Chronicle Editor
Stephen Mpofu, Perspective
WHETHER the foreign political winds buffeting Zimbabwe are calm or atrociously satanic as the western imperialist economic sanctions against the Zanu-PF government and the people of this country have been for more than two decades Zimbabweans have demonstrated to all and sundry that we can weather the weather; otherwise the freedom we enjoy today since 1980, courtesy of the armed revolution that nullified British colonial rule in 1980 should have gone down in history as a nullity.
Which therefore behooves on patriotic Zimbabwean historians to immortalise the freedom that this country’s gallant sons and daughters heralded through the armed revolution in 1980 in order for today’s and tomorrow’s young generations to also have brave new futures till the Angel of our Creator blows the last trumpet to end our world of trials and tribulations so that those that have lived clean lives in accordance with God’s holy book, the Bible, may enter eternal life of joy while local and international political hooligans who today thrive on the sufferings of other human beings weep and gnash their teeth in the pit of unquenchable fire — hell — along with their master the devil.
Those who are wont to tar the long journey that Zimbabweans have travelled to this day may disagree with this pen’s view — and are democratically free to do so — that a World Bank Zimbabwe Economic Update report contents of which were published in our Zimbabwean media two weeks ago, before the end of this year in a day’s time and crowning Zimbabwe’s no-holds barred economic journey since the first day of Uhuru 43 years ago should mark the first chapter of our beloved country’s political history book or books also for use in schools.
The report says Zimbabwe’s economy — under the Zanu-PF government — grew by 6,5 percent in 2022 and 4,5 percent in 2023 — an improvement in economic growth that has eclipsed many regional economies including sub regional powerhouse, South Africa, with the country’s growth performance exceeding the average growth rate in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2022, and closely matching it for 2023.
In fact it is ironic that a country boasting such a high literacy rating on the African continent should have for this long had its political historians sedated by the freedom the armed revolution ushered to the extent of seeing no sense in penning revolutionary guidelines for the young of today as well as those of tomorrow as a durawall against external forces intent on reconverting our beloved country into a neo-colonial state with everyone kowtowing to whims of imperialism — imperialism which regarded land reform by the Zanu-PF government to reunite vast tracts of fertile land usurped by white settler farmers with its rightful owners as an evil deserving the economic embargo to nullify it.
As a matter of fact the founding President of this country, Cde Robert Mugabe, is on record as having stated a plan for his government to set up a panel of historians — call them writers as you will — to pen a revolutionary narrative of our motherland as a guideline for future generations.
This communicologist humbly believes that it is not yet too late for the wish of our former late President to be fulfilled through such a panel of writers assembled by our Government or sponsored by patriotic financial do-gooders so that the revolution that brought all of us on its wings to the present day may also benefit future generations.
Let us take musicians as an example in this regard the entertainers, men and women individually or as groups excel in their performances in ways that attract financial sponsors to promote them.
As such, is it beyond their capacities for historians individually or collectively to pen a description of past events? If not, why all this long wait for our country to produce historical books that might also help other African states regarded as political fodder by some foreign imperialist states.
Zimbabweans may and DO espouse different political persuasions but nothing is really wrong with that as long as the diversity in political points of view does not translate into disuniting our one people into individuals, like a span of oxen and donkeys with a donkey or donkeys diverting from the furrow to graze or an ox doing the same thing with the result that the plough leaves behind banks in the furrow on which weeds grow to dwarf the crop or render it unproductive for members of the family, in this case Zimbabweans, needing food for survival as a family to starve.
Perhaps Zimbabwe’s First lady, Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa should count for all Zimbabweans as an example of the oneness that our nation should portray in-spite of our diverse political viewpoints.
The wonderful mother of Zimbabwe has gone round the country, and continues to do so, teaching women regardless of their political views survival skills for themselves and their families as one people, which we Zimbabweans are indeed one family.
If our men folk cannot take a leaf out of the example set by the President’s wife by uniting people to survive as one nation regardless of political persuasions individuals espouse, as demonstrated by Mrs Mnangagwa but clammer for the extended hands of imperialists to be hoisted to power at any cost to our nation as one people then there are good for nothing and that calls for a reawakening of consciences in order for the one Zimbabwe, one nation mantra to rule the roost as it were.
Food for thought for all male political pundits in our country.
As the popular saying goes; united we stand as a nation, divided we fall.
Online Reporter