First Lady hosts Gota/Nhanga/Ixhiba

Tendai Rupapa in MURAMBINDA

THOUSANDS of learners from the country’s 10 provinces were yesterday treated to a Children’s Party with a difference, thanks to First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa who held a special Nhanga/Gota/Ixhiba session for them reinforcing the need for them to focus on their studies, exercise self-discipline and shun peer pressure, drugs and early sexual relationships.

A disturbing new trend was revealed during Nhanga session that some girls were conspiring with their friends to lure their fathers into romantic relationships to milk them of money. Such relationships were also cited as reasons behind a surge in sexually transmitted infections, early pregnancies leading to even suicides.

The Children’s party is an annual event that precedes Independence Day celebrations and is hosted by the President and First Lady.

During the Nhanga/Gota/Ixhiba, there were various chores which were showcased by both boys and girls.

The activities included grinding on stone, pounding and preparing traditional dishes.

Children were also taught to slaughter and dress road runner chickens, prepare dried vegetables, vegetables mixed with beef, kapenta in peanut butter, madhumbe, magogoya, mutakura, sadza rezviyo and mhunga among other mouth watering cuisines.

While girls were in Nhanga with the First Lady, spouses of chiefs and elderly women, boys were in the Gota with chiefs and elderly men.

Boys were taught to slaughter a goat and prepare it for the pot.

The mother of the nation implored the children to embrace her life teachings so that they can live exemplary lives.

“My children today I have come to speak to you in the company of elderly women. We want to discuss everything and you should not be shy. Vanambuya, we want to catch them young before they delve into bad behaviours. If there is anyone who was lost we correct her,” she said.

“Nhai vanangu chii chinombonzi musikana akakwana,” the First Lady asked. In response, the girls said a girl who has never slept with a man.

She went further and asked the challenges associated with early sexual relations whereupon the children pointed at diseases, pregnancy and the prospects of dropping out of school.

“My daughters do not get infamous for being a girl of loose morals. Value your body, refuse to be fondled by boys. Do you know that you are precious and your body is the temple of the Lord therefore stay pure? Education is key, say no to early sexual relationships. Value your virginity. I want you to earn new titles in the future through professions. What would you want to be when you grow up,” she said.

The question triggered a lot of responses including Doctor, Pilot, Lawyer, Magistrate, Nurse, soldier and Teacher.

“My daughters, you can accomplish all this through perseverance in school. Stay in school and work hard. You have the capacity to change your background. I am glad you came from all the provinces countrywide and please teach others when you go back. We say no to peer pressure and we say no to those who return from boarding schools while pregnant. Select your friends wisely.

The girls then burst into songs “Humhandara hwedu Jehova ndimi munohuziva tichengetei” and “Chengeta chikwama chababa chine madhora.”

They also sang the famous song by young girls called “Dont touch, apa pangu, dont touch”.

Gogo Getrude Chigwedere gave the children a lecture on morals.

“We must be morally upright. When some wake up they cannot greet their parents. When one wakes up they are immediately on the phone before even washing their faces or sweeping the yard. You do not even have the time to cook and you get to the point of burning the relish while on social media and you are assimilating western cultures which are alien to us,” she said.

The wife of Chief Mutasa, Mrs Derlia Mutasa, emphasized the need for children to always be properly dressed.

“We frown upon children who wear clothes that expose their navels and miniskirts. Whom do you want to show your body to? It’s not proper. Why do you sit with your legs ajar in class? What do you want the teacher to do?” she asked.

The wife to chief Mutema, Mrs Faith Mutema, hammered on the need for girls to value their virginity as emphasized by the First Lady.

“Once you lose your virginity, it’s gone forever. Your age demands that you concentrate on your school work. If you chase two rabbits you end up nowhere. That is why Amai is here to tell you the importance of education. We look forward to being looked after by yourselves but when you chase drugs like mutoriro, will you be dignified people in future?” she said.

Mbuya Gracious Chigwiti said it was critical for children to always be disciplined.

“When some of you are bought new school uniforms, they rush to have them altered into miniskirts by tailors. Why is that so?”

In response, Tanaka Chiware said they will be after seducing teachers and boys.

“This is naughtiness. When proposed by the teacher then what next? Our mother said do not rush into relationships before the time is ripe. When you are bought a long uniform which covers the knees, keep it like that and not move with legs in the open to invite men,” she said.

The First Lady taught the girls on good menstrual hygiene and spoke on the advantages of reusable pads which she then donated to the girls.

Amai Mnangagwa added,”When some teenage children wake up, they rush into their parents’ bedrooms while they are still sleeping and go further to sit on their bed. Vanangu, is this happening?”

