Mbuya Nehanda Charwe Nyakasikana: Spirit Medium, Revolutionary Heroine, and Betrayed Legacy
Mbuya Nehanda Charwe Nyakasikana (c. 1840 – 1898) stands as one of Zimbabwe’s most revered national heroines, a powerful symbol of resistance against colonial rule and a spiritual icon whose courage continues to inspire generations. As a spirit medium (svikiro) of the revered spirit Nehanda Mhondoro, she played a central role in mobilizing resistance during the First Chimurenga (1896–1897) — the first major uprising by the Shona and Ndebele people against British colonization.
Born in the Mazowe Valley of present-day Mashonaland, Mbuya Nehanda was chosen as the earthly medium of the Nehanda spirit, a role that placed her at the center of political and religious life among the Shona people. Her authority was both spiritual and practical, and she wielded significant influence over her community. When British imperial forces, under the British South Africa Company (BSAC), invaded and began to seize land, livestock, and impose hut taxes, Nehanda became one of the key figures urging her people to resist.
She was instrumental in the First Chimurenga uprising, alongside fellow leaders like Sekuru Kaguvi and Lobengula’s generals. Despite lacking modern weapons, these leaders drew on ancestral knowledge, spiritual conviction, and the determination to protect their land from foreign domination. Nehanda famously prophesied that although the British might defeat them at the time, her spirit would rise again and lead the people to ultimate victory — a vision that foreshadowed Zimbabwe’s later liberation struggle in the 1960s and ’70s.
In 1898, after a fierce crackdown by colonial forces, Nehanda was captured, accused of ordering the killing of British Native Commissioner Henry Hawkins Pollard, and sentenced to death. Even in the face of execution, she remained defiant. Her final words, according to oral history, were: “Mapfupa angu achamuka” — “My bones will rise.” She was hanged in Salisbury (now Harare), and her spirit became a rallying cry for later freedom fighters.
During the Second Chimurenga (1966–1979), Zimbabwe’s liberation fighters evoked Nehanda’s name as a symbol of courage, resistance, and moral purpose. She became the matriarchal symbol of Zimbabwean nationalism. At independence in 1980, her legacy was enshrined in state memory — statues, currency, and speeches paid homage to her sacrifice and vision of a free, self-governing African nation.
However, over four decades after independence, the ideals Mbuya Nehanda died for — justice, dignity, and self-determination — have been grossly betrayed by Zimbabwe’s current leadership. The very liberation movement that invoked her spirit to cast off colonialism has, tragically, devolved into an entrenched system of authoritarianism, corruption, and economic mismanagement.
Instead of upholding the people’s sovereignty, the ruling elite have enriched themselves while ordinary citizens face joblessness, hyperinflation, dilapidated services, and political repression. State institutions have been hollowed out, elections manipulated, and dissent crushed — all while statues of Nehanda are paraded in Harare to give a façade of patriotism.
Mbuya Nehanda stood for truth, resistance to oppression, and sacrifice for the greater good. Today’s leadership, by contrast, often prioritizes personal enrichment over national progress. Her prophetic voice — once a call to liberation — is now silenced under the weight of betrayal and forgotten promises.
If her bones did rise, as she foretold, it is unlikely they would recognize the Zimbabwe that emerged from her sacrifice. Her legacy, however, remains a beacon for those who continue to demand accountability, freedom, and a return to the values that inspired the struggle for independence. In remembering Mbuya Nehanda, Zimbabweans are called not only to honor the past but to reclaim the future she dreamed of — one of true justice and people-centered governance.
