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Gertrude R. Takawira Correspondent
Transitioning, experimentation, escapism, ignorance and peer pressure, are some of the reasons behind high incidences of alcohol, drug and substance abuse among the African youths, including adults as well.
After graduating from school or college, separated from parents or guardians, gives youths a sense of freedom to choose friendships and lifestyles.
In an environment where 60 percent of Africa’s unemployed are youths, anything or anyone that promises an alternative to idleness and other emotional, mental or financial pressures is readily received.
Transitioning from one social and economic lifestyle to another, brings about some turbulence, which may be interpreted as danger.
To the young and inexperienced, efforts to escape the unknown, which is also scary, causes them to seek some form of dependence on something physical or tangible, including alcohol and drugs, pain killers, food or lifestyles.
Whereas, to the older people who have lived long enough to experience a series of transformation, the unknown merely represents a blank page waiting to be filled with words of a new life.
The unknown, therefore, can either represent fear or faith.
There are traumas that we encounter during life’s journey ranging from pain of the past, wars, pandemics, including Covid-19 casualties, abandonment such as experienced by orphans and vulnerable children affected and effected by HIV/AIDS.
These experiences bring about emotional brokenness, hard-heartedness, shame or dishonour impacting people differently, as well as, bringing about thoughts of inadequacy within social structures.
In trying to escape from this hollow life and fit into a “normal life” and without sound counsel, people try to open any and all doors, some which may lead to the idol of addiction.
Addiction is surrounded by ego, fear, greed, envy, jealousy and similar tendencies, which are often self-centred.
This can happen to anyone, regardless of social or economic status.
Addiction is colonialism
The philosopher, Frantz Omar Fanon said “imperialism leaves behind germs of rot, which we must clinically detect and remove not just from our land, but from our minds as well.”
Colonialism is not just political or socio-economical as we tend to believe, but it is first planted in the mind of the captives.
Like weeds in a wheat field, it grows tall and healthy feeding from all the nutrients meant for the wheat crop.
Removing these weeds must be done skilfully. Either, as advised by Jesus in the parable of the weeds — do nothing until harvest — because trying to remove them before could risk uprooting the good grain.
Roots of colonialism and freedom to self-determination are intertwined in our minds, making our minds oscillate between the two rulers in choosing what is right from wrong. Yet, a de-colonised mind should position us to know our possessions, the wisdom and understanding to choose pathways of self- determination that empowers not just the self, but others as well.
An addicted mind has no capacity to think well of others, simply because a sick mind attracts sickness, a colonised mind attracts more colonialism; a liberated mind attracts liberation, a rich mind attracts riches, a growing mindset attracts growth, and so forth.
The new force (chibharo/isibalo) in substance dependence.
In 2008, the US office of Justice Programmes stated that the value of drugs trafficked was greater than the national incomes of some countries and the drug money was sponsoring corruption.
As well, the funds from this illicit trade were undermining the positive development of youths, since many young people were paid with cocaine for their services in the drug trafficking industry.
Does this not sound like the very same way the former colonial settlers in Zimbabwe applied the chibharo/isibalo system to extort taxes from indigenous people.
The colonial settlers, demanded taxes on land that they had taken away from the indigenous people, as well as taxes on huts, dogs, cattle and bicycles that did not belong to them.
The local people could not afford the monetary tax demands, as most people at that time, used barter systems for trading goods and services.
All nations are at risk of being sovereign in name only, as the drug trade and mediators, assume colonial lordships and kingships.
Sadly, some in Africa facilitate this new form of chibharo/isibalo and only want the dollar and the trinkets that it affords such as fancy cars and jewellery.
This brings about a question; can solitary families fight off a global organised driving force of determined captivators?
Societal response is better
As the former rival drug syndicates re-group across the world, seeking to maximise their loot, they have common interests, for which they are willing to put their differences aside.
The youth, being the present and future human capital for Africa are the common resource to fight for.
This should motivate societies to see and know new colonial architects in the illicit drug, alcohol and substance dependence among children.
It is not a time to name, blame or shame, but for all of us to get deeper in wisdom and understanding of what really is going on among us.
Divide and rule is the strategy used by the colonial regime in Africa, and is the same that the drug colonial facilitators are using.
There is power in unity, the enemies know that too. That is why the former rival drug syndicates all over the world, are said to be working together like never before.
Just as the former colonial enablers used the masses including our loved ones to cause pain and harm, the new colonial facilitators use our close friends, families and communities to perpetrate the illicit trading of drugs and other mind-altering substance.
It will be a fatal, self-destructive blow if we continue to think that a single mother of six with orphaned grandchildren in Makokoba, Highfield or Juru Growth Point, can fight this monster off, alone.
Rather, let us re-think holistically and expose this weed of illicit substances to a greater light of love for one another, and unity.
