Culture

Zimbabwe has many different cultures which may include beliefs and ceremonies, one of them being Shona. The Shona people have many sculptures and carvings of gods (idols) which are made with the finest materials available.

Arts

Traditional arts in Zimbabwe include pottery, basketry, textiles, jewellery and carving. Among the distinctive qualities are symmetrically patterned woven baskets and stools carved out of a single piece of wood. Shona sculpture in essence has been a fusion of African folklore with European influences. A recurring theme in Zimbabwean art is the metamorphosis of man into beast.

Food

Like in many African countries, a majority of Zimbabweans depend on staple foods.

Mealie meal (or cornmeal as it is known in other parts of the world) is used to prepare 'bota', a porridge made by mixing the cornmeal with water, to produce a thick paste. This is usually flavoured with peanut butter, milk, butter and sometimes even jam. Bota is usually eaten for breakfast.

Cornmeal is also used to make sadza, which is usually eaten for dinner, and by many for lunch too. The process of making sadza is similar to bota, however after the paste has been cooking for several minutes, more cornmeal is added to thicken the paste until it is hard. This meal is usually served with greens, (spinach, collard greens), beans and meat that is stewed, grilled or roasted. Sadza is also commonly eaten with curdled milk commonly known as lacto (mukaka wakakora), or a small dried fish called kapenta (matemba).

On special occasions, rice and chicken with cabbage salad is often served as the main meal. Graduations, weddings and any other family gatherings will usually be celebrated with the killing of a goat or cow, which will be braaied (the Africans word for a barbecue) for the family.

For the Afrikaners, meat is especially important, though often expensive and now rare in Zimbabwe. Biltong, a type of jerky, is a popular snack. It is prepared by hanging bits of raw meat to dry in the sun. Boerewors (pronounced burr-uh-voars) is served alongside sadza. It is a long sausage, often well-spiced, composed of various meats, and barbecued. Afrikaners - possibly borrowing from the Britons' liking for tomatoes - like to serve their sadza with a tomato and onion sauce.

Music

Zimbabwean music includes folk and pop styles, much of it based on the well-known instrument the mbira. An annual Zimbabwe Music Festival is held each year in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. People from all over the world attend this festival and share the experience of Zimbabwean music and culture. Popular genres in Zimbabwe include native Chimurenga and imported rumba, soukous and rock and roll.

Religion

There are various forms of spiritual practice in Zimbabwe. 40-50% of Zimbabweans attend Christian churches. However like most former European colonies, Christianity is often mixed with enduring traditional beliefs.

Besides Christianity, ancestral worship is the most practiced non-Christian religion which involves ancestor worship and spiritual intercession. The Mbira Dza Vadzimu (Voice of the Ancestors), an instrument related to many lamellaphones ubiquitous throughout Africa, is central to many ceremonial proceedings.

Sport

Football is the most popular sport in Zimbabwe, although rugby and cricket also have a following, traditionally among the white minority.