On pfukwa/mhvuko and the Ndau Christian Dilemma: A Case of the United Church of Christ in Zimbabwe (UCCZ)

Abstract

The article engages with the notion of pfukwa/mhvuko (avenging spirits) among the Ndau Christians using the case study of the United Church of Christ in Zimbabwe (UCCZ). The study was motivated by a recurring question among some members of UCCZ on the phenomenon of the avenging spirits and the plight of the Ndau Christians. The article argues that the Ndau Christian converts are not immune to the effects of the avenging spirits in the metaphysical spaces of the Ndau because of the elaborate notion of collective existence (unthu/ubuntu) that defines the Ndau identity. The article unpacks the notion of pfukwa/mhvuko and its embeddedness in the whole matrix of Ndauness that does not spare the converted Ndau. The article is both a theoretical and empirical qualitative phenomenological enquiry that employs the netnographic research design. It uses the UCCZ WhatsApp social media microblogging site Eya Eya Haiwa Haiwa, to gather data through seminar (group) presentations and discussions. The article utilizes discourse analysis to filter data. It also engages with available relevant literature on the subject. The article uses two theoretical frameworks of unthu/ubuntu, and Goffman’s back and front stage theory to traverse the pfukwa/mhvuko phenomenon among the Ndau. The findings are that the Ndau notion of pfukwa/mhvuko is an existential metaphysical reality among both the Ndau practitioners of indigenous spirituality and Ndau Christians. The study recommends an authentic dialogue between the two spiritualties to build a contextually relevant Christian doctrine of pfukwa/mhvuko. It also raises the challenges that may stifle progress on the recommended trajectory.