Nehanda Research Articles

Midwives’ Knowledge, Perceptions and Practices on Utilization of the Partograph at Mbuya Nehanda Maternity Hospital

Globally, maternal death has been an issue of concern, while obstructed and prolonged labour are among the top five causes of these deaths in Africa and Zimbabwe particularly. Proper and effective utilization of the Partograph significantly helps in preventing and reducing the high numbers of birthing complications of such a nature. A Partograph is a labour monitoring chart that provides a pictorial overview of maternal and foetal well-being during the intrapartum period. The study aimed to assess the knowledge, perceptions, and practices on the utilization of the Partograph among midwives working at Mbuya Nehanda Maternity Hospital. A descriptive cross sectional design was used, and a semi-structured questionnaire was administered to 60 participants chosen using the purposive sampling technique. Data were collected and analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 22) and presented using charts, tables, and narration. The study identified that midwives were knowledgeable, although they had a negative attitude towards the Partograph attributed by a lack of motivation caused by the absence of support from mentors and supervisors, lack of workshops, and on-the-job training on the use of the graphical chart. Underutilization of the tool, which pointed to poor practice, was attributed to understaffing of midwives, high workload, and burnout syndrome among the labour ward midwives. These implications could lead to omissions, litigations, poor maternal service delivery, and lawsuits. Periodic workshops, symposiums, on-the-job training would go a long way in improving attitudes. The study concluded that the Partograph is a very important tool that should be effectively used in the labour ward so that complications are picked up early, thereby improving maternal outcomes. Support for the midwives, supervision, mentorship, non-monetary incentives, and increased staffing with an acceptable midwife-patient ratio of probably 1:2 would improve practice and yield a positive birthing outcome of a live and healthy mother and baby.

Structural and Process Factors Influencing Documentation Practice in Private and Public Labour Wards of Parirenyatwa Maternity Hospital, Zimbabwe

Background: Documentation is crucial for evidence-based nursing. Proper documentation ensures effective communication and quality patient care, while poor documentation compromises care. This study compared structural and process factors affecting documentation quality and patient outcomes in private and public labor wards at Parirenyatwa Mbuya Nehanda Maternity Hospital (MNMH). Methods: A multiple methods approach was used. A total of 177 records were assessed for quality documentation, and 10 midwives were observed on practice documentation. Additionally, 116 interviews were conducted with midwives to elicit information on documentation practices. Data was collected and quantitative data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version (SPSS version 20). Qualitative data was manually analysed and thematic analysis was used to generate codes and themes. Quantitative data was presented in tables, graphs, as frequencies and percentages while qualitative data was presented in narrative form. Results: With regards to structural factors, being in a public labour ward was significantly associated with increased the likelihood of higher nurse to patient ratio compared to being in a private labour ward (p=0.002). No process indicator was significantly associated with the type of labour. Those in the public labour ward were more likely to have complications and admitted in (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) NICU (p=0.008). Conclusion: The study determined that there was poor documentation practice in both public and private labour wards. Though there was a high level of awareness of critical aspects of labour to document and the importance of documentation by midwives from both wards, this did not necessarily translate to practice. There is a need to also formulate standard operating protocols and guidelines to guide and standardize documentation at MNMH.

Remembering Mbuya Nehanda: civil religion in ‘second republic’ Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT On Africa Day in 2021, Zimbabwe’s president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, unveiled the Mbuya Nehanda statue in Harare Central Business District. In his unveiling speech, Mnangagwa referred to Mbuya Nehanda as a reflection and embodiment of the heroic people of Zimbabwe. Predicated upon the Nehanda figure and Mnangagwa’s ideology, this study investigates civil religion in the second republic of Zimbabwe. In considering the homogenizing and unifying identity derived from cultural symbols, the study further examines the complexities associated with such a task in Zimbabwe as a multireligious, multiethnic, and multidimensionally crisis ridden context.

