Religious Engagements with Tropical Cyclone Idai and Implications for Building Back Better

Abstract

In March 2019, Tropical Cyclone Idai hit Malawi, Mozambique, Madagascar and Zimbabwe. For most indigenous African people, there is a very thin line between the sacred, secular and scientific, hence interpretations of natural disasters are informed by religious belief systems. Through a household questionnaire survey, face-to-face interviews, focus group discussions and document analysis, this chapter documents and analysis how local people in Chimanimani (Zimbabwe) linked the cyclone to their religious beliefs. It emerged that the destruction caused by Cyclone Idai in the village of Kopa was believed to have been caused by mermaids tracking ill-gotten gains of locals who had travelled to Mozambique and used muti (traditional charms) to amass their wealth. Another credence was linked to clay pots that had been broken by the Apostolic Faith Christians in the Ngangu Mountain that could have angered the ancestors. It also emerged that some chiefs had kept their areas safe by performing rituals through their spirit mediums who asked Musikavanhu (God) to protect them. Furthermore, cleansing ceremonies (Mapira eChenuro in the Shona language) were conducted by chiefs and the government, with another great push to rebury bodies placed more than one in a grave at the Chimanimani district heroes’ acre at Ngangu. Bearing in mind that the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development clarion call of “Leaving no one behind”, we recommend that religious belief systems be an integral part of managing and raising awareness of natural hazards such as tropical cyclones, including building back better.