admin
Harare Bureau
ZIMBABWE joins the rest of the continent tomorrow in celebrating Africa Day amid calls for African Union member states to fully use their resources to improve ordinary people’s standards of living. Commentators this week said while most African countries had made great strides in determining their own destiny and safeguarding their sovereignty, they still remained poor despite possessing vast natural resources.
They said the electoral victories of liberation movements such as Zanu-PF in Zimbabwe and the ANC in South Africa, were evidence that Africans were determined to be truly independent and these parties had an obligation to meet the people’s aspirations.
Zanu-PF secretary for information and publicity Cde Rugare Gumbo said Africans should focus on empowering themselves economically. “We are now able to determine our destiny shown by recent election victories, but the focus should be on the exploitation of our abundant resources for the benefit of the indigenous people,” he said.
“As Zimbabwe, we have our model in the form of the indigenisation and empowerment programme which seeks to put resources in the hands of the majority. It is our hope that this idea will spread across the continent as we mark this important day on the continent.”
Africa Day has been celebrated annually on May 25 since 1963, the day the Organisation of African Unity – now the AU – was founded in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Political analyst Dr Joseph Kurebwa said Africa should focus on economic independence and development.
“Neo-colonialism continues to dog development in Africa as some former colonisers seek to exploit the economies of the countries on the continent.
“Our governments have shown that they have the interest of indigenous people at heart, but some of the institutions set up during the colonial rule continue to exist, creating an imbalance between the indigenous people and foreign interests. This is something that has to go.”
Apostolic Christian Council of Zimbabwe president, Archbishop Dr Johannes Ndanga, said liberation movements should keep their eye on the ball. “There are Westerners who still have a colonial mentality and this means Africa should not sleep on duty,” he said.
“The spirit that brought independence should continue guiding us and we also urge government to work with churches as the latter has influence.
“The colonisers came through Christianity and it is the same that government should use to block any interference.”
Destiny of Africa Network president Reverend Obadiah Msindo said the continent still had to do away with mental colonisation.
“Our minds have not yet been freed. Many of us still think that salvation lies in the same Western countries that colonised us. We have to learn to understand that we are masters of our own destiny so that we can fully apply ourselves to our own development. That is the meaning of self-determination.”
Analysts said it was unfortunate that Africa Day was being observed as a public holiday in only four countries — Ghana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Other countries hold celebrations to mark the day without declaring it a public holiday, while Africans in the Diaspora also mark the day.
Online Reporter