Former head girl at Roosevelt Girls High School, Nicole Ben has released a single track titled “Munhu-Hunhu,” which speaks to the present generation about the importance of preserving their culture and identities.
The track also aims to encourage young people to shun drug abuse, abortion, and the increasingly pressing issue of teenage pregnancies, it is now on digital platforms.
At a time when many of her peers are engaging in social ills such as drug abuse, sexual immorality, and nude parties, Nicole is determined to give hope to teenagers.
Her expression was highlighted by Zimpapers Arts and Entertainment Hub, where she noted that “sexual immorality, abortion, drug and substance abuse and disrespect have led to moral decadence.
“The song impacts every age group. ‘Munhu Hunhu’ questions some daily choices that have now become a norm, such as drug and substance abuse to relieve stress. It brings to light how the African doctrine of ‘Unhu/Ubuntu’ builds people with strong character and purpose. To be human requires discipline. ‘Munhu Hunhu’ further promotes a lifestyle choice of thoughtfulness.
“This could help Zimbabwean youths to deeply question their decisions before acting, so they can carry themselves with personal respect and mindfulness,” she said.
She also credited her education,
“Studying Musical Arts at A-Level gave me an in-depth understanding of how to manage myself as an upcoming musician. The five Musical Arts CALAs that we were given provided me with a practical approach to the subject. I had CALAs that required me to organise a musical concert, plan an event and write a programme for an event.”
Nicole’s passion for writing songs has been a driving force in her career.
“For my final Musical Arts examination project under ZIMSEC, we were given a list of questions and asked to choose a project to carry out. I chose a question that required me to write a song about moral decadence among Zimbabwean youths. The song was expected to cover issues of sexual immorality, abortion, drug and substance abuse.”
Recent data from the National Assessment on Adolescent Pregnancies in Zimbabwe (June 2023), conducted by the Centre for Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Research Zimbabwe under the leadership of the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, highlights the urgency of these issues. The assessment, supported by UNESCO, UNFPA, and UNICEF, found that 21 per cent of antenatal care bookings were among adolescents aged 10 to 19 years, translating to 358,458 pregnant adolescents from an estimated 1,706,946 bookings made in 1,560 health care facilities between 2019 and 2022. Additionally, 1,532 maternal deaths were recorded over the same period, with around 25 per cent of them being among adolescents and young women under 24 years.
The study also established that the national prevalence rate of teenage pregnancy increased to 22 per cent in 2023 from 9 per cent in 2016 (UNFPA supported National Adolescent Fertility Study, 2016). Evidence suggests that COVID-19 significantly contributed to this rise.
In response to this challenge, the Government of Zimbabwe, with the support of UNFPA, has launched the “Not-In-My-Village” campaign. This initiative is being implemented under the 2gether4SRHR program, supported by the Government of Sweden, the Safeguard Young People initiative funded by Switzerland and the Netherlands, and the Health Resilience Fund (HRF) program, which receives financial support from the Governments of Britain, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, and the European Union.
