ZIMBABWE has a unique
and complex history; apartheid and segregation; displacement and theft; a
bitter armed liberation struggle; heroism and greatness of the pioneers of the
liberation movement and that priceless day on 18 April, 1980.
This is a unique
country, founded on the principles of freedom and emancipation on the backdrop
of a lethal liberation war against a system that deliberately and ruthlessly
segregated and mutilated on racial grounds.
Independence is that
exquisite feeling that has given all Zimbabweans and Zimbabwe options to make
her decisions and to define their destiny as a sovereignty country. As Zimbabwe
marks 34 years of independence this coming weekend, it is regrettable that many
are now associating hard won freedom with the economic problems currently
bedevilling the country.
That the gallant
spirit and selfless sacrifices of those sons and daughters of Zimbabwe who went
into that unforgiving bush with that bonafide raison d’être to truly liberate
the country is lumped together in the same small corner as the indiscretions of
some self-serving individuals without an ounce of the patriotic marrow in their
bones is disheartening to say the least.
There are many heroes
who just fly beneath the radar, fought gallantly in the bitter liberation
struggle and to this day, largely go unnoticed as they get on silently with
their lives and in some instances, encounter ridicule from the very same people
they helped liberate from draconian and racist regime.
They are not
celebrities, they are not on the conference main stage yet they give and have
given of themselves for the greater good of Zimbabwe. Their lives inspired and
continue to uplift, their spirits transformed political landscape and yet we
deliberately forget to acknowledge their totally altruistic forfeiture for the
liberation of the majority.
These are men and
women who put their lives on hold to fully commit themselves to liberating the
country from the darkest depth of colonialism and racist apartheid system to
the revered pedestal of the liberties and freedoms we enjoy and take for
granted today. These are the men and women who have been through the mud and
mire, enduring unimaginable distress and privation for the love of Zimbabwe.
There are many such
men and women in Zimbabwe and they all deserve our respect, recognition and
reverence, precisely because they did not ask for it, they earned in ways we
can only imagine.
Nowadays you often
hear statements like ‘smith and Rhodesia was better’ or ‘take us back to when
we were under colonial rule’. This is from people who now have that right to
vote, that freedom to walk, freedom to exist freedom and be human beings. This
is not playing the ‘colonial card’ but hard facts that things were never ever
breezy, cheery and rosy under that Ian Smith and his racist henchmen.
Rhodesia was a
beautiful country for Rhodesians and not the descendents of Changamire Dombo
and Lobengula. That is precisely the reason why arms were taken up against that
regime. Rhodesia had some of the most repressive and discriminatory laws which
reduced the black Zimbabwean to the end of bottom with impunity.
The Rhodesians, some
of them still among us because of the reconciliatory hand of President Mugabe,
mercilessly maimed and mutilated innocent blacks and today they don the sheep’s
clothes as champions of democracy and human rights in independent Zimbabwe.
These are the very same people who poisoned wells and sanctioned the
indiscriminate massacres at Chimoio, Tembwe, Nyadzonya and many others.
Zimbabwe’s Independence Day is sacred as blood flowed continuously through the
beautiful landscape for us to enjoy the freedoms we take casually today. Thanks
to President Mugabe we have forgiven the Rhodesian atrocities but will never
forget, must never forget.
The liberation
struggle was initiated by men and women who said enough was enough of the
unrepentant regime and they focused on putting emphasis on cascading real power
down to the people, advocating for policies that focus on self-sustenance and
self-reliance and deconstructing the mind from that neo-colonial structure that
continues to render Africans perennially indebted to those who have subdued,
subjugated and exploited the Africans continent for centuries.
Hushed heads are an
embodiment of real power focusing on action instead of words, and have ability
to encourage ownership and develop loyalty in unique ways. The big idea is
earning the respect and our heroes earned that. Men and women believed in a
cause, fought for that cause displaying conviction minus the complacency. A
great many were maimed, massacred by the brazen regime’s callous forces.
Many a young men and
women got arrested for the cause but never faltered and saw the liberation
struggle to its unimaginable bitterness and victorious conclusion. Silence is
golden and certainly easier for those that already have the analytical and
introverted behaviours already in place.
These are the men and
women who were brought up on the values of the liberation of this country and
confident but not over-confident with that ability to think laterally. As
Zimbabweans we should define our heroes and relate to them, imagine what drove
them to put their lives on hold to get out there and liberate this country. I
am deeply indebted to all the heroes who have the country-defining values as
part of their deoxyribonucleic acid and the values still ineradicably etched.
Any nation not build
on any values has no foundation and is no nation at all. For you to believe in
yourself you have to have some values to subscribe to. A country with no values
has no vision and with no vision there basically is no future or growth. Any
ideology that focuses on improving the lives of African people inherently
threatens the irreversibly colonial and neo-colonial establishment and as such
forever ridiculed and suffocated.
As we celebrate this
unique and sacred independence we must continue to honour the selfless
sacrifices of those who helped liberate the country. Discrediting 18th April
1980 and demeaning the liberation struggle is morally defunct. 18th April 1980
has no price-tag and is free for all present and future generations to cherish.
The liberation war heroes of Zimbabwe already put the price on their tab for
all present and future generations to enjoy without limits.
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