Unity is the recipe for peace

Founding Fathers of the United States of America.
The President said: The OAU founding fathers had a vision of a continent that is united politically, economically and culturally. “Our founding fathers in 1963 showed us the way and we must take up that teaching that we got in 1963. That we are one and we must be united,” said the President.

The USA founding fathers declared that, “All men were created equal.” This declaration in their constitution is often quoted as the creed for their democracy and basic rights. But this declaration did not include the blacks who were in slavery and the indigenous Red Indians. In actual fact, it was a misplaced declaration which had to be corrected in later years by the abolition of slavery and advancing voting rights to blacks and women.

The OAU declaration by its founding fathers was more precise that the whole continent had to be independent of colonial control. Those founding fathers, to mention just a few, were, Presidents Nyerere of Tanzania, Nasser of Egypt and Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana.

The Unity they spoke about was not to form the United States of Africa but, a unity of the mind that Africans shall be free and be one in their defence of their independence. Those countries that were not free like Zimbabwe were promised material support to fight for their freedom.

My mind goes back to Zimbabwe’s founding fathers, of which President Mugabe played a major role. What was the declaration of our founding fathers? It is difficult to find a document written by our founding fathers because there may have not been a meeting of minds from the leaders that belonged to various parties. Some of these parties had different ideologies of what Zimbabwe should be.

But, be that as it may, we are reminded that the revolutionary leaders made a solemn declaration that Zimbabwe shall only be liberated by fighting a war of liberation. Words would not suffice but that military action was the only option available. But, we are reminded too by the words spoken by such revolutionaries, like Herbert Chitepo and Josiah Tongogara, among others, that the liberation war was fought to reclaim the land and give it back to the indigenous people of Zimbabwe.

This was the main theme of the declaration of our founding fathers. The people of Zimbabwe are lucky that some of the founding fathers are still alive and keep on reminding us about how a free Zimbabwe came about.

One can understand why there is a drive by the present leaders to fulfil that declaration by spearheading the indigenization and empowerment policies. As for the OAU declaration, the President be moaned the tearing apart of Africa through perennial wars not necessarily between nations but through disunity of purpose in some of the countries that are suffering from internal conflicts, be they religious or tribal or ethnic turmoil.

Is it enough for Zimbabwe to achieve peace while some African countries have their people at each others throats? This is a major challenge for the AU that replaced the original OAU. The legacy of founding fathers, especially, in Zimbabwe must be cherished. The problem arises where the politicians of today misinterpret what the founding fathers had in mind when they took up arms to fight for the independence of the country.  It has been an eye opener; I am sure to many readers of the Sunday Mail, to be reminded about the liberation war by such comrades like, George Rutanhire, Mai Tongogara and Gabarinocheka. Contrary to the portrayal of the interviews by the so called independent press, the interviews remind and jostle our minds to be grateful of the sacrifice many liberation fighters made to free Zimbabwe.

If unity is the recipe for peace, then the unity of purpose in developing Zimbabwe should be the criteria to lead us into a democratic culture. This culture is to agree to disagree in a peaceful environment.