They learnt skills like pottery and metal work. Under the Shona rule, barter trading flourished mainly with the Portuguese. As time went on the Mbire group took over from the Rozvi whose 30 For about a thousand years, different communities lived on king was known as Mambo. The Mutapa Empire continued to 31 History hunting, farming, herding, mining, and trading. This pattern grow. The first Mambo of the new dynasty was Chikura Wadyamberi History of life was disturbed when migration of the Bantu people but his son Nyastimba Mutota founded the new empire. He was a started in central Africa. The migrants were scattered all over very ambitious leader and wanted to gain control of the gold Southern Africa and some of them crossed the Zambezi River and ivory trade routes. Because of his ambitions he set out into what is now Zimbabwe. Others settled in Zimbabwe’s on his career of conquest. He organized his warriors and neighboring countries, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, South marched northwards with a dream of winning a bigger kingdom Africa, and Mozambique. The Bantu speaking community that for himself. As they marched in great numbers most inhabitants crossed the Zambezi River into the Mutapa Kingdom was the fled from what they dubbed Makorekore (locusts). Mutota Shona. Their arrival influenced a lot of changes in the region. raided from the Great Zimbabwe to Dande were some of the They were not very peaceful people. On arrival they either Korekore people era settled today. Unlike the early Mambos drove away the local inhabitants or put them under their rule. Mutota was said to be a ruthless ruler. He was then given the The Shona warriors were skilled and fierce fighters and as a title Mwene Mutota which is Portuguese later though it was people their political and religious systems made them superior called Monomutota. When Mutota died his son Mtope took over, like his father he Stone Ruins continued with his conquest. The extension of the Mbire rule gained him complete control of the valuable trade routes. The Manyika and the Barwe were among those who were conquered. By the time of his death his empire had stretched from Zambezi to Limpopo and from the Kalahari Desert to the Indian Ocean. Due to the size of the empire, it was unmanageable and this resulted in tribes breaking away to form independent regions flourished and more buildings/structures were erected. The ruins of this complex of massive stone walls undulate across almost 1,800 acres of present-day southeastern Zimbabwe. Begun during the eleventh century A.D. by Bantu-speaking ancestors of the Shona, Great Zimbabwe was constructed and expanded for more than 300 years in 32 a local style that eschewed rectilinear for flowing curves.