Traditional leader Mr. Kamunyenda modelled his father and mother, considering them to be the world’s most powerful parents. He related a vivid childhood recollection of the first time he boarded a bus, describing how horrified he was by the bus’s speed and the illusion that the trees were moving in the opposite direction. Despite his fear, he believed his mother was a superhero who would protect him at all costs, and he immediately felt safe in her presence. Although his parents cared for and protected him, he believed they used physical discipline extensively. He joked about being caught stealing sugar and powdered milk and receiving a thorough spanking that left him leaping in pain for days. He stated that he adored his parents but never appreciated how they employed corporal punishment as a disciplinary measure.
Traditional female leader Glayds Kaundura grew up as an only child, and she appreciated the way she was shown affection and moulded properly. She claimed that she was extremely courteous and would get along with people and this “emancipated me to care for my children quite well with love, care, and support,” as she expressed. ‘I grew up in a Jehovah’s Witness family, which contributed to my immaculate behavior as religion played a key role in socialising us,’ she concluded
Mrs. Gamanya indicated how she grew up in dire poverty but was happy. They were permitted to play childhood games at the rivers, and we were trained to be principled as there were no incidents of sexual harassment, even though we would swim naked. Christmas was the best time because the wealthier parents would purchase bread and all the children in the community would assemble to enjoy bread and tea. The community came together to raise children and functioned as a social safety net for all children. Using the concept that “it takes a village to raise a child,” thus, elders in the community employed corporal punishment as a disciplinary method.
‘I grew up in a polygamous home, and elder brothers would use extreme corporal punishment to chastise us to the extent that I still harbour resentment to this day,’ Headman Chavhuta said. ‘Even though our mothers were different, we were all equally treated. My mum used to commend me on how well-behaved I was as a child, which encouraged me to perform well to please her. Positive reinforcement and self-fulfilling prophecy inspired me to live up to my parents’ expectations. Our capabilities were cultivated from a young age, and I have continued to play soccer successfully to this day. Our mothers were strict disciplinarians, but we dreaded our father the most since he struggled with anger management and would yell at us, forcing us to flee if the physical punishment was severe.’
My mum taught me how to stitch jerseys as a life skill. We were delighted by communal fights in which the oldest men would congregate and fight. Mr. Madzungu was a bully and a naughty child who I saw grow growing to appreciate how he indeed changed and became an amicable man. Despite being exposed to such violence, it transformed me for the better. My mother wanted me to be a driver, so I worked toward that goal, whereas my mother wanted my brother to be a law enforcement officer, and he is now one, so we met her expectations and she was happy with our accomplishments.
Headman Nyachowe described his traumatic childhood experience, in which he lost his parents at a young age and was tortured by his caregivers, who refused to provide him with food. As a result, he would occasionally gather mice and go home to cook them, but other siblings would steal the mice and prepare them instead, and if he reported them, they would beat him up. ‘I would do everything at home, even going to the mills, which was a chore for girls’ and have other age-mates laugh at me for ‘doing girl work’, and if I objected, they would brutally beat me.’ Because I was bitter and starving, I would skip school. To the extent that I had to steal corn from home to sell to feed myself. My strategy, unfortunately, did not last long, as I was discovered and was mercilessly beaten to a pulp by my step-parents and their children.
I grew up with bitterness and fury, which drove me to marriage at a young age, before I turned 15, in trying to evade the horrendous acts of abuse I had been subjected to since I was five years old. Although my extended family managed to raise me, they did so in an aggressive manner, which spurred me to work hard later in life so that my own children would not have to go through what I went through. I imagine I would have suffered less if my parents had given me an inheritance. I was one of the young boys who fought in the liberation war, and after the war in 1980, I pursued my studies from grade 7. Although independence paved the way for equality, patriarchy and the pain of the fight for independence found it challenging to recognize female teachers, and we would often revolute to have them transferred to urban schools, this later changed with the education we received, and to this day l champion for women’s rights and equality.
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