Noteworthy lessons on the impact of climate change on intangible cultural heritage in Zimbabwe

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