adminMuchadura Dube
THE 21st February Movement is an annually commemorated event which seeks to impart life-long enhancing virtues to the youth and the generality of the people.
Given the stature of the man for whom the event derives its existence from, President Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s living legend, the 21st February Movement is a platform where the iconic figure interacts with the youth and the generality of the populace, re-living memories and encounters which have shaped his impeccable character which have made him the larger than life character that he is.
The movement which is more than a decade old, a brainchild of the revolutionary party’s formidable youth league, the party’s vanguard, has moulded youths who currently hold influential positions in the political and economic spheres of the nation by availing financial resources to fund educational endeavours and business initiatives of youths.
The movement is therefore a vehicle to empower and enlighten specifically the youths and in the same vein, the populace. The enlightenment is essential for only revolutionary conscious youths will come out, a scenario which augurs well for the nation.
The nation will have committed cadres who are ready to sacrifice for their country as was done by the country’s forbear who sacrificed life and limb for the autonomy we enjoy today as a nation.
The 21st February Movement’s patron is President Mugabe, a distinguished statesman, a renowned philanthropist, a shrewd political genius and an international reputed defender of the poor and the down-trodden.
It is President Mugabe’s empathy with the vulnerable which has won admiration even by his usual detractors, the former colonisers whose penchant for African resources knows no boundaries.
Recently, President Mugabe added another leaf to the growing list of his accolades by being unanimously voted and endorsed as the African Union chairman, while at the same time being the Southern African Development Community chairman, a feat all progressive people have hailed, as it is sufficient recognition to one of Africa’s illustrious sons. President Mugabe has all the attributes which all self-respecting youths should emulate.
He has several degrees, more than any other President or Prime Minister the world has ever had.
None are yet to surpass his standards. Education injects general enlightenment into any individual which will then empower him/her to solve even complex matters in life.
President Mugabe’s Government ensured that there was free basic education for all in the country soon after the attainment of independence. It is therefore not a coincidence that Zimbabwe is at the pole in Africa in terms of the literacy rate.
That achievement of being the apex nation in literacy is a culmination of the hard work of President Mugabe and his Cabinet. The same applies to the health sector where the country has gained in leaps and bounds in this crucial sector. To date, Zimbabwean mothers enjoy free maternal care, a prerequisite to a health nation. All these milestones were achieved due to the great vision of President Mugabe.
When other leaders succumbed to the intense pressure of Africa’s erstwhile colonisers at international fora, President Mugabe single-handedly stood for the African cause.
At various United Nations platforms, he has championed Africa’s cause, that of being the master of its own destiny. This has, however, invited the wrath of these former colonisers who erroneously view Africa as their extension by their unmitigated looting of the continent’s natural resources.
His recent ascendancy to the chairmanship of the African Union has received plaudits from the people of Africa for they understand that President Mugabe is the link of Africa’s past with the present and certainly the future. Africa also appreciates and recognises President Mugabe’s firm and robust understanding of international relations, a scenario the West will mourn during his reign as chairman for all their usual shenanigans will come to naught.
This year’s commemoration of this important event on 28 February in the resort town of Victoria Falls will enable Zimbabwean and foreign dignitaries to celebrate this important event on the nation’s calendar in the serene environment of this natural world wonder. The commemorations have been rotated to different provinces to afford all Zimbabweans the opportunity to interact and savour moments with their icon.
This year’s theme aptly titled “Celebrating the birth of Gushungo, the icon of Zimbabwe’s revolution and champion of youth empowerment” captures the national mood which is that of honouring their iconic President for having traversed this far hand in glove with the people and the tremendous strides the government has achieved in the resource nationalism discourse.
Certainly, all the resources which are beneath Zimbabwe’s territorial space and those on it are for Zimbabweans, anyone who join hands in the exploitation of those resources should only undertake such a task in compliance with the country’s rules and regulations governing such operations. Zimbabwe will indeed never be a colony again.
President Mugabe’s life story is a clear testimony of a patriot par excellence.
The journey he has travelled from the difficult epoch of liberation to present day independent Zimbabwe speaks volumes of his steadfast love for Zimbabwe and its people. Indeed, Zimbabweans can only wish that President Mugabe remains at the helm of the country for much longer in order for the empowerment agenda to remain on course.
Happy Birthday, Gushungo.
Muchadura Dube is a Nyanga- based farmer and political analyst.
Online Reporter