Zimbabwe is a landlocked country in southern Africa. The Shona make up its largest ethnic group, at 80% of the population, followed by the Northern Ndebele and other smaller minorities. Although Zimbabwe has 16 official languages, English, Shona, and Ndebele are the most common. The name “Zimbabwe” comes from a Shona term for Great Zimbabwe, an important medieval city and trading centre in the south-east. The country was formerly known as Southern Rhodesia or Rhodesia, but African nationalists perceived this as inappropriate due to its colonial origin and connotations, since it was derived from the surname of Cecil Rhodes, an instigator of British colonization of the territory.
Music and the arts have played an important role in the life and culture of many in Zimbabwe, featuring in traditional indigenous religious ceremonies, and also in the form of protest music during the long struggles for independence and resistance to cultural and racial oppression. Other arts include pottery, basketry, textiles, jewelry and carving. Look around the store to find reference to these artistic practices, especially in music and sculpture!
