The promotion of unhu in Zimbabwean secondary schools through the teaching of Shona literature : Masvingo urban district, a case study
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Authors
Viriri, Eunitah
Issue Date
2017-11
Type
Thesis
Language
en
Keywords
Culture , Unhu , African traditional education , African literature , Shona literature , Afrocentricity , Oral literature , Shona novels , Old world novels , New world novels , Moral decay , Discipline and morality and Zimbabwean secondary schools
Alternative Title
Abstract
This study examines the extent to which the teaching of Shona novels can be used to
promote unhu (humanness) in Zimbabwean secondary schools where there has been a
call for the teaching of cultural values. The school syllabi for Shona make this position
abundantly clear. For that reason, anchoring the discussion on the role of literature in
Africa as expounded by African scholars such as Ngugi wa Thiong’o (1981), p’Bitek
(1986) and Achebe (1989) among others, the study observes that literature plays an
important role in moulding character through advancing unhu. For instance, as Achebe
(1989) argues that the novelist is a teacher, the study therefore locates literature as a
life-affirming and life-extending affair. The discussion of the role of literature as a
potential conduit for expressing unhu takes place within the theoretical confines of
Afrocentricity, an African-centred theory that places the interests of Africa at the centre
of any analysis involving African people. The selected novels namely Pfumo Reropa
(1961), Kunyarara Hakusi Kutaura? (1983) and Ndafa Here? (2007) are therefore
interrogated from an Afrocentric point of view. The three novels are representative of
different historical epochs in Zimbabwe’s cultural trajectory. In addition, they have
featured quite prominently on the school syllabi for Shona. Through a combination of
interviews and critical analysis of the novels, the study crucially observes that the proper
teaching of literature can effectively transform the thinking of learners thereby locating
them in their own cultural platforms. However, for this to happen, teachers must be
properly trained in order that they develop an appreciation of the value of literature in
imparting unhu among learners. As a result, the study thus proposes sufficient
conscientisation of teachers and learners on the concept and practice of unhu be
systematically carried out. At the same, there is need for greater planning in
constructing a more informing syllabus, as well as the deliberate inclusion of texts that
canonise unhu.
Description
Citation
Viriri, Eunitah (2017) The promotion of unhu in Zimbabwean secondary schools through the teaching of Shona literature : Masvingo urban district, a case study, University of South Africa, Pretoria, <http://hdl.handle.net/10500/23737>