For example, growing up in Highfield, we had communal facilities to entertain the young and keep them occupied, in sports, arts and other educational activities, regardless of whose child it was or political affiliations.
This is where a transformative leadership approach is necessary, one that looks at the greater good first, before materiality.
In this, we will be sowing grains of eternal governance which we will be happy to harvest in the future, to trade with other nations as we pursue global competitiveness, as well as our legacies.
There is so much that can be done, with just a little switch of mindset from slavery to self-determination.
Family as institution for good
Whatever initiatives the community can offer; it still remains true that the family is the primary institution positioned to develop the good in people.
Yet, the more one considers the human capture by drug colonial facilitators, the more it gets clearer that the family unit is being captured too.
This is for the simple reason that a divided or broken-down family cannot effectively implement its primary purposes which include provision, protection, education and love among the children and all family.
Wholeness begins in the home and yes, society and the Government should assist, but the primary responsibility lies within the family institution.
The immediate question to ask is: what is a broken-down family institution?
Broken-down institution does not mean a single parent headed family but includes inability to love, provide, protect, train up a child in the way they should go, for whatever reason.
This may include a drunkard father, who provides for all material needs of the family, but has no ability to provide emotional well-being for the family or spiritual guidance, protection and unity of family.
It may also include child-headed families with no mature protection or guidance, even when they receive financial and food support and many other variations and reasons for a broken-down institution.
How do we build this critical institution called family?
Unity of the family institution is the starting point. How do we turn our children to the family? There is no one single answer, but I find the counsel from of Luke 1:17.
It says that the hearts of fathers/parents must turn to the children, so that the disobedient may see their parents’ hearts and follow the wisdom modelled by parents, and likewise turn their hearts to their fathers or parents.
When their hearts are facing each other, parents and children communicate and can easily seal the gap against the infiltration by the enemy.
But when the parents’ hearts are elsewhere, facing away from their children, the young ones cannot submit and that family becomes a devil’s playground.
Unity is a necessary attitude for the family and this does not mean agreement on all issues, but that hearts in that family follow a higher wisdom of restorative justice, righteousness and peace. So, differences or problems are solved to build rather than destroy.
Raising a family in this digital era, is not the easiest of tasks, especially where parents themselves are not techno-savvy. Yet, we must speak the language that our children understand so we do not leave a stranger’s voice instructing the young ones.
Then again, who said parents cannot learn from their children? This could mean taking time to sit, listen and talk to your children. The lesser benefits from the greater.
Nation and Government as heat shield
Let us remember who we are. Love for the nation and people was the motivating factor for Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle. We also say “A nation is built by its own people.”
These people are individuals of all ages, race, tribe and social standing. We are the Zimbabwe that was liberated through bloodshed and tears, and at independence we said we would leave no one behind and continue to believe in inclusive development.
Eternal governance is providing heat shield for transformation. This includes hearts of citizens turning towards one another, being intentional about creating right relations, and restoration of the nation towards just pathways.
In this way, governance provides a sunshade to protect its people from environmental transitioning.
This starts in value systems of national and Government institutions.
Governance institutions, must re-gain their power, through value systems that include restorative justice, love, right standing, dignity belonging, as materials for sustainable heat shields.
Our government is like a space craft, carrying 15 million people, which it must always endeavour to keep safe.
Redemption, reconciliation and collaboration
It is an age-old dance between the captivator and the liberator, where the captivator, be it physical, spiritual, emotional, material or financial, comes to steal, to kill and destroy.
The liberator, on the other hand comes to redeem what was lost and to transform the captive into a liberated life.
Patrice Lumumba, in 1960, spoke about rediscovering the most intimate self, free from mental attitudes and complexes and habits established by colonisation.
The reggae legend, Bob Marley in his 1980 song “Redemption Song”, said “Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds.”
The enemy is only threatened by a liberated mind.
Colonialism is a weak entity that cannot work in the power of love and liberation, but rather entangles, divide, colonise and rule.
Look at how drugs and substance divide, kill, steal and destroy families and communities. No one is safe around an addict, because all they think about is self.
The impact of drugs and substance abuse is the same for the wealthy in Borrowdale, Harare who is hooked on whisky and cocaine as for the ordinary in Mutapa, Gweru hooked on mutoriro and glue.
Reconciliation is to try and bring these loved ones back into the flow of life.
The mission therefore one, and that is to restore Zimbabwe’s human capital base, in quality and quantity.
Through the de-colonisation and renewal of the mind, this critical asset — the mind — will be transformed into right standing, resourcefulness, respect and rest.
But it is a joint collaborative effort, based first on values; then other materials.
Fathers turn your hearts towards your children. Mothers believe and re-image your children to the true template. Children, it is possible to trust again and the Government can provide heat shield for all.
l Gertrude R Takawira is a Policy Advisor to CGI-Global and former Ambassador of Zimbabwe to Zambia.
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