Govt urged to protect Hurungwe mountain as heritage site 

Source: Govt urged to protect Hurungwe mountain as heritage site – NewsDay Zimbabwe

BY NHAU MANGIRAZI
TRADITIONAL leaders have called on government to consider protecting Hurungwe Mountain under Chief Kazangarare to ensure that it remains a heritage site.

Presenting a report during validation of Hurungwe Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) project yesterday, Tarisai Gusho an official at Chinhoyi University of Science and Technology (CUT) said research revealed that locals were the best custodians on environmental issues.

The project is headed by CUT Professor Jacob Mapara and funded by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco).

“From our research we noticed that locals preserve the environment. One site is Hurungwe Mountain that used to preserve environmental impact through better forests and wild animals. Unfortunately, some churches are not respecting this cultural heritage and history that is intangible,” Gusho said.

Gusho noted that Hurungwe district is rich in cultural values.

“We noticed social practices, rituals and festive seasons. These include oral traditions and expressions through performing arts as well knowledge and practice on nature and universe. Among other notable traditions include installation of a new chief that is still part of the history here,” she said.

Mapara said the ICH was making strides in researching the well-being of Korekore people, one of the underdeveloped cultures in Hurungwe district.

“The programme is being implemented by CUT working closely with the traditional leaders,” Mapara said. “Its main aim is to produce a comprehensive inventory of the oral traditions, expressions, local knowledge and practices of the communities of the Hurungwe district along Zambezi River that borders Zambia and Zimbabwe within Southern Africa.”

The project has been running since October 2019.