Kurudziro neUchenjeri All Ages⏱️ 2 min📜 2 Ndima (Stanzas)
👐
Chara Chimwe Hachitswanyi Inda
One Finger Cannot Crush a Louse (Unity in Community)
Tsumo neNhetembo dzeVanhu (Community Wisdom)
Nhetembo inosimbisa simba rekubatana, mushandirapamwe pamusha, nekuti pasina kubatsirana hapana chinobudirira.
A poetic exploration of Zimbabwe’s iconic proverb: alone we stumble, but united as family and community, we overcome anything.
Ndima dzeNhetembo · Poem Stanzas
💡 Click any stanza or line to listen
Ndima 1
Chara chimwe hachitswanyi inda,
A single finger can never crush a louse alone,
Rutsoka rumwe harufambi rwega musango.
A single foot cannot journey through the wild forest.
Huni imwe yoga haibviri pachoto kuti moto ukwire,
One log alone cannot kindle the hearth fire,
Asi svinga rehuni rinopisira dzinza rose.
Yet a gathered bundle of wood warms the entire village clan.
Ndima 2
Kana tikabatana maoko semipanda yemba,
When our hands link together like upright pillars of a house,
Dutu guru harimbofi rakawisira denga redu.
The fiercest gale can never bring our rooftop down.
Mukoma batsira munin’ina, mubereki batsira mwana,
Elder sibling help the younger, parent guide the child,
Simba redu chairo riri murudo nekubatana!
Our true, unbreakable strength lives in love and solidarity!
Dzepfunde! · Learn Shona
💡
Mashoko Anokosha · Key Poetic Vocabulary
Tap any word to listen to its pronunciation and definition
Chara
🔊
🗣️ CHAH-rah
Single finger or thumb
Svinga
🔊
🗣️ SVEE-ngah
A tied bundle of firewood gathered together
Mipanda
🔊
🗣️ mee-PAH-ndah
Upright supporting wall timbers of a roundhouse
Dutu
🔊
🗣️ DOO-too
A raging windstorm or tempest
🧠
Ongororo yeNhetembo · Literary & Cultural Insights
📌 Dingindira Guru (Main Theme):
Ubuntu/Unhu, solidarity, collective power, and mutual aid in family and society.
🎨 Zvirungamutauro (Metaphors & Imagery):
Contrasts “huni imwe” (isolated twig) with “svinga rehuni” (united bundle); home pillars (“mipanda”) symbolize strength in community.