Nehanda’s Spirit and the Shona People of Zimbabwe

The Rise of Nehanda

Long before European boots touched the soil of what is now Zimbabwe, the land belonged to the Shona kingdoms. They built great cities, the most magnificent being Great Zimbabwe, where kings ruled with wisdom, and spirits of the ancestors guided their people.

The Shona believed that certain spirits, known as mhondoro (great ancestors), watched over the land. These spirits chose mediums—living men and women—to speak through. Nehanda Nyakasikana was one such chosen medium, her body becoming the earthly vessel of the powerful spirit Mbuya Nehanda.

From the moment she was a child, Charwe Nyakasikana was different. She spoke of things she could not have known, her words sometimes carrying warnings or messages from ancestors long gone. As she grew, it became clear—the spirit of Nehanda had chosen her. She was not just a woman but a bridge between the living and the dead, a keeper of wisdom, and the protector of her people’s way of life.

By the time she came of age, chiefs, warriors, and common folk alike sought her guidance. She did not rule in the traditional sense—she was not a chief, nor did she carry a weapon—but her power was undeniable. When she spoke, men listened. When she blessed, warriors went to battle. When she warned, people heeded.

But trouble was brewing. The British South Africa Company, led by Cecil Rhodes, was creeping into the land, armed not just with guns but with treaties filled with lies. They sought gold, land, and control, and they would stop at nothing to take it.

At first, the British approached the chiefs with gifts and agreements, pretending to offer trade and friendship. But Nehanda saw through them. She warned the Shona leaders:

*"They come not as friends, but as thieves in the night. They will strip the land bare and leave only hunger behind."*

Her words were ignored by some, but not by all. And soon, her prophecy came true.

The Spark of War

By 1893, the British had defeated the Ndebele Kingdom to the west, using superior firepower and deception. The Shona watched as their neighbors were crushed, their leaders exiled or killed. And they knew—they were next.

It began with taxes. The British demanded that the Shona pay hut taxes, forcing them to work in European mines and farms for money. But the Shona were a proud people—they did not work for masters. Their land was their wealth, their cattle their currency.

Then came the land seizures. The British no longer hid their intentions. They took the most fertile lands, forcing the Shona into crowded reserves.

Nehanda called for resistance. She traveled from village to village, urging her people to fight back. Chiefs who had once been hesitant now saw the truth of her warnings. The warriors sharpened their spears, and the elders prayed for guidance.

In 1896, the First Chimurenga—the First War of Liberation—began.

The First Chimurenga

The war spread like wildfire. Shona warriors ambushed British settlers, burning down farms and attacking colonial outposts. Armed with nothing but spears, bows, and a belief in their ancestors, they struck fear into the hearts of the invaders.

But the British were ruthless. They retaliated with guns and massacres, torching entire villages, killing men, women, and children alike.

Even as the war turned against them, Nehanda refused to surrender. She told her people that the land was sacred, and that the ancestors would not allow it to remain in the hands of foreigners forever.

Yet, by 1897, the British had gained the upper hand. Through deception, they captured Sekuru Kaguvi, another spirit medium, and eventually, Nehanda herself.

She did not scream. She did not plead. She walked into captivity with her head held high.

The Trial and Execution

The British wanted to break Nehanda’s spirit, to humiliate her before her people. They put her on trial, accusing her of orchestrating the killing of a British official, Pollard.

She did not deny it.

To Nehanda, the war was not murder—it was justice.

The British expected her to repent, to beg for her life. Instead, she stood tall and spoke her final prophecy:

*"My bones shall rise again."*

On April 27, 1898, Nehanda was hanged.

But her words would live on.

The Second Chimurenga

For decades, her prophecy haunted Zimbabwe.

By the 1960s and 70s, a new war began—the Second Chimurenga, fought against the white-minority government of Rhodesia.

The freedom fighters, who hid in the forests and struck from the shadows, called upon Nehanda’s name. They believed she was guiding them, protecting them, leading them toward independence.

In 1980, Zimbabwe was born, free at last. And Nehanda’s prophecy had come true.

Her bones had risen.

The Legacy of Nehanda

Even today, Nehanda is more than history—she is a living presence. Her statues stand tall in Harare, and her name is sung in songs.

The elders still tell her story. The young still invoke her spirit in times of struggle.

And when the wind blows across the land, when the voices of the ancestors murmur in the trees, the people know—

Nehanda still watches over Zimbabwe.

She is not gone.

She will never be gone.

Her bones have risen. And they will rise again.