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Beaven Dhliwayo Features Writer
Zimbabwean women played a key role in the struggle against white settler rule and imperialism.
Motivated by the slogan put forward by ZANU PF, “Liberation Through Participation”, thousands of women joined the people’s struggle in every capacity.
ZANLA, the military wing of Zanu PF comprised of 25 to 30 percent women at the time of Independence in 1980.
Women were a militant force in the revolution because through the struggle to liberate Zimbabwe, they were engaged in a fight to liberate themselves.
The fight for women’s liberation is inseparable from the struggle to defeat imperialism and white supremacy.
Zimbabwe is turning 40 on April 18, hence, it is critical to reflect on the role women played from pre-independent Zimbabwe to date.
The country’s Independence came after a protracted struggle in which both male and female freedom fighters played a crucial role.
Forty years on, it is high time we reflect on progress made, to call for change and celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women, who played an extraordinary role in the history of Zimbabwe.
The liberation war and its history cannot be detached from power and governance issues in present day Zimbabwe. The narrative of the liberation war in Zimbabwe has long been a preserve of powerful and often male political leaders.
This indicates that female narratives of the war are subordinated and with them, women’s roles in the struggle and post-independence power politics.
It is, thus, imperative for Zimbabweans to appreciate the role women played in the attainment of the country’s Independence and continue empowering them. The status and role of women in modern day Zimbabwe cannot be understood without reflections on their actual contribution to the liberation struggle.
The struggle against colonial subjugation, displacement and Western hegemony cannot be complete without reference to the names Lozikeyi Dlodlo, Lobengula’s first wife, and Nehanda Nyakasikana, the heroines of the First Chimurenga who inspired the liberation war which gave birth to independent Zimbabwe.
Clarke (2006) cited in Jenje Makwenda, (2013:24) notes: “Like with the Zanla forces (mainly Shona) were inspired by Nehanda, the Zipra forces were also inspired by Lozikeyi’s spirit; she inspired her people to lay down the pen and pick up the guns again.”
Other notables who helped the country to gain independence include, but not limited to Sarah Francesca Mugabe, Julia Tukai Zvobgo, Johanna Nkomo, Ruth Chinamano, Sunny Ntombiyelanga Takawira, Maud Muzenda and Victoria Fikile Chitepo, among other illustrious women.
These female freedom fighters played a key role in the country’s resistance to colonialism. Women resistance did not only become apparent when they took arms alongside their male counterparts, but in many activities that were vital to break the colonial regime.
Their anti-colonial songs of the Second Chimurenga expressed the hopes of the revolutionary resistance movements and blended old and new resistance narratives.
For instance, the demands for liberation were expressed in the Chimurenga songs that dealt with pre-colonial history, the traditions and the identity of the people of Zimbabwe.
The term Chimurenga is derived from the Shona language, and means struggling against all forms of discrimination. History says the word was coined by a forefather of the Shona people known as Murenga Soro Renzou, who is well-known for his spirit of resistance in military conflicts in colonial Zimbabwe.
Liberation fighters, both male and female used music to express the spirit of resistance and boost morale. They composed liberation songs also known as Chimurenga.
The Chimurenga dances and songs were of a rebellious nature, mocking the Ian Smith’s administration while serving as spiritual connection with the ancestors. The songs and dances offered female resistance fighters the opportunity to interlace their life stories and memories into national historiography.
Liberation war songs also served as musical weapons which created new narratives for the country’s road to Independence.
They expressed the hopes, ambitions, and experiences of the revolutionary movements and interwove old and new resistance narratives.
Songs such as “Tora gidi uzvitonge” (take your gun and free yourself) and “Simba remadzimai” (the power of women) widened the one-dimensional narrative that men are the ones responsible for liberating the country.
Music played a pivotal role in creating a collective reminiscence that accommodates demands for gender equitable participation, recognition within the patriarchal organisation of resistance movements, and participation of women in the struggle for Independence.
Female guerrilla songs in Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle make it easier to understand why women are also occupying influential positions in the country. This consolidates the country’s independence and relative gender equality during the liberation struggle.
Chimurenga songs, therefore, are the legacy of black women’s struggle.
The formation of the ZANU Women’s League in 1977 in Xai-Xai, Mozambique, also resembles the determination by women to free the country from settlers.
Founding members included Mavis Chidzonga, Oppah Muchinguri, Joice Mujuru, Naomi Nhiwatiwa and Julia Zvobgo, among others.
Their first congress held in Mozambique in 1978, where Sally Mugabe was elected Secretary, shaped women’s roles in the liberation war and post-independence power politics.
In independent Zimbabwe, the Women’s League’s first conference was held in 1984, before the ZANU Congress held several months later.
The Women’s League put forward Joice Mujuru as a candidate for Vice President in 2004, an office she held for 10 years.
Forty years after Independence the League exemplify how, women created a platform for themselves in times of conflict in order to be able to express their vision through song and their active participation in the armed struggle.
Their voices in post-independence Zimbabwe still echo, shaping women’s economic, social and political life in present day Zimbabwe.
In independent Zimbabwe women have ensured the stability, progress and long-term development the country is enjoying.
On the other hand, 40 years after the attainment of Independence in 1980, Government has done a lot to promote women’s advancement.
The concept of gender equality is officially recognised in the Constitution of Zimbabwe. Values and principles upon which the Constitution is founded include recognition of equality of the sexes.
Government has continuously crafted legislation in pursuit of the cause and participated in many international programmes and ratified major international instruments and protocols on gender and emancipation of women.
Good examples include the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development and Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) among many others.
Hence, women in post-independent Zimbabwe have legal resources and policies in their favour upon which they can rely for protection of their rights and even push for more.
For example, Section 124 (1) (b) of the Constitution, prescribes a quota system for female representation in Parliament.
A total of 60 women were appointed into Parliament by proportional representation in 2013.
Proportional representation arguably increased the number of women in Parliament by 60 seats and that is a large number.
Apart from Parliament, women are also active in business, agriculture and mining, among other productive sectors which is shaping the country’s growth trajectory.
Such women who have been exceptional in the business fraternity include Divine Ndhlukula who founded SECURICO Security Services in 1998 from humble beginnings.
Ndhlukula identified a need in the market for a quality oriented security company and she has driven SECURICO to become the market leader in Zimbabwe. She has tackled a previously male-dominated industry head on and her business success story is nothing short of remarkable.
This marks her as one of Africa’s most tenacious and inspiring women entrepreneurs.
Online Reporter