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<\/p>\nPresident Mnangagwa has received the centuries-old Zimbabwe Bird, Chapungu at State House in Harare. <\/p>\n
THE repatriation of the last Zimbabwe soapstone bird, the Chapungu and ancestral human remains from South Africa, marks the beginning of a broader journey of cultural restoration, healing and reintegration.<\/p>\n
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This comes after South Africa, at the directive of President Cyril Ramaphosa, handed back the artefacts on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
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The symbolic handover which took place in Cape Town comes at a time Zimbabwe is preparing for independence celebrations this coming weekend.<\/p>\n
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Zimbabwe Bird is the definitive icon of independent Zimbabwe, appearing on national flags, coats of arms, currency, passports, and IDs.<\/p>\n
It has symbolised both Rhodesia and Zimbabwe, and today remains central to military insignia, govt logos, civic institutions &national monuments.<\/p>\n
The Chapungu played a profound, multifaceted role during the Zimbabwean war of liberation, acting as both a spiritual omen and a tangible symbol of resistance and protection.<\/p>\n
As a revered Shona messenger between the living and the ancestors, the bird was integrated into the psychological and spiritual dimensions of the armed struggle, acting as a \u2018bird of Chimurenga.’<\/p>\n
The Chapungu, or Zimbabwe Bird, is the eighth and final soapstone sculpture carved between the 11th and 15th centuries at Great Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n
Believed to depict a bateleur or fish eagle, it once stood atop stone monoliths as a spiritual guardian.<\/p>\n
Looted during colonial rule over a century ago and taken to South Africa, it has now been repatriated as part of efforts to restore Zimbabwe\u2019s cultural heritage.<\/p>\n
The Zimbabwe Bird, together with ancestral human remains, was repatriated from South Africa in a ceremony at the Iziko Museums in Cape Town, following a directive by President Cyril Ramaphosa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
President Mnangagwa has received the centuries-old Zimbabwe Bird, Chapungu at State House in Harare.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5250,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[949,127],"class_list":{"0":"post-5247","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news-zimbabwe","8":"tag-president-cyril-ramaphosa","9":"tag-president-mnangagwa"},"yoast_head":"\n