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Political Editor
IN far flung Mt Darwin, this year Zimbabwe will celebrate its 43rd anniversary with a difference as commemorations are taken to the people as opposed to urban areas only, a practice that was abandoned with the birth of the Second Republic.
Children from the country’s 10 provinces, 400 each, will travel to Mt Darwin, a bustling town that is taking form and shape, thanks to several works that are being done in preparation for the Uhuru celebrations, and works which also reflect President Mnangagwa’s philosophy, “leaving no one and no place behind”.
This year Independence celebrations are being held under the theme, “Zimbabwe@43 Nyika Inovakwa Nevene vayo; Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabaninibalo”, an apt theme that captures the transformation the country is undergoing under the Second Republic.
President Mnangagwa has gone into greater detail to explain the depth of the philosophy Nyika Inovakwa Nevene vayo; Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabaninibalo, which when loosely translated means the responsibility, mission, duty, and burden of developing Zimbabwe rests with Zimbabweans.
“We cannot subcontract that responsibility to any other race, nation or people from another continent or planet. It is none but ourselves, falling back on our God-given resources and our ever-growing ingenuity. Our painful history shows the world has not always been kind to us,” he said.
This does not mean that philosophy is exclusionary as the country continues to engage and re-engage with the rest of the world, but with the onus on Zimbabweans to work harder for their progress.
“How then do we fulfil our responsibility, mission and duty in order to carry out the burden of developing our Zimbabwe; fundamentally and unfailingly by turning to its endowments and resources, whether animate or inanimate, above or beneath the ground we tread, whether known or unknown,” the President said in one of his weekly writings in The Sunday Mail.
He said the philosophy and ideology is that of self-determination and of national responsibility; and an affirmation of national sovereignty and independence.
Meanwhile, taking children aboard the philosophy, the host province will have 400 children coming from the districts of Bindura, Mbire, Guruve, Mount Darwin, Rushinga, Shamva, Mazowe and Muzarabani, areas that are synonymous with the liberation struggle that culminated in independence in 1980, and the hoisting of the National Flag in 1980, as a symbol of freedom that abounds to this day.
A day before the country celebrates its 43-year milestone, amid tangible economic development, modernisation and transformation towards Vision 2030, to become an upper-middle-class economy, the President will host a children’s party for children drawn from the country’s 10 provinces (400 each), and another 400 from the districts that form Mashonaland Central.
In line with Government’s devolution and decentralisation thrust, the 2023 Children’s Party Celebrations will be held at Pfura Stadium, Mt Darwin Centre on April 17.
President Mnangagwa will lead in the planting of at least 43 trees on April 17 at the Independence Celebrations venue to mark 43 years of Independence. An assortment of fruit trees will be planted at the Mt Darwin High School orchard.
And on the 18th, perhaps the most important day on the country’s calendar, President Mnangagwa will lead proceedings at the stadium where final touches are being put in place to meet the standards of the country’s Premier Soccer League. This is because later in the day, after the formal proceedings, the country’s most popular teams, Dynamos and Highlanders, will lock horns for the Uhuru Trophy.
That is not the only entertainment on offer as musicians from across the country will then entertain the crowds at the Uhuru Gala which will have a flavour of Mashonaland Central, notably Njerema Boys, who hail from Njerama Hills in Muzarabani.
Sungura maestro Alick Macheso will also provide entertainment for the main Independence Celebrations.
They will be complemented by a cultural act of 100 artistes who will synchronise with the 500 school children doing gymnastics, and supported by the Zimbabwe Republic Police band.
The Independence Flame will be lit on April 13 at Harare Kopje, and a road show will start from there and pass through Mazowe, Concession, Glendale, Bindura, Madziva, Dotito, Rushinga, Chibondo National Monuments, Mt Darwin District Heroes Acre, and finally land at the Independence Celebrations venue.
The Flame will be received at a ceremony at Chibondo National Monuments in Mashonaland Central by traditional chiefs on April 17, 2023. Zanu PF Vice President Cde Kembo Mohadi and Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Cde Kazembe Kazembe will grace the occasion.
Online Reporter