Story by Abigirl Tembo
VICE PRESIDENT General (Retired) Dr Constantino Chiwenga has arrived in Goa, India, leading a high-level Zimbabwean delegation on a national heritage mission. The initiative aims to document Zimbabwe’s early contribution to the spread of Christianity, promote religious tourism, and strengthen historical and cultural relations between Zimbabwe and India.
Speaking on arrival, Vice President Chiwenga said the visit, his third to Goa, is a deliberate, research-driven mission rather than ceremonial.
“We have come here to unravel the contribution made by Zimbabwe to the spread of Christianity in the world. We want that history to be fully documented for the current generation and for future generations. These are the main reasons why we are here,” he said.
“We brought the Catholic priests who played a role because all our Zimbabwean nationals were apparently all heirs to the thrones. As I said the last time, the first was the son of Emperor Gutsarusere, whom we know was Christianed Father Diogo and was the first one to come in the 15th century. We want to unravel what happened.
“He was then followed in the 16th century by Father Michael, who was in Portuguese called Miguel, and was the son of Emperor Kaparadze. The third group that we are aware of is the one of Father Constantine and Father Joao, who were the two sons of Emperor Mpande. So there could be quite a number of Zimbabweans whom we have not yet documented, but these are the ones we have established,” Vice President Chiwenga said.
To ensure accurate documentation, Zimbabwe has partnered with the Catholic Church, Midlands State University, Arrupe Jesuit University, the Catholic University, and the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe.
“This mission brings together academia, the Catholic Church, and heritage institutions to interpret historical records from Goa, ensuring the contributions of our ancestors are recognised not only locally but globally,” Vice President Chiwenga said.
For the delegation, the mission is clear reclaim Zimbabwe’s place in global history and ensure its contribution to faith, civilisation and international exchange is finally recognised.
