Online Reporter
The Herald, 17 April 1981
FOR many people independence meant a year of exciting family reunion as people were returning home after years of separation and anxiety.
One particularly touching scene was observed at the airport arrival door. A group of people waiting for a returning relative and his family were busy debating whether they should ululate or sing when their visitor emerged with his entourage.
What followed was a mixture of tears and joy, singing some undecipherable tune, ululating and bewilderment on the youngsters who had been born abroad and did not understand what was happening.
These scenes were repeated in streets, villages, and assembly points all over the country. The climax of family reunions took place at Christmas as busloads and car-loads of people headed to their rural homes for a very special Christmas celebration characterised by numerous traditional ceremonies to thank the spirits, vadzimu for surviving the war, for a big job or promotion gained through independence.
The joys of reunion have been mixed with anxieties of those not yet returned. Family reunions have been accompanied by some adjustment difficulties, consider parents adjusting to children who left as youngsters, but through the war experience have come back as mature, independent, adults and heroes. For these people, family relationships are not going to be the same again.
Political independence ushered in a period of social, geographical and occupational mobility. In the urban areas there has been what amounts to mass movements within and between residential areas.
Some blacks have moved from former townships to previously white owned areas, while some whites have either moved out of the country or to more plush suburbs which they secretly hope will remain out of reach of the pockets of blacks. Other whites have decided to stay put, not minding one little bit who their neighbours are.
Lessons for today:
Independence brings emotional healing and reconnection. The passage shows that independence was not only political, it was deeply personal. Families were reunited after years of separation, war, and fear, revealing that peace allows people to rebuild broken bonds.
Reunions were full of tears, joy, singing, confusion, and overwhelming emotion especially for children born abroad who didn’t understand the culture. Major social transitions involve mixed emotions, happiness, relief, culture shock, and uncertainty.
The rural Christmas celebrations, traditional ceremonies, and thanking of vadzimu (ancestral spirits) highlight how communities turned to culture for restoration. Traditions and spirituality help societies process trauma and celebrate new beginnings.
Parents struggled to adjust to children who left as youths and returned as mature, independent war veterans. The passage shows people moving to new residential areas and changing lifestyles, blacks moving to previously white suburbs, while some whites relocated or stayed.
