The ManicaPost
Liberty Dube Entertainment Correspondent
THE eastern region department of National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe (NMMZ) recently successfully restored one of the outer southern walls of Chipadze national monument in Rusape.
The monument, which is famously known as Harleigh ruins, is synonymous with the Great Zimbabwe. The Harleigh ruins are superintended over by Chief Chipunza, of the Nyati totem. It is made of well laid dry stone walling. Evidence of settling of the site point to between 1300AD and 1500AD.
At the end of the 19th century Chipadze was transformed into a burial site for the earliest Makoni ancestors, and is viewed as a scared place by the local community.
NMMZ Manicaland regional marketing officer Lloyd Makonya said, “In the Chipadze restoration project the involvement of the community in this project was buttressed by a donation of $1 000 from Mr Mubvakure Mubvakacha, of Mubvakacha Farm, in Headlands and the Chipunza Chieftainship. A team of archaeologists, surveyors, stone masons and community workers worked round the clock to diligently bring the work to completion. The aim of the NMMZ in restoring such sites is to preserve and reveal the aesthetic and historic value of the monument”.
Cultural heritage and history of a nation has high value as it affirms our identity as a people while creating a comprehensive framework for the preservation of cultural heritage such as cultural sites like Chipadze, old buildings, shrines and landmarks that have cultural significance and historical value.
Culture and its heritage reflect and shape values, beliefs, and aspirations, thereby defining a people’s national identity. It is important to preserve our cultural heritage because it keeps our integrity as a people. Involvement of the community in heritage management issues is imperative as they are the custodians of such heritage sites.
