nora chipaumire

Nehanda is a radical pedagogical opera about the legendary female spirit Nehanda, venerated by Shona people. This opera is based on Rhodesian case law, The Queen v. Nehanda, 1898. In the late 19th century, Nehanda’s medium Charwe Nyakasikana orchestrated the first anti-British uprisings in Southern Rhodesia. She was captured, tried, and executed by the Rhodesians, and in an act of extreme hatred, her remains (bones) were sent to England. Today a contentious restitution, reparation, repatriation dispute remains.
 
Nehanda is an indictment of the colonizing invaders, it de-colonizes the colonial narratives, exposing past injustices that shape the present political realities in Zimbabwe. Effectively, this opera is a rebuttal of empire, a legal and philosophical defense for revolutionary movements, particularly, early Zimbabwean freedom fighters.

Estimated Artist Fee: $35,000 - $65,000.​​