Averting a crisis of the future

Dr Obert Moses Mpofu

ARE we to have a crisis of lost generations in the future? We seem to have so many of our younglings roaming around without any sense of direction. We put in so much work in attempts to liberate this country. Such a sacrifice and perhaps the greatest gift we have ever accorded this nation should not be wasted. However, hope is not lost. Not all who wonder are lost. 

The Zanu-PF Party is putting in place measures to ensure that the future of this country is a promising one. We are making concerted efforts to ensure that we avert a crisis in the future. 

We have to ensure that the future not only protects what we have gained so far, but restores that which was lost. Africa is coming from a far worse position than other continents. We have suffered so many setbacks, through slavery, colonialism and the like. 

We have been placed at a disadvantage and are trying to catch up with the rest. It is therefore prudent that the future of today does not lose focus. 

They should embody the aspirations of their leaders and carry the hopes of their respective nations. 

Many may not have realised that we are under intense siege. As there are fewer and fewer of the defenders of the revolution left among us, it seems the enemy has seen yet an opportunity to come into the fray. 

There are now concerted efforts to dislodge the liberation movements from power. The enemy has seemingly seen that, not all of the young ones among us are well-versed in the ethos and ideology of the liberation struggle. 

We too may have had a part to play. 

Our youth are the biggest asset that this continent has, and we seem not to have any shortage of this important resource. However, there are some important questions that require our attention if we are to achieve our aspirations. We seem to have waited too long to impart our youth with the requisite knowledge, relevant to their plight. 

But alas, we have realised this slight omission and the Zanu-PF led Government is making concerted efforts to impart and empower our youth with the requisite knowledge, which is useful to their endeavours. 

The Chitepo School of Ideology coupled with the Heritage-based education policy is one sure way of ensuring that we decolonise the mind of the African. The National Youth Service has been deliberately reintroduced to fortify current efforts that are aimed at reclaiming some of our youth and bringing them back into the fold through imparting the right type of ideology and skillset. 

The decolonisation agenda is occupying centre-stage and it is a crucial step towards our development. 

We have a potential crisis of the future, one wherein those we leave behind might lose the connection to the land that we had. 

The most concerning part is, it seems so alluring to emulate the outside world and castigate everything related with one’s motherland. Such has been the tragedy, that “pop” culture has eroded our values and presents an existential threat to the survival of our aspirations. 

A people without a decolonised mind cannot achieve economic emancipation. There is a war of the minds. Our erstwhile colonisers are making concerted efforts to try and slow down our progression. 

One sure way of ensuring that they achieve their goals is to disarm our youth. Youthfulness is perhaps the greatest gift one can have in their lifetime. The potential and energy that the youth have, if properly tapped into can achieve wonders. 

Many seem to forget that this our nation was liberated by the youth. It is the youth who participated in the protracted war of liberation.  

I dare say, that the fortunes of this nation rest on the shoulders of our youth. 

They reflect the promise of what tomorrow will be. Crafting out the right cadres among our youth is quintessential for attaining the level of progress that we hope for. 

The youth are our hope. As we forge on ahead, let us ensure that our youth possess the right type of ideology capable of spurring our nation forward. 

Our youth are the ones we look up to now to take our nation into a bright and prosperous future and we have all the confidence and belief that they are up to the task. We have a crisis looming comrades, and it will be averted by investing in our youth who are the future. 

Dr Obert Moses Mpofu is an academic and the Secretary General of Zanu-PF. He writes in his own capacity.