MusictherapyTodAy, Volume 12, No. 1, 2016
Music therapy for children in Zimbabwe: an introductory experience Grace chiundiza rMt Graduate diploma in Music Therapy; BA Creative Arts (Music)
abstract
Resumen
This paper presents an initial project conducted in Zimbabwe in order to gauge the feasibility of promoting music therapy to a broader community. It discusses the challenges facing the children from a small Shona speaking community in Harare, Zimbabwe, and the possible benefits of music therapy for them. It also reflects on issues such as difficulty accessing the participants, and methods and techniques used in this project, which resulted in positive outcomes.
Este artículo presenta un proyecto inicial realizado en Zimbabwe con el fin de evaluar la viabilidad de promover la musicoterapia en una comunidad más amplia. Se analizan los desafíos que enfrentan los niños de una pequeña comunidad de habla Shona en Harare, Zimbabwe, y los posibles beneficios de la musicoterapia para ellos. También reflexiona sobre temas como la dificultad para acceder a los participantes, y los métodos y técnicas utilizados en este proyecto, que conllevaronresultados positivos.
Background
The targeted children were from the outskirts of Harare, which is in Mashonaland Province. Traditional children’s songs, in Zezuru dialect, were used in the program.
Zimbabwe has a population of about 15 million people, and has 16 official languages. The country is divided into provinces, of which one is Mashonaland where the dominant language is Shona. There are several dialect groups in Shona: In the North are the Korekore, in the Central part are Zezuru, in the East are Manyika, South are Ndau and in the Great Zimbabwe ruins are Kalanga. With the colonization of Zimbabwe and subsequent missionary influence, there was a crusade against African cultures which supplanted them with European and Christian doctrines.
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The children from the small Shona speaking community in Zimbabwe live with various challenges: firstly, their families may face economic difficulties due to the lack of regular income; secondly, they have an inadequate transport system, poorly-resourced schools, and few playgrounds. The cause of these challenges lies in a crisis of identity. Traditionally, the Zimbabwean identity was composed of many diverse cultures. There