adminVision 2030 Allen Choruma
It is now crystal clear that the “Zimbabwe we want” will not be achieved if we remain divided.
We can no longer afford to continue spending energy on trivial issues that divide and prevent us from transforming our country as envisioned under Vision 2030.
The “Zimbabwe we want” cannot be attained if we remain fixated on wrongs instead of diverting our efforts to what we can do better.
Journalism
Instead of writing fairly and objectively about what is going on in the country, we have unwittingly got stuck in the “whiners’ groove”.
We are concentrating more on what is going wrong instead of solution-based reporting.
Some journalists have helped sow the seeds of division in the country. They criticise all the Government’s policies.
This has contributed to the negative energy in the country, it has also solidified the divisions we are witnessing.
In his column in the June 2019 issue of New African magazine titled “Praise where praise is due”, veteran columnist Baffour Ankomah remarked: “For once in a long while, I am going to do something journalists don’t normally do; give praise where praise is due.
“Our professional calling enjoins us to point out wrong doing most of the time, and therefore, we unwittingly get stuck in that groove, forever whining and whinning about wrong doing and never seeing the good the land (Africa) has produced.
“God should forgive us, for it is a sin that modern journalism, especially its African version, has honed into an art form, to our eternal shame.”
Truer words could not have been written.
This tendency of “whining and whining about wrong doing” is unfortunately entrenched in African journalism.
Unless we, African journalists, learn to give praise when it is due, we will continue in the same mould of the so-called “single African story”, which has been used for self-interest, to stereotype the continent as a spectacle of laughter in Western comic books, magazines, films and literature.
Without a counter-response from African writers, these vivid African stereotypes will remain unchallenged such that many Africans will get to believe them.
Nation building
We are undergoing trying times.
In 2020, Zimbabwe’s democracy will be turning 40 years and our mettle, as a nation, is being put to test.
Zimbabwe needs men and women of honour, who are prepared to shed off their personal interests and in their stead — place national interests ahead of any other interests.
It is upon our leaders to show their true character.
They should decide between consuming their energy fighting each other or joining hands to fight for nation-building, democracy, development and poverty alleviation.
It is upon us, the ordinary Zimbabwean folks, to show our character.
Whether we are going to incite division, hate speech, spread malice through social media or spend our time productively building bridges and uplifting those who are hopeless, we need to make that decision now.
Ubuntu
Our values, as African people, have for many generations been hinged on Unhu or Ubuntu.
Ubuntu is premised on the basis that as people, we are connected to those around us.
This gives us an identity, a sense of belonging or simply being human.
Ubuntu is about nation building. It calls us to work as a team for our common good.
Ubuntu is not about an individual. It is about working together and equitably sharing the rewards of productivity.
Great nations
Great nations are not built by people who are always complaining.
Whiners are losers, destructive and prevent us from concentrating on things that catapult us forward as a nation.
Countries like China, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Singapore and Malaysia have transformed their economies and improved the lives of millions of their people.
These countries have developed because their people are united while their leaders are selfless visionaries.
Instead of sowing seeds of division, we need to unite and rally behind our leadership.
We must work towards the common goal of developing and transforming Zimbabwe into an upper-middle-class economy by 2030.
Lessons from Rwanda
In 1994, Rwanda attracted media headlines, day and night, for all the wrong reasons.
The country was engulfed in an unprecedented ethnic conflict between the Hutus and Tutsis, which culminated in the death of almost one million people.
But Rwanda came out of the conflict a strong and united country.
Rwanda, considered one of the poorest countries in Africa in 1994, has in the past 25 years lifted many of its citizens from poverty. lt has become one of the fastest growing economies in Africa.
Rwanda, according to World Bank statistics, has been recording high economic growth rates, exceeding many countries in the developed world, with rates averaging 6,83 percent over the last three years.
In 2013, Rwanda experienced its highest growth rate ever, peaking at 13,2 percent.
Rwanda’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by more than 800 percent from US$753 million in 1994 to US$9,5 billion in 2018.
High economic growth has resulted in substantial improvements in people’s living standards, access to social services, job creation and poverty alleviation.
The poverty rate in Rwanda dropped from 57 percent in 2005 to 38,1 percent in 2017. ln 2018, the GDP per capita was US$826,30.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Rwanda’s life expectancy has increased from 27 years in 1993 to 68 years in 2018. This is compared to the world average of 71,5 years.
Rwanda’s life expectancy is, therefore, ranked 129. ln terms of ease of doing business in Africa, the country now ranks second after Mauritius.
The country’s capital, Kigali, is one of the cleanest cities in Africa.
ln terms of development of technology hubs through its home-bred project, the Kigali Innovation City (KIC), Rwanda has also taken the lead in Africa. KIC is a shop window to Africa’s innovation in ICT and other new digital and artificial intelligence technologies.
This project aims to produce high-tech products and services.
Rwanda is just but one example of a country that has taken the right path.
There are many more success stories in Africa that journalists on the continent should focus on. Instead of “whining and whining about wrongdoing” Zimbabweans, in 2020, must go out and work for the common good and development of our nation.
Inclusive development
The Zimbabwe we want should not leave anyone behind. The target cannot be achieved without creating an inclusive economy.
We need to transform the entire economic system and patterns of wealth ownership in order to create a broad-based inclusive economy that benefits all Zimbabweans.
Through innovation, entrepreneurship, discipline, hard-work, national cohesion and a selfless and dedicated visionary leadership, we can create the Zimbabwe we want.
This is a call for Zimbabweans to set aside their differences and work towards building the nation into a prosperous one.
We need to create the country’s wealth for generations to come.Let us unite, look inwards and come up with home grown innovative solutions that leverage on what we already have – our people, human capital, land and natural resources — to spur growth and prosperity as we get into 2020.
Allen Choruma can be contacted on [email protected]
Online Reporter