Republic of Zimbabwe 33rd independence celebrations in Harare. The country has struggled since 1980 to maintain its sovereignty in the face of attacks by world imperialism., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
Long live our Independence!
Thursday, 18 April 2013 00:00
Zimbabwe Herald
As we celebrate today, let us not forget the gallant sons and daughters who paid the price for our Independence
Marshall Bwanya Features Writer
“If yesterday I fought you as an enemy, today you have become a friend and an ally with the same national interest, loyalty, rights, and duties as myself,” said President Mugabe in his maiden speech as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe in 1980. To many patriotic
Zimbabweans the words still linger with the same sweet taste of freedom and reconciliation as if they were spoken yesterday.
“Long live our freedom! Long live our sovereignty! Long live our Independence!” he concluded dazzling the crowds.
Independence brought self-governance and the right to exercise our sovereign right as the new nation of Zimbabwe. The transition of our power to the black majority was also acknowledged by reggae legend Bob Marley with his celebrated hit song “Zimbabwe”.
The birth of Zimbabwe triggered a series of political, economical and social reforms that changed the course of our history. The road that we have traveled has had its ups and downs. The 33rd Anniversary of Independence should help us reflect on the journey that we have traveled as a nation.
Our independence has opened new doors for majority of the black people that had no access to quality education, economic opportunities and self-esteem because of the colonial racial inequalities. That is now a thing of the past. Primary education has been availed to children for free and numbers of Government schools were built throughout the country have gone up. This has translated in Zimbabwe becoming one of the most literate states in Africa, boasting a 92 percent rate. No other country has achieved this in only 33 years of independence.
Throughout history, the West has used lack of education as a tool to suppress invention in Africa. Books and literature from the West was used to undermine African independence and revolutions so that they could have ground for their continued hold on Africa’s developmental path.
As educationist, Chuck Palahniuk, says: “The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.”
Zimbabwe’s leadership under President Mugabe has seen this and used the classroom to fight for the emancipation of the people. In 1980, Zimbabwe had only one university - the University of Zimbabwe. The revolutionary Government embarked on a massive expansion drive for primary, secondary and tertiary education institutions.
This has witnessed the establishment of 10 State universities in the country.
The successful land reform programme, a first on the continent, is another success story that should be cherished by all right thing people. It has seen the equitable distribution of land resources among races in the country.
To date the country has seen more indigenous farmers getting a hold on their inheritance and contributing to national development.
Even the West has begun to acknowledge.
But as has been the case with Britain and the West, they cannot accept defeat. They will continue to rubbish the land reform programme in their media while they acknowledge that they have been defeated behind closed doors.
That is why Western global media mouthpieces like BBC and CNN subtly seek to rubbish and undermine the significance of our independence.
By condemning the land reform programme and the indigenisation and empowerment scheme, policies that complement the sovereignty and solidarity of our independence.
The late Father Zimbabwe Joshua Nkomo advocated land to the people as the linchpin prescription of addressing economic challenges faced by the black majority.
The land reform, indigenisation and empowerment scheme was a fulfilment to the promises that the President and the Government had made to organise programmes that will effectively yield that change that would benefit the black majority.
Zanu-PF crafted programmes such as the Community Share Ownership Scheme Trusts launched two years on October 13, 2011.
The nationwide community share schemes have benefited the seven provinces within the country.
Developing and empowering rural communities by giving them a 10 percent stake in all businesses that exploit natural resources in their respective area.
Now the locals have a say over the policies that govern the businesses in their areas.
The report from the Ministry of Land, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement shows that over 160 000 families have been allocated land in the land reform.
This has contributed to the immense reduction of poverty among the black society.
Let us embrace our 33rd independence anniversary with a positive attitude remembering where are coming from and going.
We must stand firm and withstanding the former colonial masters that seek to beguile us into slavery.
“Zimbabwe will never be a colony again,” are the liberating words from the President that inspire me to be a patriot for my country that will fight until the very end for my sovereign rights.
We ought to safeguard our hard-won independence. We must make a decision to preserve the gains that we have achieved so far in our quest to achieve total independence, political and economic.
Lest we forget the gallant sons and daughters paid the price with their precious lives for us to enjoy the life we have today.
It is because of them some of us are born free, that is why we treasure and would fight anything that threatens our sovereignty.
Independence must awaken the bull in us that makes Zimbabweans.
In our different political entities let us cherish the work of heroes and heroines who sacrificed their lives for the beauty that is Zimbabwe now.
Do you remember that during the colonial era black people were restricted to certain areas? The central business district and northern suburbs were a no-go area. Blacks were only allowed in there provided they had a pass which was given on rare occasions.
You had to be a tea boy, nanny or gardener to be granted access to the area.
Over the last 33 years the Zanu-PF Government has been a people-driven Government that has not eschewed the needs of the people.
The indigenisation and empowerment scheme has championed the acumen of the black entrepreneurs. Now Zimbabweans from all walks now life enjoying the fruits of our liberation struggle.
It is sad that among us walk the modern-day Judas Iscariots that seek to comprise our sovereignty and economic emancipation just from a few pieces of silver.
It is therefore unwise for the indigenisation and empowerment programme critics, with their ill-fated naïve regime agenda to condemn the very policies that has to a colossal magnitude benefited the black majority.
The West divide and conquer methods are not new in Zimbabwe and Africa, because they know a divided nation will not stand.
We must be united. As we grow as a nation let us walk in united and not be divided my Western political shenanigans. They have no inheritance in Zimbabwe and hence will not lose sleep when we fight.
They only have economic interests in Africa which they feel Zimbabwe is threatening. We must never grow tired of the slogan “United we stand, divided we fall.”
Pan-Africanist Jomo Kenyatta said: “Our children may learn about heroes of the past. Our task is to make ourselves architects of the future.”
Therefore, our future as Zimbabwe coherently lies in our ability to take advantage national empowerment projects.
Long live Zimbabwe! Long live our Independence!
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