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Bongani Ndlovu, Showbiz Correspondent
EVERY human being has an inert curiosity to know what the future holds for them hence the number of people who flock to prophets and traditional healers to hear how they can map a way forward with their lives.

Besides the multitudes of prophets around the world, there are people like Micah Charles Musimwa, a palmist who can tell your future just by reading your palm.

I met up with Musimwa in the Bulawayo City Centre and he told me he has been practising the craft ever since 1974. He is 85 years old now.

According to him, all he does is look at a hand and tells the person what the lines on their palm mean.

“The two most important lines on your hand are the life line and the head line. The life line extends from the edge of the palm above the thumb and travels in an arc towards the wrist. This line represents a person’s vitality and vigour, physical health and general well being,” said Musimwa.

“The life line is also believed to reflect major life changes, including cataclysmic events, physical injuries, and relocations.”

“The head line starts at the edge of the palm under the index finger and flows across the palm towards the outside edge. Often, the head line is joined with the life line at inception. This line represents the person’s mind and the way it works, including learning style, communication style, intellectualism, and thirst for knowledge.”

Walking around Bulawayo with a board advertising his trade, Musimwa is often stopped by people who are amused by him and want to know more about him. At first, some fear to know about the future but soon warm up to him and pay him to get the revelation.

Palm reading is something that people have watched on television and seen in the western world, but rarely have they seen it being performed by a black man.

The palmist said sometimes, he walks into eating establishments and asks people if they want their palm read and quickly gets interest from the people.

Musimwa said the most memorable time was when he read President Mugabe’s hand in 1991 in Harare during the agricultural show that year.

“I was exhibiting as part of the Zimbabwean Palmists Association and President Mugabe was doing his rounds. He was interested in what I was doing and he asked me to read his palm.

“I told him he was going to live until 98 to 100 years and it would be difficult to unseat him as the head of state. I also told him he’ll have two wives in his lifetime. So far, my predictions have been true,” said Musimwa.

Born in Murewa, Musimwa said when he was 25 years old, he started getting visions while working in Mutare.

“In 1957, I was consumed by the spirit of God and I collapsed at home and I believed to have died for a while. I woke up and started being a prophet and wearing the garments that prophets wear telling people I was sent by Jesus.

“However, it didn’t take long for me to have a run in with the white men because I referred to myself as being sent by Jesus. I was adamant that I was sent by God through Jesus Christ and they arrested me and took me to court where I was sentenced to one year in prison,” he said.

While he was in prison, Musimwa felt that the power of God had left him.

“When I was released, I felt that that spirit of God had left me and the power of prophesying was no longer with me. I thought to myself ‘will I be able to do what I was sent here to do’. So for the next coming years, I tried my hand at being a traditional healer working mostly in Bochwa and started documenting what I was doing,” said Musimwa.

He said when he left Bochwa for Harare in search of greener pastures, he was introduced to the craft.

“I relocated to Harare to look for greener pastures in 1972 and I met some white people who’d been referred to me by one of the people I had healed.

“They said ‘why don’t I try being a palmist’ and explained to me how it works. They gave me books to read and they trained me. I was featured in the Illustration of Life in Rhodesia in 1975.”

He said his gift was used by police to solve cases.

“I joined the police force in 1983 stationed in Harare. I worked a lot in solving crimes as they would bring me to the scene where there’d ask me to identify people who’d have stolen as well as lead them to identify the identities of dead people. I did this until I retired in 2005,” said Musimwa.

Now, he is living off palm reading as he goes around different cities showing off his craft.

“I charge between $1 and $5 depending on the nature of the reading. The cheapest one is for a general reading of the hand where I tell you how long you’ll live and how many children you’ll have or have and if you’re going to get married.

“Others, I go in depth as to what exactly your future has in store for you and some personal information about relationships,” said Musimwa.