ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the dramatic/performative act of the sahwira in Shona funeral rituals and how the context of such a performance and the performance itself are integral pathways for one to achieve healing. It explores the aesthetics of funerary ritual performance in Shona funerals, with particular focus on the sahwira, the performance of the sahwira and the context in which the performance takes place and the meaning that can be derived thereof. The chapter demonstrates how the context set by the funeral and the role play by the sahwira are symbolic elements that provide room for embodiment, distancing, memory, reflection, and transformation. It argues that the institution of sahwira facilitates healing, reconciliation at the family and community levels, and that it can be adopted at the national level. The transformation of the funeral home space also makes room for the symbolic performances of the sahwira,varoora with a fluid audience-performer relationship.
