First Lady Nhanga/ Gota programme timely
ZIMBABWE will soon witness a radical shift in the way today’s youths behave and interact with elders if they put into practice the things they are being taught through First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa’s Nhanga/Gota/Ixiba programme.
During yesterday’s programme with children drawn from all the districts in the province, there were startling revelations that some children in boarding schools were letting their cereals ferment to get high while some were bringing ‘ganja’ cakes and scones to school.
It was also revealed that most children were also smuggling mobile phones in lunchboxes so that they won’t be detected during searches. However, the elderly from communities, school teachers and other officials described the First Lady’s programme as a timely intervention to save youths who were hooking onto drugs, alcohol, prostitution, dropping out from school and disrespect among other vices.
In the dare with the boys was Deputy Minister of Youth, Sport Arts and Recreation Tino Machakaire, Cde Kenneth Musanhi, school teachers and elderly men from the community. In the Nhanga the First Lady was with Bulawayo Metropolitan Affairs and Devolution Minister Judith Ncube, officials from the school and the elderly women.
During the nhanga session, young girls decried gender discrimination in positions of power and skyrocketing prices of sanitary ware. They said boys often laugh at them if they spoil themselves and that they sometimes miss school when they are on their monthly periods. In response, the First Lady told them of how the Government was now providing sanitary and soap in schools.
She then offered the girls sewing machines, materials and other accessories for making reusable sanitary ware to ease their plight.
“As the First Lady, I also started making reusable pads through my Angel of Hope Foundation. We also trained women countrywide whom we provided with machines and materials and made thousands of pads which I distributed to the country’s provinces for the benefit of the vulnerable girls. I also want you girls to be able to make these pads. I will give you the machines, material and other accessories. I want to empower you, so I am giving you sewing machines all of you,” she said to applause.
On gender inequality and discrimination, she implored girls to stand up and take up positions in all higher offices at work places. She said for them to achieve this, they should prioritise their education and be educated.
“If you do not value your education vanangu, you will remain down while those who treasure education go up,” she said.
The mother of the nation said the Government did not discriminate and wanted 50-50 representation.
“As a mother I want to see women getting positions. You are a rare species my daughters and you are important, today we are going to talk about ubuntu and the importance of education among other issues. We want you to treasure your bodies,” she said.
Gogo Alice Masuku (80) said she was shocked to learn that girls were now in the habit of sleeping with men, which was unheard of during her time.
“Girls of today are sleeping with boys, something that was unheard of during our times. True, boys will come after you but it’s up to you girls to say no. As parents we are also partly to blame, we buy our children revealing clothes and they walk in the nude as boys put on many clothes at once. If a neighbour reprimands a child, the mother would have none of it. She will shout that her child should be left alone. Tirikuzviurayira tega hunhu hwevana vedu. It’s everyone’s responsibility to teach children morals,” said Gogo Masuku.
Another elderly woman, gogo Tieho Masuku (81) weighed in saying: “We thank you for bringing this programme Amai. We must encourage our children to grow up knowing where they came from and embrace our culture. Where are the aunties and grandmothers? Let’s take our positions and teach these children. Some mothers stop their children from visiting grandmothers and aunts for counselling accusing them of witchcraft. Divorce cases are high these days because children are getting married at tender ages. Some are married well but do not have morals. We are seeing our girls wearing moving around wearing “John vuli gate” (short dresses) exposing their bodies. This must stop and with this programme we are expecting a radical shift,” she said.
One of the girls brought out the issue of making cereals an intoxicating substance.
“Amai, this programme is a timely intervention because some of our peers in boarding schools are now very naughty and taking intoxicants at school. They are taking certain cereals, mix them with water and leave it for some days to ferment under the bed before drinking it and get high while others bring weed scones and cakes,” she said.
She added that some were even crushing tablets and smoking them. Mrs Jean Setoboli, the senior lady at Founders High School said they had banned cellphones which contributed to children being influenced by western culture.
“So we search them when they come to school but we noticed that they were actually smuggling the phones. We recovered phones that were in lunch boxes covered with bread. Even the cereals which were mentioned by the children, we also banned them here. We are grateful to the First Lady for coming up with this programme,” she said.
After the nhanga and dare sessions, both boys and girls were taken for practical lessons. Amai Mnangagwa took the girls through grinding millet and she taught them how it was done before they also followed while the elderly women taught the girls how to properly pound millet.
They also cooked traditional meals. Boys too were taught some of the chores expected of a man. Chief director in the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, Dr Benson Martins Dube, also said the First Lady’s programme was timely and progressive.
“In this programme which is the brainchild of the First Lady, we are trying to teach today’s youths how they should grow to become adults. What is it that they need to do as they are growing up until they get married. As it is, we are realising that these children are becoming mature too early so we are saying that maturity does not mean they can go around sleeping with many girls or boys. We are teaching them that they should first complete their studies before they start chasing after women because once you do both schooling and chasing after women at the end you might not be able to get any of those things and at the same time we are teaching them the values of culture,” he said.
He added, “The First Lady’s programme is very relevant because our children should know exactly what is expected of them as they grow and this programme should not be a once off thing we need to carry it forward.”
Mr Moses Ndoro echoed similar sentiments and thanked the First Lady for coming up with the educative programme.
“We thank the First Lady for coming up with this programme of reviving our traditional way of life. Children nowadays are spending a lot of time on phones, Whatsapp and other social media networks and do not know about their tradition. The First Lady has brought together boys and girls to learn our norms and values. We are thankful that they are being taught their positions in life. On getting married, at what age does a boy get married? We taught them that they should value their education and not to go about spoiling the future of girls. This affects our society. Boys are now doing drugs like smoking mbanje and other drugs which they google from the Internet,” he said.
Bulawayo Provincial Affairs Minister Judith Ncube said the nhanga/gota/Ixiba programme was vital in promoting the resuscitation of African and Zimbabwean cultural values which had been eroded by Western cultures.
“It is painful to note that mordenisation is ruining our culture as most of us are valuing everything from the West more than our own. This programme will help reconnect our young generation to our traditional norms and values,” she said.
In her address, the First Lady spoke candidly against children who refuse to perform tasks they are assigned to do due to mischief and failure to get home on time.
“It is now cat and mouse with parents but you are killing yourselves. We did not do that as we grew up. I have heard grandmothers saying we didn’t know about this and it was taboo. Girls you should not sleep with boys before time is right because if you do that you will be doing damage to yourselves,” she said.
The First Lady said mischief that was prevalent in urban areas was also being done in rural areas too, strengthening the need to take measures to protect children and promote good morals.
The mother of the nation asked the girls and boys what they think about engaging in sexual activities while they are still in school.
In response, they said they engaged in sexual activities out of peer pressure and fearing to be laughed at that they were backward.
The First Lady said children must abstain from sex to evade unwanted pregnancies and diseases.
“Once you start doing that there is nobody who will be able to control you,” she said.
Amai Mnangagwa said while the Government allowed girls who fall pregnant at school to continue with their education after giving birth, but the level of concentration will not be the same.
She bemoaned the shocking revelations of youths being involved in vuzu parties and doing the unthinkable.
If children combine culture and high scores at school, the First Lady said, they become wholesome citizens who are the pride of both the nation and their families.
She made the participants her ambassadors and said she would send them certificates certifying them as ambassadors.
The participants who were all eager to learn expressed gratitude to the First Lady for engaging them under cultural settings.
They were given food hampers, toiletries and schools materials.
The elderly who took the children through the lessons were also given hampers.