Zimbabwe unveils statue honoring anti-colonialist heroine

Zimbabwe’s president has unveiled a towering bronze statue in the center of Harare, the capital, honoring a 19th-century Black anti-colonialist heroine who was hanged for leading a rebellion against white occupation

HARARE, Zimbabwe -- Zimbabwe’s president on Tuesday unveiled a towering bronze statue in the center of Harare, the capital, honoring a 19th-century Black anti-colonialist heroine who was hanged for leading a rebellion against white occupation. President Emmerson Mnangagwa vowed to press for the return of her skull from Britain. Nehanda Charwe Nyakasikana, more widely known as Mbuya (grandmother in Shona) Nehanda, was hanged in 1898 for leading an anti-colonial rebellion. She was an influential spirit medium who rallied people to fight against the seizure of their land by colonialists. After her death, Nehanda became a symbol of resistance and inspiration for the 1970s bush war that brought an end to the white-minority ruled country of Rhodesia and led to majority rule and the independence of Zimbabwe in 1980.