Muchenje's Kamosa and Sudsa

 

Saturday, Sept. 2nd, we met Cephas & Fortunate Muchenje at their Kamusha in Melfort. It was about a 45-minute drive from our apartment in Highlands. Cephas's eldest son, Menashi, was staying at his kamusha (place of birth) with Cephas's older sister, Sonata. The children all went to stay with different aunts over the school break for 4 weeks. It was an awesome opportunity to get to know this family better and participate in real Zimbabwean culture.

On the way to the rural kamusha, we stopped along the roadside to see our new friends, Doreen and Hazel, so we could buy some fresh onions and tomatoes. Doreen said she would go pick us some more peas and we could pick them up on our way back. She also asked me to bring her children some toys and some cream for her to make the creamed potatoes and peas I told her about.

The Muchenje kamusha "village" was down several remote dirt roads. When we got to the gate of the kamusha; we saw cute twelve-year-old Menashi running down the lane to greet us and hug his father. I greeted Sonata in Shona and she got a good kick out of our vocabulary! She lives in her parent's old home. A very modest but very clean brick-plastered home. She had just waxed the black cement floor to make it shine for the new visitors. Everyone was very friendly and excited to meet us. While Bruce and Cephas went for a walk; they had a lengthy discussion about paying the labola, required by Fortunate's aunt. This has put a roadblock on their baptism and getting them legally married. They hadn't talked to the aunt for over 3 years and now they want to get baptized, she's demanding money for the price of the bride. According to Reeve and Lolly, our prophet stated, "No more labola" but it's very difficult to get the culture to accept new ways.  Bruce talked to Cephas about this money the older aunt wants him to pay is taking money from his own children in need. Also, he stated, "Do you fear God or your aunt?" "Do you want God mad at you or your aunt mad at you?" They talked about faith requires action and we had done everything possible besides paying for their labola to help ease the way for their legal marriage including finding a wedding dress and tux, passport photos, and paying for the license. We'll wait and see how sincere they are about being baptized.

                  Muchenje Family: Keisha, Sonata, Menashi, Fortunate, and Cephas, 2023.09.02

                                               Cephas & Bruce getting water from the well.

We carried 2 buckets full of fresh well water to help make the meal and clean the dishes. These people are so robust with all their heavy day-to-day labor. While the men talked the women were busy making a homemade meal from fresh vegetables and a freshly butchered chicken. I invited myself into the small kitchen to help out and learn. Fortunate was cutting up vegetables, "covo" kale like greens, onions, and tomatoes on the floor. I washed my hands by the ladies pouring well water over them while I rubbed them together over the open window outside. Sanota helped me stir the sudsa, which was becoming thicker like porridge over the open hearth stove fed with small wooden sticks. Fortunate continued to feed the fire to keep the pot hot. The irony about it was at the other end of the building in the large family room and kitchen, Sonata had a beautiful stove, hutch, and fridge which had no access to electricity. She had "zesa" at one point and the neighbors or rival rural areas got jealous and cut down all the power poles. They are saving up for solar but get by living like the rest of the small rural community without any electricity. They did, however, have a little solar power in which they charged their "smart phones". Another irony I've seen in Africa, is the people live in thatched roof and cement huts, with no electricity but they all have a smartphone. It's like 1930 meets 2020 at a quick glance! 

Fortunate made most of the meal while Sonata and I watched. I helped cut up the tomatoes. She made a "gravy" of sauteed onions in oil and added chicken broth and freshly cut tomatoes. She would've added salt and pepper but Sonata didn't have any. The covo was made on the stove by sauteing onions in oil and the kale greens. She boiled the chicken pieces until they were cooked, then added each piece to a hot skillet of oil to brown. They dished up each person's plate on the floor. They served us on a small table with the only 4 chairs in the home.

We insisted Sonata join us, so she sat in the window sill to eat. They had us try the sudsa with our hands but we reverted to a fork. The Africans eat it with their right hand and dip small formed balls into the relish and gravy. It was very good! I supplied water bottles; partly because I didn't want to drink directly from the well and possibly get sick. 

After lunch, I insisted on helping with the dishes. We scrapped the extra food to feed the roaming chickens and road runners. I scrubbed the dishes in a cold soapy (clothing soap) bucket and we rinsed in a second bucket of clean well water.  Fortunate placed the dishes on an old tin laying across some rocks to let them air dry. Nasha, the cousin, thoroughly scrubbed a blackened pan (from cooking over the open fire) with a little dirt and elbow grease. She brushed the dirt and rubbed it vigorously over and over until the pan was shining like new. 

After cleaning up I joined the kids showing off their dance moves to their "iPad". Bruce joined in and they all got a good laugh at our rhythm or lack of it! The neighborhood children came over to join the fun. One boy climbed a tree to shake down some ripe avocados for us to take home. These are the salt of the earth people. They are so happy and willing to share all that they have. We partook of some amazing African Zimbabwean and Shona culture that day and made new friends too!