The traditional dance Mbende Jerusarema occupies a prominent place in Zimbabwean culture and is performed by the Zezuru Shona in eastern Zimbabwe. It is a popular style of dance particularly popular in the Murewa and Uzumba-Maramba-Pfungwe districts. There are about 12 notable traditional dances in Zimbabwe and one of them is the Mbende Jerusarema Dance. Mbende Jerusarema is characterized by acrobatic, sensual steps accompanied by a polyrhythmic drummer and woodblock clappers played by men, while women handclap, yodel, blow whistles, and foot stamp. Unlike other East African dances of the same name, it does not rely on intricate foot stamping or a large number of drummers. Instead, one master drummer performs the music. There is no music or lyrics involved.
The dance often begins with men crouching, jerking their arms, and vigorously kicking the ground with their right leg to simulate a mole burrowing into the ground. This dance’s name suggests much about its history. Before colonial rule, it was known as Mbende, or “mole”, which was regarded as a symbol of fertility, sexuality, and family. The dance was also used as a war dance to deceive opponents. As colonialism and Christian missions became more prevalent in the country, however, the dance was strongly condemned as unholy, provocative, indecent, and encouraged laziness, leading to a ban in 1910 by the brutal colonial government. However, despite the ban, the dance continued to thrive. As a result of the influence of Christian missionaries, the dance's name was changed to Jerusarema—a Shona adaptation of the name of Jerusalem—to endow it with a religious connotation. Both names are still in use today.
This dance is communal in nature and is performed primarily in rural areas, which account for about 75% of Zimbabwe’s population. It is not merely an expression of pride and identity, though it has been condemned by missionaries and other authorities. It remained popular despite its condemnation by missionaries and became an important source of pride and identity in the struggle against colonialism. This ritual dance is changing because it becomes more widely enacted as an exotic animation intended for tourists. It is also increasingly used at political party rallies, and its original intent and meaning have been removed. As other instruments have been substituted for the mitumba drum, rattles, and whistles, which used to accompany the dance, they have contributed to the loss of the uniqueness of the Mbende music. Mbende Jerusalema Dance is an important vehicle for the transmission of knowledge and skills relevant to the people of Murehwa from generation to generation, which is vital for the development of the cultural heritage.
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