Abstract:
Zimbabwe suffered the devastating effects of
Cyclone Idai in 2019 when lives were lost,
homes destroyed and livelihoods severely
affected. The devastation and loss caused by
Cyclone Idai in Zimbabwe also affected the
intangible cultural heritage (ICH) assets of the
communities in the Chimanimani, Chipinge
and Buhera districts of Zimbabwe. These ICH
assets include oral traditions, performing arts,
social practices, indigenous rituals, kinship
systems and indigenous food systems. The
overall aim of the project was the recovery or
restoration of the ICH of the Cyclone Idaiaffected communities through inventorying
the ICH assets. This study is of urgency to
provide evidence-based information about
the ICH of these affected communities that is
useful for sustainable resilience, reconstruction
and relocation of those communities. ICH is
often damaged or destroyed in the aftermath
of a disaster due to insensitive conservation,
recovery and reconstruction, hence the project
inventoried the affected ICH for safeguarding
