Mbuya Nehanda: The Immortal Spirit of Resistance

The famous image of Mbuya Nhanda before execution

Mbuya Nehanda is not just a historical figure — she is a living symbol of Zimbabwean defiance.Her real name was Charwe Nyakasikana. Born in the mid-19th century in the Mazowe area, she became the most famous svikiro (spirit medium) of the powerful Nehanda mhondoro spirit. When the British South Africa Company invaded and began seizing land, cattle, and freedom in the 1890s, Mbuya Nehanda rose as one of the central leaders of the First Chimurenga (1896–1897).She rallied fighters, gave spiritual guidance, and declared that the white settlers must be driven out. Alongside Sekuru Kaguvi, she inspired thousands to take up arms. Captured in late 1897, both were tried in a colonial court in Salisbury. Here the contrast is striking: Sekuru Kaguvi converted to Christianity, was baptised as “Dismas”, and went to the gallows as a “repentant” Christian. Mbuya Nehanda refused to convert. She rejected the white man’s God, refused to beg for mercy, and was hanged on 27 April 1898. Her last words carried the prophecy: “My bones will rise again.”The Iconic Song by Harare Mambos — And Why It Deserves an Official VideoOne of the most powerful tributes to her legacy is the song “Mbuya Nehanda” by Harare Mambos. With its haunting mbira-driven melody and lyrics that call her name across generations, the track has become an unofficial anthem of resistance. It deserves a proper, high-quality official music video — cinematic, powerful, and unapologetic. Sweeping shots of the Mazowe hills, dramatic Chimurenga reenactments, and a climax showing her hanging followed by her spirit rising would make it go viral and wake up a new generation.

27 April Should Be a National Holiday — And Her Execution Site a Shrine27 April must be declared Mbuya Nehanda Day — a national public holiday. This is the day a poor village woman chose dignity and death over surrender. The place where she was hanged (near the old Central Police Station in Harare) should be turned into a national shrine — a living memorial where people can gather, play mbira, and remember.
The Bones That Have Not Yet Risen
The supreme irony is that Mbuya Nehanda’s physical remains — or what are believed to be her bones — are still locked away in a British museum or collection. She prophesied that her bones would rise again, yet more than 125 years later they remain in the hands of the same empire that killed her. Every year that passes without repatriation is an insult to her memory and to every Zimbabwean who claims to honour the liberation struggle. We must demand their immediate return — or else.Lozikeyi: Her Ndebele CounterpartCompare her to Queen Lozikeyi Dlodlo, the powerful Ndebele queen and wife of King Lobengula. Lozikeyi also resisted fiercely during the 1896 uprising but evaded capture and died peacefully of old age in 1919. Two powerful women, two different fates — one hanged, one who outlived her enemies — yet both symbols of unyielding resistance.Christianity, the Statues, and the Betrayal of Her SpiritChristianity has done more to erode our fighting spirit than almost anything else. It has turned proud warriors into sheep who “turn the other cheek” instead of fighting back. The government loots and steals assisted by greedy pastors and so called prophets who extort and scam their gullible followers and tell them to pray for miracles and remain passive in the face of oppression. Mbuya Nehanda rejected that foreign religion on the gallows. She understood that some things are worth dying for.

Ugly and soulless

Look at the giant ZANU-PF statue of Mbuya Nehanda in Harare. It is an embarrassment — generic, poorly proportioned, and looks nothing like her. In stark contrast, the statue of Joshua Nkomo (made by North Korean sculptors) is stately, dignified, and beautiful. It captures strength and presence. The Nehanda statue feels rushed, soulless, and clearly an overpriced scam designed to loot public funds rather than truly honour the heroine.If Mbuya Nehanda were alive today, she would not be praising the government. She would be condemning the corruption, the looting, the broken promises, and the cowardice of a people who have accepted mediocrity instead of fighting for real freedom.She would tell us the same thing she told her fighters in 1896: take the gidi and reclaim what is yours.

A better representation of Mbuya Nehanda

Spirit Mediums and the Question of a Modern Mbuya NehandaTo understand Nehanda you must understand the svikiro — the spirit medium. In Shona belief, certain chosen people become vessels for powerful ancestral mhondoro spirits. The medium does not act; the spirit possesses and speaks through them. Mbuya Nehanda was not a politician — she was the direct voice of the land and the ancestors.The real question remains: Will a modern Mbuya Nehanda rise in our time? Is it perhaps Fadzayi Mahere? A medium who looks at the corruption, poverty, fear, and moral decay and says: “Enough. Take the gidi. Self-govern. Stop compromising your values for Christianity or foreign aid. Stop fearing death.”We do not honour Mbuya Nehanda by singing songs and building ugly statues. We honour her by living with the same courage she showed on the gallows.

Her bones have not yet risen.

But her spirit is still calling.

The only question left is: Are we brave enough to answer?What do you think? Should 27 April become Mbuya Nehanda Day? Should her bones be brought home immediately — or else? Drop your thoughts in the comments. And if you know the Harare Mambos song, play it loud today — for her, for us, and for the Zimbabwe that is still waiting to be born.