Stories
These stories are based on the accounts of ordinary Zimbabweans - the experts from whom the content on ZimbOriginal is sourced.
After reading China manenji hachifambisi I wrote on idioms (madimikira) that the writer, Mordikai A. Hamutyinei, used in the story. I decided to do the … Read more
A legend is a traditional story that is believed to be true. Some legends on the origins of the Shona people detail how large societies … Read more
A polygamous family I’ve just started reading ‘Tambaoga Mwanangu.’ This is a story about how an eighteen year old boy, Tambaoga, went about trying to … Read more
1. A breakdown in the transmission of cultural knowledge My grandmother is over a hundred years old. Now too old to live alone, she lives … Read more
Recurring cycle-based religious festivals For this story, I will refer to indigenous religion in Zimbabwe as chivanhu. This is a term used to refer to … Read more
1. Why Tembo-Shumba? I have come across a number of differing accounts on this clan. In one of them, it is stated that Tembo-Shumba (‘Zebra-Lion’) is … Read more
Tsumo on work tell a story of a hard-working society, and give the picture that agriculture was the mainstay of the economy of the Shona … Read more
In lay terms, ideophones are words that stand out (are ‘marked’) and whose form betrays something of (is depictive of) their meaning. The following 70 … Read more
This post was last updated on 28 August 2025. Culture and language are inextricably intertwined. Over the past few years, I’ve spent considerable time researching … Read more
It is common knowledge that a few Shona words have an Afrikaans influence. I recently came across one that I found surprising, leading me to … Read more
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About
ZimbOriginal was born from a passion for discovery and writing, and a commitment to never losing sight of who we are.
It is a place for stories on culture, customs, traditions, and anything else indigenous to Zimbabwe. ZimbOriginal not only promotes cultural awareness, but also supports learning and discovery.
