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Essays on the significance great zimbabwe
Essays on the significance great zimbabwe
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The name Zimbabwe is derived from the Shona phrase "dzimba dzemabe" meaning the stone house (Zimbabwe, n.d.). The former name of Zimbabwe was Southern Rhodesia. Zimbabwe is the home to approximately 15 million people (Population total, n.d.). Zimbabwe is positioned in Southern Africa, which is a region in Sub-Saharan Africa. Zimbabwe recognized for all of the gorgeous scenery such as Victoria Falls, the Zambezi River, Hwange National Park, Safari areas, and Matusadona. Victoria Falls is the world 's most prevailing sheet of falling water, located on the Zambezi River at the border of Zambia. Victoria Falls is named in honor of Queen Victoria of United Kingdom (Zijlma, A, n.d.). The local name for Victoria Falls is "Mosi-oa-Tunya" meaning …show more content…
Zimbabwe is a nation rich in culture, that as has a military that’s developing and an uprising economic system. Zimbabwe culture is unique. Zimbabwe is known for dance, art, pottery, basket ware, beadwork, textile, and jewelry (Basic Information about Zimbabwe Society, n.d.) The official languages of Zimbabwe are English and the Bantu language Shona. However only 2% of the population consider English as their official language. (Basic Information about Zimbabwe Society, n.d.) English is spoken mainly in cities, but least in rural areas. Athletics are an important part of the Zimbabwe culture. Football is the most popular sport and it is played by the majority of the African population (Basic Information about Zimbabwe Society, n.d.). Dance is one of the most vital aspects of the Zimbabwe culture. Dancers are the very pulse of the nation, and their rhythm and beat are considered to be the heart and soul of Zimbabwe. The Makishi Dancers are spirits that exemplify the ancestors and the command the utmost respect. (Zimbabwe, n,d.) The Makishi appear customarily during the Mukand, …show more content…
Zimbabwe had a widespread poverty issue with approximately an 80% unemployment rate in the early 2000 's. (History & Politics, n.d.). Some of the primary industries include mining, steel, wood products, cement, chemicals,and fertilizers. Mining is the primary industry including coal, gold, platinum copper and nickel. The Zimbabwe dollar has devalued international as well as the domestic markets. In 2007, one US dollar was equal to 30,000 Zimbabwean dollars. Zimbabwe 's response to the National Debt was to start printing money; nonetheless, this only lessened the value of existing money and caused prices to rise. An insufficiency of supply intensified the inflation. Following the debt crisis, the US dollar became the main source of currency in September 2007 (Zimbabwe, n.d.). The Zimbabwean government refuses to accept aid from the western nations considering it a threat to the country 's sovereignty. In 2008, the Zimbabwe economy started to improve considerably. From 2009 to 2011 Zimbabwe 's Gross Domestic Economy (GDP) growth averaged 7.3 percent making Zimbabwe is one of the fastest growing economies in South Africa (Zimbabwe, n.d.). The national debt in Zimbabwe increased to over 100% of
"African Tribes - Zulu People." African Safaris, African Tours, Africa Holidays and Africa Travel Guide. Web. 1 June 2010. .
In the 21st century, slavery and the Atlantic Slave Trade are viewed as immoral and quite possibly the most horrifying treatment known to man by society and foreign leaders but, was the same view regarded in the 17th century? The short primary sources, “Nzinga Mbemba: Appeal to the King of Portugal”, and “Captain Thomas Phillips: Buying Slaves in 1639”, enables individuals to identify how foreign leaders, specifically the kings of African nations, conducted the issue of slavery and the slave trade. In the words of Nzinga Mbemba and Captain Phillips, the kings of Congo and Ouidah both knowingly accepted slavery in their country but, had strikingly opposing views concerning the Atlantic Slave Trade; King Mbemba prohibited the trading of slaves whereas the King of Ouidah welcomed slave trading.
Brief History From the 1500s to the 1700s, African blacks, mainly from the area of West Africa (today's Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Dahomey, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Gabon) were shipped as slaves to North America, Brazil, and the West Indies. For them, local and tribal differences, and even varying cultural backgrounds, soon melded into one common concern: the suffering they all endured. Music, songs, and dances as well as traditional food, helped not only to uplift them but also quite unintentionally added immeasurably to the culture around them. In the approximately 300 years that blacks have made their homes in North America, the West Indies, and Brazil, their highly honed art of the cuisine so treasured and carefully transmitted to their daughters has become part of the great culinary classics of these lands. But seldom are the African blacks given that recognition.
Images of whiteness in Zimbabwe projected in the media have been of white population as victims being disposed of land and exposed to violence. In the award-winning documentary, Mugabe and the White African, the film focuses on white Zimbabwean family who challenges the Fast Track land redistribution program. David McDermott Hughes’ interprets the perspectives of land and landscape and its origins. In Whiteness in Zimbabwe, David McDermott Hughes principal argument is that European settlers identified themselves with the African landscape rather than with the social characteristics of the native Africans. The importance of landscape to white identity led to the engineering and structural development of the landscape. Hughes contends that the white colonizers used the land, nature and ecology to escape the social problems, to avoid ‘the other’ which in this case was the black Zimbabweans that were sharing the same living space. Through such landscape engineering, the white Zimbabweans believed that they would belong to Zimbabwe and Africa. However, Hugh argues that “by writing themselves to single-mindedly into the landscape, many whites wrote themselves out of society (p. 25).” Furthermore, Hughes argues that this was not a form of racism, but rather escaping the social surrounding to avoid conflict. This concept has led to Hughes to wanting to stop romanticizing of land in order to avoid social issues.
