When religion, culture meet

 Even so, most of us, when praying, ask for little more than to receive our daily bread and to be delivered from evil. That is, until times of crisis, when we begin to question the way we live our lives, and to ponder whether we should be doing things differently.
Reading the Bible provides a road map on how to live a Christian life, and in times of hardship, a Christian’s first response would be to ‘take it to the Lord in prayer’. An American website, hotlinetogodstore.com will send you 25 inspirational Bible verses ‘to give a sense of calmness and reassurance’, at a cost of US$39,95.
In the pilgrim city of Varanasi, the Ram Ramapati Bank offers a different type of hotline to God, with no money involved. Depositors must scribble the name of Lord Ram (a Hindu god) 125 000 times on paper and bank officials will carry out rituals to bring prosperity and good luck to his life.
Religion, together with race, politics and our place of birth, determine our culture or way of life. The National Gallery in Harare recently held a Culture Week, celebrating local, regional and international cultures. Part of the celebrations included an exhibition, Objects of Mediation, exploring the role of material objects such as drums, mbira, beadwork, clay pots, head rests and masks, from a number of African countries.
On the day I visited the gallery, a fresh-faced group of Grade 7 pupils from Chembira Primary School in Glen Norah were examining the exhibits. They listened intently as Ephraim Mwaita, an intern from Midlands State University, described artefacts from Nigeria, Zambia, Ivory Coast and Zimbabwe, explaining their use in ceremonies used to link the present to the spiritual world of the ancestors. Indicating the half-man half-beast Monumental Figure from Ivory Coast, Mwaita said that Ivoirians would call upon it in times of trouble, and it would come alive and offer guidance to the faithful.
Mwaita also explained that the Shona did not employ masks or figures for communication, but made contact with their mudzimu (spirits of forefathers) through spirit mediums. A person would go into a trance, and the spirit would speak through him/her.
Wooden head rests were always the property of the father of the house, who was head of the family. The headrest provided a link during the night with the spirits, who spoke through dreams to offer advice and to give instructions. For this reason, the father always spoke with authority and was the decision maker in the family.
Musical instruments, such as drums, mbira, (thumb piano), hosho (rattles) are essential in all ceremonies and rituals. When combined with singing and dancing, a message is conveyed to the spirits, inviting them to attend and bless the ceremony, and to offer their guidance. Where there is wrongdoing or necessary rituals go unobserved, the ngozi or avenging spirit will seek justice against the living.
The pupils from Chembira Primary made copious notes, and will probably have many questions for their teacher, Mrs Chadzuka, when she introduces her next lesson on religious and moral education. School visits to repositories of culture such as art galleries and museums are vital in creating an awareness of heritage and identity, and in affirming a particular way of life.
The exhibition runs until August 31, 2012.