Coping with Climate Change-linked Environmental Tragedies: The Role of Shona Beliefs and Practices as Indigenous Knowledge Systems

From the turn of the century, Zimbabwe has been experiencing unprecedented adverse effects of climate change-linked environmental disasters largely through cyclone-related floods, El Nino-related droughts and heat waves. In the year 2000 for example, the devastating cyclone Eline that swept across Zimbabwe resulted in some very arid areas in Matebeleland South, Masvingo and Manicaland receiving uncharacteristically high rainfall. Consequently, around 500 000 people were affected by the floods leaving 96 000 of them needing assistance in terms of food, shelter, health, water and sanitation, education, transport and communication (United Nations Country Team, 2000). The disaster resulted in loss of human,