HERITAGE & LANGUAGE

Explore Zimbabwe’s Culture

Traditions, language, history — explore 500,000 years of Zimbabwe.

Ask ZiRA →Teach me Ndebele

Phrasebook

Mhoroi

Hello

Sawubona

Hello

Maita basa

Thank you

Ndeipi

What’s up

Unjani?

How are you?

Mangwanani

Good morning

500,000 YEARS OF ZIMBABWE

The eras

Stone Age~500,000 BCE – 1000Acheulean tools at Chirundu, San rock art at Matobo and Bambata Cave.

Great Zimbabwe1000 – 1500Stone city rises. Mapungubwe trade routes. Khami and Naletale follow.

Kingdoms1500 – 1890Mutapa, Rozvi, then Mzilikazi’s Ndebele kingdom under Lobengula.

Colonial1890 – 1980Pioneer Column, First and Second Chimurenga, UDI, the bush war.

Independence1980 – 2000Rufaro Stadium, 18 April 1980. Lancaster House. The Unity Accord.

Modern2000 – todayLand reform, ZiG, mbira inscribed by UNESCO in 2020.

ZIMBABWE HISTORY MAP

TOPICS

Pick a topic

/01

Shona & Ndebele

Roughly 80% of Zimbabweans speak Shona; Ndebele (isiNdebele) is the language of Matabeleland and Bulawayo. Greetings carry weight — Mhoro, Sawubona, Mangwanani, Makadii?

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/02

Great Zimbabwe

A medieval stone city built between the 11th and 15th centuries, housing up to 18,000 people. Walls 11 metres high stand without mortar. ‘Dzimba dza mabwe’ — houses of stone — gave the country its name.

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/03

Roora (Lobola)

Far more than a bride price — roora formalises the bond between two families. The groom’s family negotiates through a munyai. Honour, gratitude, and commitment.

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/04

Mbira

The mbira dzavadzimu is a thumb piano whose interlocking melodies have been central to Shona spiritual life for over 1,000 years. UNESCO inscribed it in 2020.

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/05

Victoria Falls

Mosi-oa-Tunya — 1,708m wide, 108m high. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Natural Wonders. The spray is visible from 50km away.

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/06

Sadza & Dovi

Sadza — thick maize meal porridge eaten with the right hand, rolled into a ball, dipped into relish. Dovi — rich peanut butter stew over sadza. The flavours of home.

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ZiRA knows thousands of topics about Zimbabwe — from totems to townships, from mbira to madora. Just ask.