By Takura Zhangazha*
I generally get over-accused of intellectualizing Zimbabwean
politics. Or even the Zimbabwean
political economy. This would include
moments where I am derogatorily referred to as a socialist. A political label I have no problem with at
all. Because there is no way in which you
can be a progressive African and not have interacted with the socialism of
Nkrumah, Nyerere, Machel, Ahmed Ben Bella, Patrice Lumumba, Thomas Sankara or
the amazing theorists Franz Fanon, Walter Rodney and Homi Babha of Tanzania.
But contrary to our current presidents now never forgotten
mantra of exhorting all Zimbabweans to ‘make money!’ I have sort of read between the
historical ideological lines of where we are as a country.
I was reminded of the necessity of this approach via a war
veteran of Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle.
As well as one from Mozambique’s liberation struggle.
They had this term, ‘zvigananda’.
It’s a term that was brought into contemporary public lexicon by the current Zimbabwean vice president CGN Chiwenga when he was addressing a burial of a national hero some months back.
He reminded the attendees and the nation about a term they used about cdes who would eventually betray the values of the liberation struggle as they were ideologically taught during the struggle for Zimbabwe’s liberation. All for economic benefits even as the struggle was being fought.
In the political education that they, the liberation fighters, received because they
would eventually become political commissars like the late provincial
liberation hero and literary Zimbabwean literary genius, Alexander Kanengoni. They were those trained not only with the gun
and guerilla tactics. But also how to explain
to the masses the ideological purposes of the liberation struggle. Including building the ‘morale’ –‘morari’ of
the people via speeches and song as did the late provincial liberation heroes cde
Chinx Chingaira, Solomon Skuza among many others.
These war veteran cdes and many others that are still alive relate
with ease at to what the term ‘zvigananda’ meant. Because they were taught it in Marxian class
terms.
Some of them understand what it means beyond Marx. As they occasionally interacted, according to
them with Machel, Nyerere before deployment to the front in the late 1970s. In these rare and occasional interactions
with these African liberation icons they claim they were taught about class
struggle in Africa.
And they were also
warned about a key element about what would happen post the liberation struggle
victory against the oppressor.
Wherein they were told that some of their own leaders before
independence was acquired would begin to mimic the colonial oppressor. Both by
way of social habit and also by way of
economic greed (businesses, houses, mines, farms, education). The argument was that they were not genuinely for the socialist objectives of the revolution/struggle but just intended to take the place of the oppressor!
This is where the great African intellectual and revolutionary
from Martinique, France and Algeria, Frantz Fanon comes into the picture about the term ‘zvigananda’. This is beyond his discussions on issues of
the necessity of anti-colonial violence.
In his seminal work, “The Wretched of The Earth” Fanon has a
particular chapter titled, “The Trials and Tribulations of National
Consciousness”.
In this particular chapter, that is rarely read, he makes
many startling statements of analysis of the aftermath of national liberation
struggles. He references a ‘nationalist bourgeoisie’
who we can now in Zimbabwe’s case refer to as ‘zvigananda’ supported by n all
bearing political leader protected by the ruling party and its historical
establishment players.
And I will quote Fanon at length here,
“… In the underdeveloped countries, we have a minimum of
prosperity… there was no genuine bourgeoisie but rather an acquisitive,
voracious, and ambitious petty caste, dominated by a small time racketeer mentality,
content with the dividends paid out by the former colonial power. This short-sighted
bourgeoisie lacks vision and inventiveness. It has learned by heart what it has
read in the manuals of the West and subtly transforms itself not into a replica
of Europe but rather its caricature.”
The above quote from Fanon summarises our contemporary ‘zvingananda’s’. they are basically consumerist and cannot explain
their primary sources of their extravagant wealth. They mimic western billionaires and flight in
rented airplane as though they were in movies and main-actoring their
post-colonial existences. As individuals
who can still invoke religion and money as one in the same.
So the war veterans are correct in their reference to ‘zvigananda’.
Zviriko. Zvaiveko (they are there, they were also there). And this includes vice president Chiwenga' public statements in
his own succession battles with his boss ED Mnangagwa. Except for the fact of what the war veterans did
to their own people in 2008-09 after they lost to the opposition is still
relatively unforgiven.
And now they have to deal with the ‘zvigananda’ and expect
us to support them for them trying to correct their own mistakes.
I will end with this Fanon quote, again, “ The living expression of the nation is the
collective consciousness in motion of the entire people. It is the enlightened
and coherent praxis of the men and women. The collective forging of a destiny
implies undertaking responsibility on a truly historical scale… No leader
whatever his worth, can replace the will of the people…”
*Takura Zhangazha writes here in his personal capacity
# The quotes herein are from Fanon. F, The Wretched of the
Earth, 1963. Presaince Africain
No comments:
Post a Comment