Shangwe-Tonga culture centre opens in Gokwe-Nembudziya to preserve indigenous knowledge

A new culture centre has been commissioned in Gokwe-Nembudziya as part of efforts to preserve and transmit the indigenous knowledge, customs and traditions of the Shangwe and Tonga communities.

The facility was commissioned on September 24, 2026, during Shangwe-Tonga Culture Day celebrations. Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture identifies Lieutenant-General (Retired) Anselem Nhamo Sanyatwe as the minister responsible for the portfolio, a role also listed by Parliament and the ministry’s official website. (zbcnews.co.zw)

A community-based cultural facility

According to ZBC News, the centre includes a traditional leaders’ court, offices, and Nhanga and Gota facilities. The project is described as one of the legacy projects linked to Zimbabwe’s 2025 Independence celebrations.

The centre is intended to provide a dedicated space where cultural knowledge can be safeguarded and passed from older generations to younger people. Traditional leaders, cultural practitioners and community members attended the celebrations, which included cultural activities and performances. (zbcnews.co.zw)

Senator Chief Chireya said the facility belonged to the community and would help protect what elders had taught younger generations. A community member also said the Nhanga and Gota would allow elders to teach young people about values, responsibilities and traditional ways of life, according to ZBC News.

What officials say

Minister Sanyatwe said cultural preservation should be led by communities, while government’s role was to create conditions that enabled them to protect and transmit their heritage. His remarks frame the centre as more than a public building: it is part of a government-backed approach that places local communities at the centre of cultural preservation.

A Midlands provincial official, Koshen Mtisi, described the project as evidence of the government’s commitment to preserving Zimbabwe’s cultural and moral heritage, ZBC reported.

Why the centre matters

The opening gives the Shangwe-Tonga community a permanent institutional setting for cultural activities, historical documentation and intergenerational learning. The available reporting establishes the facility’s purpose and its main components, but does not provide details about its construction cost, operating budget, staffing, collection policies or how frequently the facilities will be used.

Those details will matter in assessing whether the centre can sustain the preservation work announced at its commissioning. The immediate focus, however, is on creating a local space where traditional leadership, community knowledge and cultural practice can be maintained and shared.

What to watch

• How the centre’s traditional leaders’ court, offices, Nhanga and Gota facilities will be used.
• Whether the community develops a formal programme for recording and teaching indigenous knowledge.
• What resources are allocated for staffing, maintenance and cultural activities.
• Whether future Shangwe-Tonga cultural events expand the centre’s role in community life.

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