by Bernard Bwoni
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 own destiny as a sovereignty country. As Zimbabwe marks 34 years
of independence 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. The 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 no 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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