Paper 2 · Gender and Women in Religion
Name the female spirit medium of the Nehanda mhondoro who was hanged in 1898 and became a symbol of resistance in Zimbabwe.
Model answer
Mbuya Nehanda
Also accepted: Nehanda, Charwe, Nehanda Charwe
Explanation: Charwe, the medium of the Nehanda spirit, led resistance in the First Chimurenga and was executed in 1898. Her role, and the ritual objects and regalia associated with a female svikiro, show that women mediated between the community and the spirit world at the highest level, and her name was invoked again in the Second Chimurenga.
Derived from ZIMSEC Family and Religious Studies 4047/2, Specimen Paper, Q1