Mwana: The Shona Wisdom Behind Navigating Power Dynamics

When we analyzed our growing database of tsumo, we noticed a peculiar pattern: routine scenarios involving "mwana" (child) were used to teach a variety of lessons about power. There is the mwana who gets scolded for extinguishing the fire while cooking in contrast to their mother's perfectly roasted meal with a (burnt) smoky flavor (Kugocha kunoda kwaamai…); the mwana who morbidly dies in the sling (Mwana asingachemi…); and the inherent danger in the mwana of a snake (Mwana wenyoka mwana wenyoka…). The way mwana is used in tsumo is a masterclass in using a universal human experience for effective communication. The Shona used tsumo with the word ‘mwana’ to map and explore the impact of power on different aspects of life - who is blamed when things go wrong, who is unlikely to speak up, and who is underestimated.  While modern consultants charge thousands to explain power dynamics and psychologists publish papers on authority bias, the Shona mapped the entire territory using one elegantly deployed word - mwana. 

When you consider how power dynamics affect communication, tsumo tell a sophisticated story. The tsumo Mwana asingachemi… advises speaking up loudly and urgently when you have problems or risk perishing in silence. Yet, the tsumo Matukirwo ababa… advises a lateral approach to criticising those in positions of power. If this seems contradictory to Western contexts that value the efficiency of direct communication, you are missing the graceful calculus at work here. The Shona understood that to survive in hierarchical systems like their own, one’s silence and one’s voice needed to be used strategically. You cry out loudly in matters of life and death, but you critique a leader indirectly because direct confrontation with power rarely ends well. In this way, the Shona used tsumo with the word mwana to teach everyone in their community that power influences what you can say and how and when you must say it.

Perhaps the most revealing use of mwana in tsumo comes in warnings about underestimation. "Mwana wenyoka mwana wenyoka…,” warns that a young snake is still a snake and never too small to be dangerous. In "Mwana wengwe mwana wengwe... "  we are reminded that a leopard cub is unafraid of wild beasts because of what it is, even when it seems small and powerless. Here the Shona reveal important nuance: yes, the mwana occupies the position of less power, but power positions do not erase ones inherent nature, and that should be respected. These and other tsumo provided crucial insights and guidance in a hierarchical society: today's mwana is tomorrow's leader, and underestimating them because of their current position is a dangerous game. These insights are still relevant in modern life and workspaces; size, age, and current status tell you nothing about capability.

These lessons about communication and underestimation are just a fraction of what we have discovered while building Tsumo by NhakaBox. In our database, you can find more than 15 tsumo using the word mwana to explain power dynamics and how to navigate them. Search "mwana" in Tsumo by NhakaBox and discover insights on power dynamics in your life today. Whether you are negotiating family hierarchies or corporate structures, the patterns mapped by the Shona ancestors are still the rules of the game, so you might as well know the rules!

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