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The Herald, 8 July 1980
THE man of the moment at the 17th OAU summit of heads of state and government in Freetown, Sierra Leone, was undoubtedly the Prime Minister, Mr Mugabe.
Africa received him with open arms as the representative of the continent’s latest political offspring, Zimbabwe, born after a bloody, protracted labour.
People in Freetown said the thousands of people that gathered at the airport and lined the streets of Sierra Leone on Monday last week were there to see the leader of Zimbabwe in particular.
They were rather disappointed that he arrived late in the afternoon after an unexpected delay in Libreville, Gabon, and they could not catch the clear glimpses of him which they had hoped for.
With the world’s attention focused on the annual summit in general and on Mr Mugabe in particular, veteran African statesmen deliberately took the back seat, leaving the stage to the leader of Zimbabwe.
And Mr Mugabe rose to the occasion with a brilliant speech so eloquently delivered that he was accorded, according to seasoned OAU reporters, one of the loudest bursts of applause heard in the organisation’s chambers and a standing ovation.
LESSONS FOR TODAY
- Former President Mugabe was called “Star of Africa” due to his role in leading Zimbabwe to freedom from British colonial rule and his initial efforts towards racial reconciliation and nation building.
- Cde Mugabe was also walking in the footsteps of pan-Africanists like Kwame Nkrumah, Patrice Lumumba, and others.
- His rise to prominence as a liberation stalwart and early efforts towards national unity and fight for the independence of South Africa and Namibia earned him the title ” Star of Africa”.
Online Reporter