Harare — AS this writer penned the book Women Musicians of Zimbabwe, she realised how interconnected and inter-dependent the history of women in Zimbabwe is.

Most of our female luminaries simply cannot do without one another. Although this writer had conducted research into the varied histories of women in Zimbabwe she had not sat down to realise that our female musicians were created in the crucible of women's experiences in Zimbabwe.

Women's lives have been shaped by various factors, among them politics, religion, media, and sport. All these have shaped the careers and professions of women in Zimbabwe since the pre-colonial halcyon days (pasichigare).

These structures were intertwined in the everyday life of a woman and they shaped the histories and lives of women in Zimbabwe. These dynamics, structures have been instrumental in shaping women's lives and also helped put structures in place, which influence and control women's lives.

It is through these structures that their cultural way of life has been defined, through different stages the country has gone through. Because of the inter-relatedness of the structures which shape women's lives it is important for women to be involved in all the domains which control their lives.

As a woman and insider and also having been born and grown up in the township and being the third generation of early urban settlers, this writer was in the midst of all the hype, confusion and success of women in their different fields and professions.

It is because of growing up in an environment where women were trying to find their feet as politicians, musicians and journalists, in sport, the informal sector (access to economic power), religion you name it, this writer came to understand their success and their failures, and appreciate their perseverance and frustrations.

Because of this, this writer has taken a keen interest in the development of women as some of those who were negatively affected or disadvantaged were women in my family, my community, my society.

This writer realised that throughout Zimbabwe, women were being affected by the same problems. In pre-colonial times women's positions in society were clear and powerful. Take for instance Nkosikazi Lozikeyi, King Lobengula's senior wife who commanded a venerated position in the kingdom as a leader in her own right.

Women controlled their economies, they passed on education, stories to children, they collected information, they were religious leaders, community leaders, and they participated and influenced the governing of the country.

Some of the functions highlighted above are related to what is known today as politics and the media. Women did have a voice and ways of communicating their discontent or happiness through different channels and one of them was music.

Through music they would alert the family of their dysfunctional husbands and the family would find ways of solving this problem and also they would sing about their unpleasant mothers-in-laws and the family again would find ways of resolving the conflict.

Women also celebrated their bodies by the way they dressed, through different stages of their womanhood, which can be termed today as fashion. The way they dressed helped to boost their confidence.

But with the advent of colonialism, industrialisation, urbanisation, other religions, the role of women changed and their 'positions' in the society changed. The work women used to do was given all sorts of strange names; politics, journalism, filmmaking, public relations we can go on and on.

As they tried to understand these new titles and positions, women were always overtaken by events. The structures of the country had been designed in such a way that it was/has not been easy for women to function in almost all the political eras that Zimbabwe has gone through.

As a result, women's careers, professions and general endeavours have fallen by the wayside, often they have ended prematurely and have not reached their full potential.

Therefore it is important to celebrate women's histories in Zimbabwe in order for us to create continuity in the particular fields they served. We can learn from what women went through in their early careers and see how we can build on from where they left and move forward without much hindrance.

This piece marks the birth of a new column that will appear every Wednesday Women in History going back as far as the 18th century.

It will borrow from the research this writer has conducted into the following: Women Musicians, Women Politicians, Women Journalists, Women who championed the informal sector, Women and Religion, Women who championed professions and different fields, Women's organisations, Women and Sport and Women and fashion, Women and access to economic power, Education.

All the topics mentioned here are very central to the survival of women.

The celebration and preservation of women's histories and passing them on to the younger generation will create a link between generations.