The children said such was happening at their homes.

“Is that good,” she asked and the children said no.

Amai spoke strongly against this.

Mrs Angeline Gata spoke on drugs and their dangers.

The First Lady taught the girls household chores that they must perform from the time they wake up.

Natasha Tendai Mavunga from Mashonaland Central Province thanked the First Lady for her educative programme.

“I want to thank the First Lady for her programme and I am happy that there are some people who watch over us outside our parents seeing how we are faring. Amai, we are grateful. What Amai said here is exactly what is happening in our communities. There are situations where relationships that are monitored by our parents, teachers and people close to us are not the ones that have challenges. Cases of blessers and minors’ relationships are affecting us. What is happening these days is that, if my friend’s father proposes love to me, my friend would actually convince me to date him and benefit financially. It’s now the norm. These blessers are affecting us because we shall pay for these things they give us in future. Even if we discover there are five of us dating this man, we are not moved because we will be after the money. Our mother promised to focus on such issues in both rural and urban areas,” she said.

Natasha said the elderly men will sometimes be sick and this resulted in some girls committing suicide.

It was a hive of activity in the Gota where chiefs and elders met the boys.

Chief Chimombe Bvumavaranda from Gaza in Buhera praised the First Lady for her Gota/Nhanga teachings.

“What is critical about the teachings is that they protect our children from social ills and make them grow morally upright. We taught the boys to desist from taking alcohol and drugs because these cause loss of self control. Nowadays some children are beating up their fathers which is an abomination. We do not want this and this is why we told the children to honour their parents and not to speak back at them. In our traditional courts, we have cases of children beating their parents while intoxicated,” he said.

Mr Aleck Mangongo from Murambinda said the First Lady’s teachings were ideal for nation-building.

“It is essential that boys be taught various chores and understand them so that when they meet challenges in the future they succeed. Social media is contaminating our culture whereby boys just meet a girl on a bus and do not take time to know her. Such teachings have made people know their culture because we may face challenges in the future. In the face of climate change, they do not know how to adapt. May this programme grow so that children know fully how our lives as Zimbabwean people are morphed. As a man I must know all household chores and marry someone whom I know to be well-mannered. Our mother has done well and must carry forward with this programme because if our children lose norms and values, they become useless,” he said.

Jasper Mahaja said he had learnt a lot from the programme.

“I learnt that as boys we must preserve our African norms and values as well as our land. We learnt that we must obey our fathers as they teach us what they came through as they were growing up and what we are expected to do for us to have a brighter future. Norms and values give us character and we must be disciplined so that we can live well. We were told of the value of totems. They taught us to respect girls as our sisters by not sleeping with them before time is right. We were told to observe chastity and prepare for the future,” he said.

After seperate sessions, Amai Mnangagwa addressed both the boys and girls.

She urged the learners to draw valuable lessons from the programme so that they have a bright future.

“I want to give you a formula that will protect you in life. I was pained that some girls are plotting against their fathers, literally finding sugar daddies for their peers. Peer pressure is ruinous. Find a friend whose character matches yours. Vana vangu vakomana, how do you feel after impregnating a girl and she drops out of school? If you were involved in such mischief, from today be a changed person using the lessons you learnt in the Gota/Nhanga. Drugs are wreaking havoc across the world and some people in other countries are digging up corpses to get high on human bones. Is that proper boys and girls? Let’ stay away from drugs and stay in school. Self-discipline is very important even when you get an opportunity to learn outside the country, stick to your manners. We have our norms and values as Zimbabweans and do not dilute them with western cultures,” she said.

The First Lady held an eating competition for both boys and girls eating the traditional food the girls cooked.

Winners were given prizes by Amai.

To make the competition interesting people were being given covered plates and asked to check what was inside.

There was sorghum sadza and dried vegetables in peanut butter, sorghum sadza and road runner, rice in peanut butter and kapenta, white sadza and vegetables mixed with beef which is popularly known as Haifiridzi.

A young boy asked as to whether traditional dishes like sorghum had any side effects whereupon the First Lady responded: “Nowadays you are affected by modern life. If our traditional dishes had side effects, our ancestors would not live as long as they did. This food is healthy and medicinal and I urge you all to embrace and consume it.”

Chief Mutasa said he had been touched by the question.

“I was touched by this boy who spoke about side effects in relation to traditional food. That is not so my children. Please learn and understand. Do not go for refined foods, because our own food is wholesome and healthy. I eat traditional food at home and I am proud of this,” he said.

The First Lady gave all the children who attended some goodies. – Herald