The Psychological Benefits of African Traditional Funeral Rituals Among the Budya Shona People in Mutoko District, Zimbabwe
| dc.contributor.author | Ignatious Munyoro | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-06-20T14:23:54Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-06-20T14:23:54Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2023-06 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Funeral rituals among Shona ethnic groups in Zimbabwe have been negatively impacted by Western culture, Christian religion, and lack of understanding of African traditional funeral rites. Amidst this apparent confusion in the understanding of the relevance of African indigenous funeral rituals, there have also been inadequate empirical studies that have examined these funeral rituals from a psychological perspective, especially focusing on their benefits. The current study used a phenomenological research design to explore, from a counselling psychological perspective, the Zimbabwe Budya Shona people’s traditional funeral rituals. The objectives of the study were to identify the traditional funeral rituals among the Budya Shona people in the Mutoko district in Zimbabwe, determine their psychological benefits and explore how the funeral rituals support the bereaved during the after-burial period. Using the non-probability purposive sampling technique, the study collected data from 41 participants: 14 participants for one-on-one interviews and 27 participants for three focus groups. The study employed an in-depth semi-structured interview guide for the 14 individual interviews. The collected data were analysed using a thematic data analysis process. The study identified seven traditional funeral rituals: death announcement, welcoming visitors during a funeral, pre-burial and burial rituals, cleansing ritual, distribution of deceased’s property ritual and deceased’s friend rituals. The study results show the following mental and emotional benefits attached to funeral rituals: acknowledgement of the reality of death, sharing of responsibilities, removing triggers of mourning and grieving process, and separation with the deceased which is continuity and hope. The study results also showed three ways in which the Budya Shona traditional funeral rituals support the bereaved in the period following the burial: welcoming visitors after the burial, carrying the funeral to the deceased mother's clan home and visiting of the bereaved especially the deceased’s children by relatives and the deceased’s friends. The main form of support of the bereaved for the Budya Shona culture during the after-burial period is the continual presence to the bereaved. The current study provides insights and ideas for grief counsellors as it exposed that the Shona traditional funeral rituals have unique meanings that could be effectively incorporated into grief counselling. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://repository.tangaza.ac.ke/handle/123456789/1498 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | Tangaza University | |
| dc.title | The Psychological Benefits of African Traditional Funeral Rituals Among the Budya Shona People in Mutoko District, Zimbabwe | |
| dc.type | Thesis |