Zimbabwe: Information a Shona tribe named "Vambire" and forced marriage and forced circumcision practice among the Shona ethnic group in order to avenge the spirit "Ngozi," especially in district of Wedza and the province of Mashonaland
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 6 December 2001 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ZWE38160.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Zimbabwe: Information a Shona tribe named "Vambire" and forced marriage and forced circumcision practice among the Shona ethnic group in order to avenge the spirit "Ngozi," especially in district of Wedza and the province of Mashonaland, 6 December 2001, ZWE38160.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3df4bece1c.html [accessed 20 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Referring to the tradition of the Shona, The Sunday Times wrote the following:
In the tradition of the Shona, the Bantu-speaking people who comprise three-quarters of Zimbabwe's population, the spirits of the dead have easy contact with the living and have the power to "possess" an individual. Normally they are benevolent and protect him - but if angered they can bring sickness ...
The ngozi is the spirit of someone who died violently or in extreme anger or bitterness. It never finds rest until full retribution has been made; it continues to haunt until fully placated, when at last it is allowed to join the rest of the spirit world (11 Aug. 2001).
An article appearing on the University Scholars Programme Website stated that,
In Shona religion, in addition to the guarding characteristics of the vadzimu, there are also avenging or evil spirits, ngozi, and witches who communicate with them. The ngozi are, briefly, the spirits of deceased individuals who were greatly wronged, neglected by a spouse, murdered, or otherwise neglected, and they attack through sudden death of several members of the same family, or through ill people who fail to respond to treatment (The Literature & Cultural of Zimbabwe 9 Apr. 2000).
Describing the HIV/AIDS situation in Zimbabwe, Solomon Mutetwa wrote in a recent Financial Gazette article that,
Other Zimbabwean traditional customs which act as major conduits for the transmission of HIV, are levirate (compulsory marriage of a widow to a brother of her deceased husband), kupindira (a secret relationship orchestrated by family elders that allows an impotent husband's younger brother to have sex with the brother's wife for the sake of getting her pregnant) and requiring a teenage girl to be married as a way of settling a debt with another family or ridding a family of avenging evil spirits (ngozi) (1 Oct. 2001).
No information on the "Vambire" group or on forced circumcision among the Shona ethnic group or specifically concerning Wedza district or Mashonaland province could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
The Financial Gazette [Harare]. 1 October 2001. Dr. Solomon Muterwa. "Men Can Stop the HIV/AIDS Epidemic."
The Sunday Times. 12 August 2001. RW Johnson. "Paranoid Mugabe Dines With a Ghost.
The Literature & Culture of Zimbabwe. 9 April 2001. Hilde Arntsen. "Shona and Ndebele Religions." University Scholars Programme [Singapore]
Additional Sources Consulted
No response to a 3 December 2001 letter requesting information to the office of the Women Action Group (WAG) (Harare) and to the Women in Law and Development in Africa (WILDA) (Harare) in Zimbabwe has been received.
Africa Confidential 1998-2001.
Africa Reset Bulletin 1998-2001.
IRB Databases.
Jeune Afrique/L'Intelligent 1998-2001.
LEXIS/NEXIS.
Resource Centre country file. Zimbabwe.
Web sites, including:
Amnesty International.
BBC Africa.
FGM.
Zimbabwe Human Rights ONG Forum.
The Mail & Guardian [Johannesburg].
Human Rights Watch (HRW).
Immigration &Nationality Directorate, UK.
Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)
Missionary Service News Agency (MISNA).
Panafrican News Agency (PANA).
ReliefWeb.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Zimbabwe Independent [Harare].
Zimbabwe Human Rights ONG Forum.
Zimbabwe Standard [Harare].
Zwnews.
