The Shona people

The Shona people are a Bantu ethnic group native to Southern Africa, predominantly residing in Zimbabwe, where they form the majority population. They also have communities in Mozambique, South Africa, and the diaspora, including the United Kingdom. With a population of over 15 million, the Shona are known for their rich cultural heritage and historical influence in the region.

The Shona people are linguistically unified by the Shona language (chiShona), which has five primary dialect clusters: Manyika, Karanga, Zezuru, Korekore, and Ndau. Each dialect reflects the historical and geographical diversity of the group. Shona serves as both a spoken and written language, contributing to a shared cultural identity across different regions.

Historically, the Shona have been significant contributors to the development of precolonial states in Southern Africa. During the 11th century, the Shona established influential kingdoms on the Zimbabwe plateau, including the Kingdom of Zimbabwe, famed for its architectural masterpiece, Great Zimbabwe. This UNESCO World Heritage site stands as a testament to the Shona people’s advanced building techniques and thriving trade networks, which extended to the Swahili coast and beyond.

The Shona also practiced subsistence agriculture, cultivating crops such as sorghum, beans, and maize, and raising livestock like cattle and goats. Mining, particularly for gold and copper, played a significant role in their economy, with exports fueling trade with other African regions and international markets.

Religiously, the Shona combine Christianity with their traditional beliefs, centered on Chivanhu or ancestral worship. They revere Mwari, the supreme creator, through rituals and ceremonies. The Shona’s enduring cultural practices, oral traditions, music, and art, such as stone sculpting, continue to influence contemporary Zimbabwean identity and heritage.