Coronavirus: Villagers Forced To Cancel Traditional Ceremonies

Villagers in several parts of Zimbabwe have lamented the restrictions imposed by the government to curb the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, saying that they have been forced to postpone some traditional ceremonies.

Lameck Ziremwa,79, who lives in Mwenezi, told Anadolu Agency by phone that he cannot perform the rites to meet dead family members for fear of contracting the deadly disease. He said;

We have not been able to consult our ancestors because fighting the disease has become a priority. Everything is just on hold now.

Ophias Chiyendakure, a villager hailing from Mazetese in Mwenezi, a district in Masvingo Province has also shelved plans to conduct the ceremony.

In Seke village, Mashonaland East Province, a few kilometres south-east of the capital Harare, Norman Chiwira, 38, said he had to cancel a traditional wedding due to the pandemic. He said:

We were meant to gather at the traditional wedding earlier this month. But all our plans have gone haywire. I am not sure if we will still have a chance to have the wedding because nobody knows when this pandemic will end.

In Zimbabwe, the ceremony to bring back the spirits of dead family members as well as marriage ceremonies are associated with customary dance, music, the beating of drums and drinking of home-brewed beer.

Zimbabwe’s rural dwellers are known for their penchant for a myriad of cultural traditions, beliefs, and ceremonies.

More: Anadolu