Zimbabwe’s public historian Pathisa Nyathi dies

When an elderly person dies, a library has burned down – the saying is a cliché but has never been truer than in the case of Pathisa Nyathi, who passed away at the age of 73 on 2 November.

Nyathi was a living library and archive of Zimbabwean history, cultural practices and African philosophy. Through his work, he documented and preserved the customs and traditions of the Zimbabwean people, especially the Ndebele.

As a scholar of African literature and cultural production, I had the opportunity to interact with him. We were preparing a co-edited book called Power, Politics & Production: Essays on Ndebele Language & Cultural Production. It had been accepted for publication by his publishing house, Amagugu Publishers. He was generous with his knowledge and advice. His enthusiasm for our book was contagious.

Nyathi is well-known for his untiring commitment to documenting African heritage, particularly that of his Ndebele people. A popular face on TV and voice on radio, he became a towering figure in Zimbabwe’s cultural landscape.

His departure leaves a significant gap in the country’s cultural and intellectual scene because Nyathi was more than a historian and writer. He was a guardian of the nation’s collective memory and heritage.

His life and work

Pathisa Nyathi was born in 1951 in the Kezi district of Matabeleland, 100km south of Zimbabwe’s second-largest city, Bulawayo. The rich oral traditions of Matabeleland undoubtedly nourished his lifelong dedication to storytelling and historical documentation.

He graduated in 1973 as a science school teacher and taught and worked as a headmaster for many years across the country. Though later completing a Bachelor of Arts degree, Nyathi assumed the role of public historian rather than that of academic. He prioritised the accessibility of knowledge over formal scholarship.

I remember watching him on TV when I was a high school student in Zimbabwe. What he shared barely appeared in the history textbooks at school. The colonial history we were taught was mainly European and American, with very little African or Zimbabwean content.

His work extended beyond the written word. He advocated for cultural preservation, founding the Amagugu International Heritage Centre in Matobo. There, visitors could learn about Ndebele and regional history.

Ndebele people make up around 17% of Zimbabwe’s population. They migrated from present-day South Africa under King Mzilikazi in the 1800s and settled in southwestern Zimbabwe. There they developed a distinctive identity which merged South Africa’s Zulu traditions with local influences.

Nyathi’s passion for subjects like this was matched by his humility and respect for all Zimbabweans. He documented all aspects of Zimbabwean life – from traditional rituals and customs to contemporary social and political challenges.

Writer and publisher

Nyathi was a prolific writer. Most of his books have become foundational texts on Zimbabwean folklore, culture and history. These include seminal works like Traditional Ceremonies of AmaNdebele, Zimbabwe’s Cultural Heritage and Zimbabwe’s Traditional Dances. One of his most recent books is African Body Art: Aesthetics or Functionality?. He passionately chronicled the social customs, beliefs and spiritual practices that defined and shaped his homeland.

He was also the biographer of many Zimbabweans, especially those from Matabeleland. He wrote numerous biographies of political activists – like Welshman Mabhena, Masotsha Ndlovu and Alfred Nikita Mangena. Nyathi’s diverse books revived the collective memory of these Zimbabwean people.

Marginalised voices

He ensured that the voices and experiences of marginalised communities were recorded and celebrated. The Gukurahundi genocide of the early 1980s, for example, marks a significant moment of suffering for Ndebele people. Gukurahundi was a brutal military operation carried out after independence that targeted mainly the Ndebele population. It resulted in widespread atrocities and further marginalisation. Nyathi worked to restore knowledge about this.

Most of his books were made available through his Amagugu Publishers. This itself attests to his resilience and determination in the face of the difficult publishing environment in Zimbabwe. But Amagugu was also a home for many other marginalised voices in Matabeleland. Nyathi personally managed all aspects of the publishing process.

In doing so, he carved out a space that championed stories and histories which might have otherwise remained untold. His work examined issues like customs around rainmaking, the food of the Ndebele and their distinctive house painting art. It underscored the significance of Matabeleland’s contributions to Zimbabwe’s national identity.

He was vocal in highlighting the plight of Matabeleland and in stressing what needed to be done to remedy this situation. Today, the region remains economically neglected and politically sidelined.

Unacknowledged legacy

Nyathi’s contributions to the recording of African history and culture earned him a huge reputation. It is unfortunate that he never received even an honorary degree from a Zimbabwean university in his lifetime.

In a world often dominated by Western perspectives, Nyathi provided an essential counterpoint. He prioritised African voices, values and identities.

Foreign correspondents often sought him out to get his views on Zimbabwe’s history or on what was happening in the country.

His life’s work will continue to educate and enlighten generations to come.