One of the biggest problems that we face in Africa is simple. Accessing information is a herculean task and because of this people just usually give up because the hurdles you face to get to information are just too great at times. The beauty of the internet however is that it can be the bridge that enables people to get to information faster and more conveniently.
I was genuinely excited when I came across a tip in our emails, informing us of a website called Zimcluture. Zimculture is meant to make it easy to get information about Zimbabwean Culture and just browsing through the website you see information relating to totems, the Shona and Ndebele languages along with a lot more.
The fact that archives such as these can be found online is fantastic and any history fanatics will be drooling at the prospect of going through the posts on this site.
Why create this site?
In the tip we receive, which we assume is from someone close to the project, this was the explanation we got:
A site was created (www.zimculture.com) to help share the knowledge of our culture, traditions and the strength of our languages. It was created because most of the people do not know much about our country and its background, culture and its languages especially Shona is becoming forgotten and most of the words are now being translated on google translate using wrong translations such as the translation of the word bottle. It would be important for us to share the knowledge and the existence of such literature that addresses the history of our country and its traditions. #zimculture
Forum
The website also contains a forum section where readers can come together and discuss various issues such as decay of Zim culture, Churches in Zimbabwe and Economic crisis. It seems the site became active on the 9th of June and the traction is yet to pick up so the forum is yet to be fully utilized.
Gallery
There is also a gallery of some historical stuff and though this is not yet fleshed out, I have no doubt this could become one of the more interesting sections of the website if it does improve. Maybe the creators of Zimculture can ask readers to submit photos of these historical sites and artefacts if they don’t have the capacity to fill that gap on their own. That will encourage the growth of a community whilst ensuring readers have loads of content.
Worth your time?
If you’re a history junkie or your particular interest lies in the culture of Zim, I think the Zimculture website is worth your time and once you understand the problem of access to information within our country, then no doubt you will be rooting for projects such as these.
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3 comments
Great initiative. I am always fascinated by other cultures but am completely clueless on my own. I wish I had listened more to my grandmother growing up because I am now a stranger to my culture. Maybe this will help me learn about my own culture and those of other tribes.
easily rectifiable enda kumusha consistently starting now unodzidza faster faster
I really like the site.