Chihera in Zimbabwe A Radical African Feminist Principle

Zimbabwean social media has been awash with images of a woman character, spirit, or concept called Chihera. Traditionally, a woman descending from the Mhofu (Eland) lineage/totem is known as Chihera.  In the cumulative tradition of the Shona (a Zimbabwean ethnic group), Chihera is a fiercely independent, assertive, free spirited, and no nonsense woman.  

This volume seeks to deepen reflections on the Chihera phenomenon in the context of the search for gender justice in Zimbabwe and Africa. The authors reflect on how this radical indigenous feminist ethic circulating on social media can animate the quest for Zimbabwean and African women’s full liberation from patriarchy and all oppressive forces. They grapple with the issue of generating culturally sensitive theories and approaches to galvanize the struggle for African women’s liberation in post-colonial settings. Second, they locate the Chihera mystique in the context of the practical struggle for women’s empowerment. Third, the volume illustrates how the Chihera phenomenon could be utilized for gender justice in Zimbabwe and beyond. 

Introducing a Radical African Indigenous Feminist Principle: Chihera in Zimbabwe.- Part I Chihera in the Spiritual Hierarchy: Traversing Patriarchy.- 2 Chihera in the Ancestral Realm: Exploring Female Ancestry Among the Hera People in Buhera, Zimbabwe.- 3 VaChihera: A Profile of Ndakaziva.-  4 Chihera: Renegotiating the Status of Women in Shona Indigenous Culture in Zimbabwe.- 5 Chiheras’ Twenty-First-Century Profiling: Re-converging from Past Divisions in Monolithic Defying of Traditional Patriarchal Culture.-  Part II From the mouths of Chiheras and Mhofuyokuno: Disrupting Patriarchy.-  6 Ndini Chihera (I Am Chihera): An African Womanist Perspective on the Chihera Identity in Zimbabwe.-  7 Ndini Baba vaChihera (I Am Chihera’s Father): A Narrative of the Chihera Persona.- 8 “Please Understand Me, I Am Chihera”: Issues of Character and Traits Among the Indigenous Zimbabwean Women of the Chihera Totem.-  9 Chihera’s Story: Keeping Ubuntu Alive Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic.-  10 Revisiting Totemic Praise Names: Chihera as Metaphor of Addressing Gender-Based and Sexual Violence in Post-colonial Zimbabwe.-  Part III Subverting Patriarchy: Chihera Persona in the Film Industry and Advocacy for Gender Parity.-  11 Chihera in Film: The Subversion of Patriarchal and Customary Laws of Inheritance as Depicted in the Zimbabwean Feature Film Neria (1991).-  12 Genderising the Social Media: Analysing Chihera’s Antics in the Zimbabwean Context.- 13 Socially Constructed Discourse on Chihera: An Asset or Liability in Zimbabwe’s Envisioned Gender Equal Society.-  Part IV Chihera Prototype Navigating the Zimbabwean Genderised Economic Sector.- 14 “If only it wasn’t for me” Chihera as Head of the Family in a Time of Economic Crisis.- 15 Patriarchy and Disability: A Culture of Ubuntu, African Women with Disabilities and Sustainable Livelihoods in Matetsi Community, Zimbabwe.- Part V Confounding Chihera: Patriarchy Fights Back.-  16 The Chihera Mystique in Selected Writings by African Women Theologians.- 17 Chihera as a Game Changer in the African Churches’ Masculine Leadership Hierarchy: A Case Study of the Apostolic Faith Mission in Zimbabwe.- 18 Chihera’s Matriarchal Traits: A Mirror of Reverse Patriarchy.- 19 Implications of Consolidating Patriarchy Through Exploitation of “Better” Ways of Conveying Disagreeable Practices to Chihera, the Epitome of Empowered Women in Zimbabwe.-  

Ezra Chitando is Professor of History and Phenomenology of Religion and World Council of Churches Theology Consultant on HIV and AIDS in Africa.

Sophia Chirongoma is a senior lecturer in the Religious Studies Department at Midlands State University, Zimbabwe. She is also an academic associate/research fellow at the Research Institute for Theology and Religion (RITR) at UNISA.