Charity Nkomo
Gender Affairs and Community Reporter <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bulawayo \u2013 In the past, elders used ukuzila \u2014cultural taboos or warnings\u2014to guide and protect children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A simple phrase like, \u201cDon\u2019t do this, kuyazila,\u201d was enough to make a child obey without question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These warnings were taken seriously, serving as safeguards against danger. But today, the reverence for ukuzila is fading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Modern children no longer accept these age-old cautions without scrutiny. When told \u201ckuyazila,\u201d many now respond with \u201ckuzilani?\u201d \u2014demanding explanations. Some even challenge the warnings outright.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cInstead of saying kuyazila, they should just tell me what will really happen. If I sit on the road, I could get hit by a car\u2014not that I\u2019ll grow ithumba (a hunched back or boil),\u201d said 12-year-old Luyanda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gone are the days when a single phrase could deter mischief. Parents and grandparents now struggle to enforce discipline as children question and test boundaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur elders were wise. We didn\u2019t question them. If they said, \u2018Don\u2019t go there,\u2019 we didn\u2019t go. Now, children don\u2019t believe in ukuzila anymore,\u201d lamented Gogo Mamoyo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For instance, telling a child,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDon\u2019t walk backwards, or your mother will fall into eqhageni (traditional calabash)\u201d no longer works. Today\u2019s children retort,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy mother doesn\u2019t even fit in eqhageni!\u201d Yet, in the past, such warnings were taken as absolute truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some attribute this shift to the internet, while others believe children today are simply more curious or skeptical. Whatever the cause, the tradition of ukuzila is slowly disappearing\u2014and with it, an ancient method of protection and guidance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As society evolves, a critical question arises: Are we losing a vital part of our culture?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ukuzila carry the wisdom of generations, and if they fade into obscurity, we risk forgetting the lessons of our ancestors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTimes have changed,\u201d sighed one elder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut we must find a way to keep our traditions alive\u2014even if the children no longer fear ukuzila.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zim GBC News\u00a92025<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Charity NkomoGender Affairs and Community Reporter Bulawayo \u2013 In the past, elders used ukuzila \u2014cultural taboos or warnings\u2014to guide and protect children. A simple phrase like, \u201cDon\u2019t do this, kuyazila,\u201d… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[128],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-community-and-gender-affairs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7408"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7408\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7409,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7408\/revisions\/7409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}