The Nehanda mythology: Dialectics of gender, history and religion in Zimbabwean literature

Recently, the government of Zimbabwe unveiled a newly constructed statue of the esteemed spirit medium and liberation icon who intrepidly fought against the British imperialism. The distinguished heroine is passionately known as Mbuya Nehanda Charwe Nyakasikana. The lexical item, ‘Mbuya’ in Shona language literally means grandmother. This study examines the ways in which the spectres of religion, historiography, gender and national politics find expression in often contested state narratives of Mbuya Nehanda and in selected Zimbabwean fictional writings. Foucault’s theorisation of socio-political practices and subjectification as sites of power, together with the Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) framework and bell hooks’ feminist thought of ‘talking back’, provide provocative insights about regimes of power that could be more edifying in the interlocking discursive terrain of the African cosmology, frequently disputed archeology of historical memory, socio-political relations, which are noticeable in discourses and gender politics. The study interrogates whether the Nehanda grand narrative is told by politicians as the revolutionary story of all citizens or not. If not, what alternative versions are proffered in selected Yvonne Vera and NoViolet Bulawayo’s literary texts? Arguably, the mythology of Nehanda in the chosen literary texts locates women as agents of revolution thereby generating semantic dissonance in the Zimbabwean context, which is largely considered as land of the Fathers.Contribution: The study situates the Nehanda narrative within contested terrains of national history, gender and religion in Zimbabwe’s transitional politics and literature. It concludes that in Vera and Bulawayo’s writings, the Nehanda narrative is deployed to interject significations of woman (hood) and nation (hood) which seek to marginalise some sections of the society. The dissonances embedded in the Nehanda narrative produce a dialoguing space that’ talks back’ and rebuts single storytelling.

Coloniality and the Mbuya Nehanda Statue: A Decolonial Analysis of Twitter Users’ Comments

ABSTRACT This paper interrogates debates that took place after the erection of the statue of Mbuya Nehanda, a Zimbabwean liberation war heroine. The paper employs thematic analysis and [Thompson, J. B. 1990. Ideology and Modern Culture. Cambridge: Polity Press] ideological schema to explore the underlying discourses and ideological assumptions evoked by the tweets that circulated on the Mbuya Nehanda Twitter hashtag (#MbuyaNehanda). Considering Twitter as an agonistic space of contestation and resistance, the paper examines the political and cultural significance of the Mbuya Nehanda statue at this moment in Zimbabwe’s history, bringing into focus the contestations over history, culture, and memory in the postcolonial nation. Findings reveal that the state’s politicisation of the memory of Mbuya Nehanda foils its attempt to create a collective remembering of her due to the fragmentations that exist in the postcolonial nation. This paper goes beyond critiquing the manifest discourses and tensions between the citizens and the state to consider the possibilities offered by the Mbuya Nehanda statue as a harbinger of new knowledges, not only relating to the continuities and discontinuities of colonial history and the present but to African spirituality as well. Using decolonial perspectives informed by epistemologies of the South, the article argues for epistemic pluriversality that recognises diverse forms of knowledge and diverse ways of being.

The nexus between ZANU PF, Mbuya Nehanda and the liberation struggle

Zimbabwe has a very rich history, deep rooted in its liberation struggle. However, this deep attachment to the liberation struggle has overshadowed and impeded basic government functions leading to the demise of the economy as the ruling party is entangled with the past and clearly lacking political will and innovation for the future. In the discourse of liberation war movements and activities, it is important to analyse the causes that give rise to their existence, which therefore becomes a backdrop on which their successes and failures can be analysed. This paper therefore will establish the main causes which fueled the liberation struggle in Zimbabwe and using such causes as benchmarks analyse how ZANU PF is faring forty years after independence. In this regard there are historical figures such as Mbuya Nehanda and the history of the liberation war which have become construed and contorted in political gimmicks such that the separation of such facts and ZANU PF have become difficult over the years. Hence, this paper seeks to analyse the relationship between ZANU PF, Mbuya Nehanda and liberation struggle. In making such an analysis it also becomes clearer whether ZANU PF still represents what it purports to have gone to war for, and the extent to which it has been successful in realising its objectives.

