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Limukani Ncube
LOUIS Althusser, born in 1918 in French-occupied Algeria, was once captured and held as a prisoner-of-war in Germany for five years. Althusser eventually returned to university to complete a master’s thesis in 1948.
Jona (2015), argues that although he refused to be labelled as a structuralist, Althusser is noted for influencing structuralism by using his writing to elaborate on ideas first proposed by Karl Marx.
His Marxist or critical approach to cultural analysis examined the connections between social structure, power, and culture and how this influences subjectivity. Althusser is one scholar known for going at length on the discourse of ideology.
Scholars say Althusser endeavoured to develop a scientific or systematic theory as to how society functions in order to maintain conditions favourable to capitalism. His primary focus was on the relationship between ideology and the roles and identities society creates.
Jona (2015) adds that Althusser believed that the dominant beliefs, values and practices constituted an ideology which served a political function. In Althusser’s view, societal values, desires, and preferences are inculcated in members of that society by ideological practice through the Ideological State Apparatuses (ISAs). According to Althusser, people acquire their identities by seeing themselves mirrored in ideologies which are presented to them through the ISAs, media included.
In social studies, “a political ideology is a certain set of ethical ideals, principles, doctrines, myths or symbols of a social movement, institution, class or large group that explains how society should work, and offers some political and cultural blueprint for a certain social order.”
An online quick reference says “ideologies are the sets of basic beliefs about the political, economic, social and cultural affairs held by the majority of people within as society (political party).” It is therefore imperative that members of the same organisation share the same or a common ideology so that everyone pulls in the same direction.
In Zanu-PF terms, there is a common phrase “gwara remusangano” which simply implies to the way things are done in the ruling party, which in other ways depicts the ideology of the party, which like Althusser argues, speaks to the roles and identities society creates, in this case the roles of the party, party cadres, government and how all these structures relate to each other.
Speaking at an inter-party training workshop in Harare a few months ago, Vice-Minister of the Communist Party of China’s International Department Mrs Xu Lyuping said schools of ideological orientation in various parts of China had helped shape the CPC and the country.
“I came here to attend the Zanu-PF Extraordinary Congress that was held (on Friday) and to also extend our support to the new Government. Today, I presented the CPC Congress (held in October 2017) Report, what we have done in the past five years and what we are going to do in the future. Zanu-PF and the CPC have both been in power for many years. The role that ideological orientation schools play in the development of a country is of great importance, in particular in fighting corruption. So, I presented on how to fight corruption and encouraged training and retraining party cadres on party ideology.”
President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Special Advisor, Ambassador Christopher Mutsvangwa, is also on record as saying it is important to revive ideology schools across party structures. “Knowlegde on its own is not enough. Knowledge should have a purpose, and Zimbabwe has a lot of people who have knowledge, but have no purpose, and the missing link has been ideology. Ideology gives people targets and goals.
Now, the resumption of training party cadres . . . our country can have people working in unison to achieve common goals. There are so many educated people, but because there is no purpose within that education, there is no focus. G40 wanted to completely destroy the legacy of the war because there was a vacuum,” he was quoted as saying.
Herbert Chitepo Ideological College principal Cde Munyaradzi Machacha was also quoted as saying: “We have learnt that the economy must receive as much attention as politics. That was also emphasised by the President in his address at the Congress on Friday.
“We have also learnt that leadership positions must be taken up by people who have gone through the party’s ideological teachings and understand global and regional dynamics.
This will help leaders gain knowledge to lead in the right direction. So, we are certainly going to implement some of the measures adopted by the CPC so that we achieve targets set by the party.”
The ruling party members should therefore treat attending the Herbert Chitepo Ideological College as a priority so as to be taught or be reminded of what is expected of them as party cadres and leaders, and also get reorientation or orientation on the ethos of Zanu-PF. In short, ideology is what should glue the party together. Without a shared ideology, things become a free for all, leading to chaos and disorganisation in the party.
In addition, the party resolved that no person will contest in this year’s elections on its ticket without having received training at the college.
Addressing a Zanu-PF Matabeleland South inter-district meeting in Gwanda recently, the party’s national political commissar Lieutenant-General Engelbert Rugeje (Retired) said the college was first going to offer courses for trainers and then cascade to every structure of the party.
“We want to start with courses for trainers that will be teaching other party members and then we will move to different party structures. A number of programmes and courses will be offered at the college.
“We realised that some people were joining the party and even occupying leadership positions without knowledge of the party. Therefore, anyone who wants to occupy a position within the party will have to undergo training and be taught about the party. Everyone will undergo this training, even those who are already in leadership,” he said.
Rtd Lt-Gen Rugeje said while the college was going to be based in Harare, satellite stations were going to be established in various provinces. He said in Matabeleland South Province satellite stations would be established in Beitbridge and Mangwe districts, among other areas.
Even during the liberation war, new recruits went through such training so as to be drilled on where liberation movements “came from and were going”. A shared ideology will make sure that the party speaks the same language and moves in the same direction, thereby getting stronger by the day and strengthening its place in the sun as the leading political and economic player in the country.
In Althusser’s thinking, societal values, desires, and preferences are inculcated in members of that party by ideological practice. These values, desires and preferences must be shared by members of the same political party, thus attending the Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology is a must for Zanu-PF cadres, especially aspiring office bearers.
Online Reporter