As a nation, we now openly embrace nudity, profanity, cheating and prostitution to alarming levels. Where is our Government?
Before independence, people still had their dignity even though Zimbabwe was going through a lot of challenges through colonialism.
Many aspects of culture were still preserved. People spoke with respect. In-laws still had their dignity and place. Parents had respect. No children talked back to parents. Students respected their teachers and citizens feared and respected the police.
Police was also still respectable then because it did not take bribes or chase loaded combis running over crowds to collect bribes. Police still had brains and was aware about public safety and reason.
When Robert Mugabe took over Zimbabwe in 1980, he maintained that cultural practice. We had a Minister of culture to ensure that there was preservation of traditional rites, respect and decency in language and dress.
Folks like Aeneas Chigwedere and others helped to maintain culture and holy sanctuaries. Over the years, Robert Mugabe made the people of Zimbabwe famous in the region and beyond for supporting culture.
People still covered their bodies in public. Those who wanted to do illicit stuff would do so at night or far away from other people. Even commercial sex workers operated with dignity. The minister of culture had a firm hand and the nation was at peace.
Now, it is a totally different picture. It’s a gloomy world. You cannot watch music videos from Zimbabwe with the whole family. Unless you are not bothered by young naked girls twerking on videos, profanity, people using their behinds to do suggestive dances.
95% of the videos end up with people naked in bed. Even adult women now openly twerk in public to impress politicians for money and praises. Men sell their wives’ bodies for money.
Ministers have lost it. They cheer on that and nod with approval. Language and dress code have lost track. No one cares anymore. That’s just how Zimbabwe has become.
In Zimbabwe we have lost it. Profanity, prurience and nudity now dominate our culture. We also add pornography, suggestive dress codes, open sexual discussions and various other unprintable matter that now dominates our social and public media.
We used to have a Minister of Culture but now we do not have one. Things are falling apart and the next thing in Zimbabwe could be witnessing nude people riding the bus.
The language is sickening. There are lots of improper words and unacceptable human behavior. Young girls sell bodies for money. College students are now encouraged to fall into prostitution for money. There are lots of pregnancies and abortions taking place.
Diseases are multiplying and the government is taking a nap and everything seems fine because even the ministers go after college students.
Zimbabwe once led the region on ethics, conduct and behavior. Now we have become a kitchen sink of all kinds of problems. Corruption is rife. Lodges are the number one business for married couple to meet their concubines for sex.
There are no zoning codes for such illicit places and recreational drugs are openly traded. Police look aside when they hear about drug houses. Those without money for drugs buy Tumbwa.
Government has a hand in Tumbwa as well as the drugs on the streets. People must get high and do whatever they need to do. We are now a lawless nation. We now need a Minister of Culture.
Any nation’s strength is measured not only by its economy or military power, but by the character it preserves and the dignity it extends to its people.
Culture is the living memory of a nation—its language, traditions, arts, and shared values—and it forms the foundation upon which unity and identity are built. I keep wondering how we got sidetracked.
Our government under ED carries the responsibility of safeguarding this foundation. Policies, public leadership, and national priorities should reflect respect for cultural heritage while encouraging its continued growth.
When culture is valued and protected, citizens feel seen and connected to something greater than themselves. This sense of belonging strengthens social trust and fosters resilience during times of challenge.
Now we seem lost because Zimbabwe is now a lawless place where anyone can say anything or do anything in open spaces. We are the new Sodom and Gomorrah.
Equally important is the preservation of dignity. A government that treats its people with fairness, respect, and compassion cultivates confidence in public institutions.
Upholding dignity in public discourse, governance, and civic life reinforces the principle that every individual matters and that the nation’s progress includes all of its people.
By protecting culture and honoring dignity, our government invests in more than the present moment. It invests in the long-term well-being of the nation.
Future generations will inherit not only the infrastructure and policies of today, but also the values that guide them. Stewardship of culture and dignity ensures that the nation moves forward without losing the spirit that defines it.
We have a lot of issues in Zimbabwe today. ZINARA collects funds to build roads but have the worst roads in the region. People have no tap water. Boreholes now dominate. Mbare Matapi is struggling with Tsikidzi (bed bugs). Now we have an added issue of culture erosion.
The government must appoint a Minister of Culture immediately. We are now an example of sin, profanity and nudity. Our music producers need control on video quality and content. We deserve to be a dignified lot and we cannot be the leader of sin in the region.
Any music video must be family friendly. If we join hands, we can preserve a lot. The censorship board must be re-activated.
At this pace, incest could surprisingly be made legal in Zimbabwe. Even government offices could be turned into residential apartments. We can do better as a nation.
Thomas “Mukanya” Mapfumo is a Chimurenga Music King. He lives in Oregon, USA. He writes as a social activist concerned about the culture erosion in Zimbabwe. He still believes that Zimbabwe can bounce back to reclaim its old glory.
