A Tsapi – Photo by Natasha Zvemaruwa
By Natasha Zvemaruwa
My first encounter with millet soon after arriving at the Turugare homestead, Bikita, Zimbabwe, was a deliciously bitter cup of maheu, a popular non-alcoholic beverage made, in this instance, with fermented millet and water. Simple, refreshing and highly nutritious! The full bowl of nyemba beans and the huge size of the watermelon that was served with it quickly brought back memories of the abundance I had witnessed here on my first visit in September 2021. I had just arrived from Harare and, so, to experience the quiet beauty of this landscape and the warm welcome of the people who live here, unlocked something deep inside of me. After eating, we took our bags into our comfortable dwellings where we would stay for the 2-day visit. That night I lay in bed satisfied but curious. I wondered how the community would turn the process of harvesting pearl millet, something I associated with hard work into a celebration through shared labour – the meaning of Humwe.
The following day the weather was cloudy with a slight drizzle. One or two of us were concerned it might rain, but our fears were allayed when it was explained that this sort of weather on the day of the harvest was a blessing and nothing to worry about. As we drove from Chikuku to Chiroorwe, the scenery drew me in. The hills of trees and rock stand sturdy in the background. In the foreground, shrubbed grasslands, rows of sunflowers and, of course, fields and fields of millet focused my gaze. Indeed 2023 has been a successful year of millets in Bikita, in support of the declaration by the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) on 6 December 2022, when it launched the International Year of Millets.
When we approached the Takaendesa homestead we were greeted by friendly faces and the familiar welcome song Mauya Kwa Dende. The ceremony began with more music which was followed by an opening prayer. Then came the introductions in which the use of totems quickly transformed strangers into family as people identified their daughters-in-law, siblings and parents. A special moment was when EarthLore board member, Ms Pswarayi, kneeled on the ground to address the elders, both visible and invisible, thanking them for allowing the gathering to take place and petitioning them to bless the proceedings. Ms Pswarayi reminded us all of the importance of the land, our seeds and our culture.
Ms Takalani, EarthLore’s programme facilitator, then spoke to us about the journey the community had undertaken since its members started growing millet. She said that at the beginning, there were only a few people who had the traditional seed and it was through the joint efforts of the farmers that the seed was able to spread. Ms Takalani affirmed, “it’s beautiful that the work we began in 2015 is now starting to show its flowers… and it is with the wisdom of the elders, and the strength of the youth that this community will be successful in the harvesting process.” She emphasized that the skills for this process were not to be found outside the community but within it, and by seeking the guidance of the ancestors, knowledge on how to proceed will emerge. She motivated the crowd further by saying, “This year we are showing everyone that this is our millet and we know how to harvest it!” With that, the owner of the homestead was invited to lead the community into the field to begin the task. As the community worked, more songs were sung. It was inspiring to witness the empty baskets go into the fields, and swiftly come out full of pearl millet heads. Within a couple of hours, the job was done!
While the reaping was taking place, Ms Takalani and I had the opportunity to speak with Dende garden’s chairperson, Mai Gaiko. She told us that the purpose of the Humwe ceremony was to share the knowledge that the farmers had learned from several years of working with EarthLore to revive the traditional farming practices of their ancestors. She explained that since 2015, when millet crops were revived in Bikita, farmers had mostly harvested pearl millet at their homesteads without help. This was the first time that the community had gathered for the Humwe celebration to help a single household to collect the grain and take it to the tsapi, a temporary structure in which grain is left to dry and kept safely before it is removed for threshing and winnowing.
Mai Gaiko expressed with deep sincerity her appreciation for pearl millet. She explained that this year’s dry season was very hot and, when the rains finally came, only the pearl millet managed to grow successfully. The maize was a total failure. She told us that because of the resilience of pearl millet, hunger is a thing of the past. She exclaimed, “Even the birds are less greedy because there is so much food for them!” She went on to say “We are enjoying a better life…our traditional ways are benefitting us. These grains are not simply for preparing a nutritious, tasty meal: they are used to heal common ailments and they also support the immune system.”
We also managed to chat with Mr and Mrs Takaendesa, the owners of the homestead where the event was being held. They shared that their small family of just the two of them and their two young grandchildren would never have been able to harvest their crop in such a timely manner. The couple were exceedingly happy with the way the event had unfolded and explained that next time it will be them going to help out other members of the community to harvest their field. Mr Takaendesa commented, “Our traditional farming practices and the ways of our ancestors are bringing us closer together. If it was maize in our fields we would not have gathered like this today.”
After the grain had been collected and stored, the community gathered around the newly built tsapi. Ms Takalani thanked everyone for their hard work and camaraderie. This was followed by an interesting discussion about the importance of the tsapi and why farmers should all have one at their homesteads. At the end of this discussion, Ms Pfupajena posed a beautiful question: “As pearl millet has brought us such great harvests over the years, is it not only proper that we give this crop the respect it deserves and build the rightful structures for its storage?” For a moment there was silence. It was a poignant moment as this single truth emerged, for everyone gathered there knew the role that pearl millet was playing in resuscitating the livelihood of the community. In closing, several people put their hands up, vowing to build tsapis at their homesteads next season.
Mr Nkata, EarthLore’s agroecology consultant, brought the discussion back to our interconnection with nature and reminded those present of the importance of sharing the generosity of the millet crop with all forms of life . It had been mentioned that storing grain incorrectly inside the home was leading to pests, such as rats and termites, attacking it. Mr Nkata suggested to the crowd that when they are harvesting, they should allow themselves to leave some of the harvest in the field. What may have been left accidentally should remain there. By doing so, the ‘pests’ can eat what they need without destroying the stored grain. He emphasized that God created us all to co-exist and it is our duty to contribute to the survival of smaller creatures that also have their role to play in the cycle of life. “If we look after them, they will look after us by maintaining a healthy ecosystem”.
That night as I lay in my bed, my curiosities were well satisfied and a feeling of contentment washed over me. It was a day I would never forget.
