SACRED GROVES ON DAMBOS IN ZIMBABWE: ARE THESE PRIVATE RESOURCES FOR THE RURAL ELITES?

Abstract

ABSTRACT Recent literature raises issues about how we categorize shared resources in communal settings. Are sacred groves private properties for elites or are they common property resources for the community? Some researchers in Zimbabwe argue that sacredness is a ploy by some elites to privatize resources that should be used by the community. In this paper, I look at sacred groves on dambos in two communal areas in Zimbabwe and explore the nature of property rights on sacred resources. I assess the notion of sacredness as a key element in defining property rights over resources found in the groves. I argue that current orthodoxy about elitism and the tendency towards privatization of common resources underplays the strength of community censure and under-values the role of ecological cults. I suggest that differential use of sacred resources is no more than a sanctioned use typical in common property situations. Suggesting trends towards privatization or elite monopoly of resources credits elites with more power than is possible and ignores the power of the weak to challenge or assert their rights over communal resources.