The country is economically suffering from sanctions from many other countries in protest of Apartheid
Nyota, S., & Sibanda, F. (2012). Digging for Diamonds, Wielding New Words: A Linguistic Perspective on Zimbabwe's ‘Blood Diamonds’. Journal Of Southern African Studies, 38(1), 129-144. doi:10.1080/03057070.2012.656436
In sub-Saharan Africa, thousands of languages, cultures, and geographical regions helped influence our African society. The ways in which we produce our artwork, spiritual ideals, and ritual performances are organic and raw. From the tropical regions of Congo and Ghana, to the arid regions of Mali; I pass through the global gateway into a domain where the Western world lost its roots and artistic imagination and grandeur. Africa appeals most to me for its ability to create a realm where the living, dead, and artistic ideals come into a single unit of tranquil philosophy.
Sub-Saharan Africa refers to the diverse landscape of more than 50 countries of Africa, which are south of the Sahara Desert. There are over nine million square miles of valleys, plateaus, and mountains in this region of Africa. Because of the prevalence of plateaus, Africa has been nicknamed the “continent of plateaus”. Between the plateaus, there are steep slopes, or escarpments. This continent has the highest overall elevation because of the plateaus it has. This area is mountainous with such mountains as the Atlas Mountains in the Northwest, Drakensburg Mountains and Mt. Kilimanjaro is the highest peak. The Great Rift Valley is also in this region. There are many rivers in this region, including the “Nile, Congo, Niger, and the Zambezi Rivers” (Physical Geography).
The British began their colonization of Zimbabwe in 1890 as part of their project of capitalist expansion and world domination. Colonial expansion was a means of complete control of territories and furthered the expansion of their capitalist political economy. Africa provided the British with slaves, minerals, and raw materials to help them in their capitalist development. To help support capitalist expansion, the British asserted colonial discourse of power and superiority over the colonized. This discourse, or a system of representation, provided a way for the British to produce a position that the West was a superior civilization. In such a discourse the British were able to impose their cultural beliefs, particularly beliefs about gender, on the people they colonized. The imposition of colonial discourse, therefore, greatly affected colonized women.
This article which I have chosen to read, is about a ruined city of southeast Zimbabwe south of Harare. Great Zimbabwe is an ancient city on the plateau in sub-Saharan Africa. Great Zimbabwe was supposedly a city that controlled much trade and culture of southern Africa during the 12th and 17th centuries because it was stationed on the shortest route between the northern gold fields, and the Indian Ocean. Archaeologists believed that this masterful stonework was built somewhere around 1100 and 1600 A.D.
Zimbabwe’s border, in total, is 3,066km long. It’s bordered by five countries; Zambia, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. It joins Namibia at its westernmost point, meeting the country at an almost exact point. The lengths of its borders are as follows; Botswana 813km, Mozambique 1,231km, South Africa 225km, and Zambia 797km. Our country conducts many import/export exchanges with our neighbouring countries. We have built a good bridge with our bordering nations.
Black Consciousness has been defined as an attitude of the mind and a way of life. Therefore, the purpose of teaching Black Consciousness was to conquer feelings of black inferiority and replace it with a new solid social identity which encouraged black pride and independence from white oppression. Africans should reject the myths from which Apartheid was conceived, where blacks were depicted as inferior, savage, simple and having a primitive culture which needed to be modernized. Rather blacks should believe in their true identity of being survivors with the utmost human dignity. Black people needed to become aware of their collective power both economically and politically. People of African descent must create their own value system, where they were self-defined not defined by white superiors.
These indigenous people, used music politically as a way of resisting colonial culture without confrontation, so that the indigenous people could maintain their own culture. As seen in the following quote from the article Colonial resettlement and cultural resistance: the mbira music of Zimbabwe music is described as “the intellectual conception of a conflict to a practical way for parties to engage with a struggle.” Which assists in strengthening the idea that music can influential on a community and helps unite people in their efforts to continue their own political stance despite the influence of colonial settlers. AN example of this is what happened with the people of Zimbabwe, Africa being relocated in the late 1800’s for economic colonial
South Africa is a nation with a wonderful and varied culture. This country has been called “The Rainbow Nation”, a name that reflects the diversity of such amazing place. The different ethnic and cultural groups of the South Africa do, however, appreciate their own beliefs and customs. Many of these traditions, besides African culture, are influenced by European and Western heritage. The complex and diverse population of the country has made a strong impact to the various cultures. There are forty-five million people; about thirty million are black, five million white, three million coloured and one million Indians. The black population has a large number of rural people living in poverty. It is among these inhabitants that cultural customs are preserve the most.
The Zulus tribe is an independent clan and the largest ethnic group in South Africa. The Zulu clan reputation is well known for their proud, fierce, and barbaric behavior. According to Ethnologies, in 1816 a new chief Shaka Zulu conquered and created a nation that was named after him. His descendants made up the Zulu clan. During the year of 1820, Native Africans did not have any political rights. The king of the Zulu ethnic groups or clans was the only one allowed to have judicial and legislative power. Zulu chiefs steadily demanded increasing tribute to taxes from their acquired great wealth, commanded large armies; in many cases a Zulu military status allow men to achieve distinctions chiefdoms.