Entangled memories: Nehanda statue, Gukurahundi plaques and the politics of memory in Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT This article examines the on-going memorialization practices of Mbuya Nehanda and Gukurahundi that are performed and contested in various discursive spaces in Zimbabwe. It analyses the media discourses surrounding two seminal commemorative events that occurred concurrently on 25 May 2021. Firstly, the government unveiled a statue of Nehanda, a liberation heroine, in the capital, Harare. On the same day, the Gukurahundi survivors erected a memorial plaque at Bhalagwe to commemorate the victims of a genocide that was orchestrated by the government in Matabeleland between 1983 and 1987. Drawing upon Rothberg’s concept of multidirectional memory, we explore how these different histories are intertwined and entangled in public spaces as various mnemonic communities seek to assert and endorse their narratives of the past. Findings from on our analysis of news media reports demonstrate the entanglements, synergies and interconnectedness of Nehanda and Gukurahundi histories in various ways. On the one hand, Nehanda and Gukurahundi memories represent histories of victimization and injustices. On the other hand, they demonstrate the divergences and contestations surrounding national memory and identity politics.

Impact of COVID-19 on maternal and perinatal outcomes in Harare, Zimbabwe: a comparative maternal audit

Background The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown resulted in the disruption of health services in Zimbabwe. The objectives of this study were two-fold. First, the study sought to determine the impact of the lockdown on maternal and perinatal outcomes at two tertiary hospitals in Harare, Zimbabwe, using a maternal audit. Second, the study sought to estimate the potential effect of COVID-19 related decreases in coverage of maternal and newborn health interventions on maternal, and neonatal mortality in Zimbabwe using the Lives Saved Tool (LiST). Methods A retrospective review of labour ward delivery registers, postnatal records and patients’ maternity booklets was conducted. Data on total hospital deliveries, mode of delivery, and maternal and neonatal outcomes for March-August 2020 were abstracted and compared to data from March-August 2019. Logistic regression was performed to assess the association between maternal and perinatal outcomes and year as a proxy for the COVID-19 pandemic impact. Based on changes in coverage of interventions, LiST was used to estimate the impact of COVID-19 related disruptions on maternal and neonatal mortality at the national level. Results A total of 19,835 hospital deliveries that occurred at Sally Mugabe and Mbuya Nehanda Maternity Hospitals (11,346 for 2019 and 8,489 for 2020) were reviewed. Compared to 2019, there was a significant increased likelihood of breech deliveries (odds ratio, OR=1.2; 95% confidenxce interval, CI=1.1-1.5), uterine ruptures (OR=2.3; 95% CI=1.1-5.1), stillbirths (OR=1.8; 95% CI=1.5-2.2) and neonatal deaths (OR=1.4; 95% CI=1.03-1.86) in 2020. However, there was a decrease in the odds of caesarean deliveries (OR=0.7; 95% CI=0.7-0.8). From the LiST analysis, if similar disruptions to maternity services were observed across the country for a 12 month period, there would be an excess of 343 maternal deaths, 2,658 neonatal deaths and 450 stillbirths nationally. Conclusions These findings indicate a reduction in the utilisation of maternal health services and an increased risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes during the nationwide lockdown. The provision of maternal and neonatal health services amid the pandemic remains crucial to reducing the negative indirect impacts of the pandemic.

War songs and hope during the Second Chimurenga in Zimbabwe: a critical discourse analysis approach

War songs played a pivotal role during the struggle for independence in Zimbabwe. War songs provoked people’s thoughts, feelings and mood to fight for the liberation of the country. Slogans, songs and music that were sung and performed during the war of liberation, popularly known as the Second Chimurenga (1971–1979), instilled hope in both the liberation fighters and the masses as they gave them the strength to continue fighting until the attainment of independence. The war songs that were inextricably linked to the hard-fought struggle were the bedrock or cornerstone in boosting the fighters’ morale. Thus, the aim of the article is to discuss the pivotal role of war songs in winning the struggle against colonialism through instilling hope in both the masses and fighters. The language embedded in war songs oozed with power and urged the African fighters to soldier on despite all odds. Using critical discourse analysis of six war songs, namely Maruza imi (You have been defeated), Rova ngoma Mutavara (Hit the drum, Mutavara), Nyika yedu yababa (Our country, the land of our forefathers), Mhoroi mose mose (Greetings everyone), Tichafara tasvika muZimbabwe (We will be happy when we get to Zimbabwe) and Mbuya Nehanda kufa vachitaura (Grandmother Nehanda died speaking), the article argues that war songs are embedded with messages and emotions that give participants the vigour and energy to succeed despite the odds.

