A neglected minority clan in western Zimbabwe has organised a sponsored walk to cover 100km where they will be targeting tourists visiting Victoria Falls to raise funds for construction of a museum.
The Nambya community is dominant in Matabeleland North province, particularly around Hwange and Victoria Falls areas and is one of the neglected tribes in the country.
They have taken the initiative to raise funds through a sponsored walk to build a museum which they want to use to revitalise their culture and foster unity among themselves, amid clamouring for being exploited and marginalised by the government.
Matabeleland North province is rich in natural resources such as wildlife, conservancies, coal and gas mines but the majority of the Nambya and Tonga people who are dominant in the area fail to get employment in their own area.
The sponsored walk is scheduled for Friday June 2.
The Nambya Community Museum advisory board organised the march upon realisation that the museum building which has been lying idle since 2005 is dilapidating.
“The Nambya Community Museum will be having a 100km sponsored walk from Hwange to Victoria Falls from June 2 to June 3 2017. The donations will be meant for renovation of our museum in Hwange,” said board treasurer Simba Gweshe.
The government National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe once attempted to renovate the building but abandoned the project and the community fears its heritage and culture will quickly disappear because of lack of such place.
The Nambyas are not the only ones marginalised in the country as the whole of southern region which covers Matabeleland provinces and Midlands have complained about lack of development while resources are exploited to Harare in the northern parts of the country.