By Own Correspondent| Chipo Chimbadzo of Headman Mashame under chief Chireya in Gokwe will forever rue the day she decided to pay her relatives a visit after spending time living abroad. She had left behind in Sweden, her husband and two minor children on the pretext she would return in earnest.

Unbeknown to Chipo this was to be the onset of her problems which would eventually see her losing her sight during a traditional ceremony known as ‘kurova guva’ loosely translated to ‘bringing back the spirit of the deceased back into the family setup’.

Chipo’ s problems began during the nocturnal hours when a paternal aunt purporting to be possessed by the spirit of the deceased relative boldly declared that the spirit wanted to settle and be inherited by Chipo. An assertion she flatly refused.
In an instant she lost her eye sight.

After consultations with her mother on what had befallen her, Chipo was told by her mother that her refusal to inherit the said spirit of the deceased was the cause of her predicament. Now Chipo is in a spot of bother as the once vivacious lady needs assistance to carry out basic chores she was accustomed to doing by herself as she is now blind. She misses her husband and children and cannot go back to her family in Sweden in her current state. Her family in Gokwe have bluntly informed her that she will remain in her current state until she compromises and accepts to be the bearer of the deceased spirit.

In essence, “Chipo is being forced to accept the spirit.

Some cultures in Zimbabwe dictate that when a family member dies the spirit of the deceased should be brought back into the family setup and inherited by a spiritually designated host who is a close relative of the deceased.

Chipo is one of the many Zimbabweans who have suffered prejudice under such customary norms and ideals which have been described by progressive minds as archaic and retrogressive.

However, the Zimbabwean constitution still incorporates such backward cultural practices.