HIV self-care practices during pregnancy and maternal health outcomes among HIV-positive postnatal mothers aged 18–35 years at Mbuya Nehanda maternity hospital

ABSTRACTHIV-related conditions are one of the indirect causes of maternal deaths in Zimbabwe and the prevalence rate was estimated to be 13.63% in 2009. The study utilised a descriptive correlational design on 80 pregnant women who were HIV positive at Mbuya Nehanda maternity hospital in Harare, Zimbabwe. Participants comprised a random sample of 80 postnatal mothers. Permission to carry out the study was obtained from the respective review boards. Participants signed an informed consent. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and record review from 1 to 20 March 2012. Interviews were done in a private room and code numbers were used to identify the participants. Completed questionnaires were kept in a lockable cupboard and the researcher had sole access to them. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 12. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse data on demographics, maternal health outcomes and self-care practices. Inferential statistics (Pearson’s correlation and regression analysis) were used to analyse the relationship between self-care practices and maternal health outcomes. Self-care practices were good with a mean score of 8 out of 16. Majority (71.3%) fell within the good category. Maternal outcomes were poor with a mean score of 28 out of 62 and 67.5% falling in the poor category. Pearson’s correlation indicated a weak significant positive relationship (r = .317, p = <.01). Regression analysis (R2) was .10 implying that self-care practices explained 10% of the variance observed in maternal health outcomes. More research needs to be carried out to identify other variables affecting maternal outcomes in HIV-positive pregnant women.

Dominant representations of girls and women on Radio Zimbabwe

This paper uses textual analysis to discuss the dominant ways girls and women were constituted on the state-owned radio station, Radio Zimbabwe between March and April 2011. The bulk of existing research has focused on representations of women in news content published by the print media. Not much attention has been paid to radio despite the medium being the most popular means of communication in Africa. Also, missing in current research is a focus on how girls are depicted in the media.A key finding in this study is that Radio Zimbabwe framed ‘good’ girls in wooing encounters as passive. As a girl, being forthright was not always celebrated on the station. Another major finding is that women were pigeonholed into roles of mothers and nurturers. Whilst the dominant accounts positioned girls and women in aforementioned ways, the narratives were not always homogeneous. On the dating programme, Ida Anokudawo, female listeners traversed mainstream ideas by writing into the programme seeking partners. The spirit woman, Mbuya Nehanda, also disrupted conventional notions that framed women as predominantly caregivers who belonged in the home. Nehanda was portrayed as an inspirational leader of the First and Second Chimurenga in Zimbabwe.

An Innocent Woman, Unjustly Accused? Charwe, Medium of the Nehanda Mhondoro Spirit, and the 1896–97 Central Shona Rising in Zimbabwe

The rising of the Ndebele and southwestern and central Shona people against colonial rule in the 1890s has become one of the classic cases of such resistance. Yet, since the independence of Zimbabwe in 1980, very little fresh research has been carried out on the subject. This paper re-examines the role of Shona religious authorities in the rising, especially that of the medium of the Nehanda spirit of the Mazowe valley in the central Shona area. In just over a century, the figure of “Mbuya Nehanda” has become the best-known popular symbol of resistance to colonial rule in modern Zimbabwe. She has been commemorated since 1980 in statues, street names, a hospital, posters, songs, novels, and poems, and is soon to be the subject of a full-length feature film. This paper examines the historical basis behind the legend.This legend runs as follows: the historical “Nehanda” was supposed to have been the daughter of the founding ancestor of the Mutapa dynasty, who lived in the fifteenth century. Her ritual incest with her brother Matope gave supernatural sanction to the power of the Mutapa state. After her death, she became a mhondoro spirit, and this spirit possessed a number of mediums (masvikiro, singular svikiro). During periods of possession by the spirit, the svikiro was regarded as speaking with the voice and personality of the original Nehanda and not with her own. In the last part of the nineteenth century one medium, Charwe, was responsible for the organization of resistance to the government of the British South Africa Company and the settlers in the Mazowe valley, and in particular for the killing of H.H. Pollard, Kunyaira, the extremely oppressive Native Commissioner of the area. This resistance began in June 1896, and from then until her capture in late 1897 the Nehanda medium was a major factor in the war. Tried and sentenced to death in March 1898, she refused to convert to Christianity and struggled right up to the moment when she was hanged.