Time to reflect on price paid by our liberators

He was emphasising the need for mass mobilisation when waging a war, a spirit that led our own heroes through the war of liberation for almost two decades.

 

The famous saying is a paragon to show that it is difficult for soldiers to win a war without the people supporting their cause.

Thus the liberation struggle in this country also required cadres who would mobilise masses to support guerillas when they made their incursions from their bases in Zambia and Mozambique into the then Rhodesia to fight the colonial regime.

Some brave men and women who went about the risky job of mobilising the people and even recruiting people to be soldiers in both the Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (Zipra), the armed wing of PF-Zapu and the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (Zanla), the armed wing of Zanu-PF often courted the wrath of the colonial regime.

On Monday, 13 August Zimbabweans commemorate Heroes’ Day, a moment we celebrate the sacrifices made by departed and living luminaries in the independence struggle and post-independence development of the country.

The day is an important occasion on the Zimbabwe calendar to remember and honour those who dedicated their lives to free the country from colonial bondage.

As the people of Zimbabwe pay homage to their fallen heroes throughout the country on Monday, there are several valuable lessons daughters and sons of Africa both at home and abroad can learn from the departed, those who sacrificed their lives for the liberation of Zimbabwe.

Heroes’ Day is the official remembrance of the selfless dedication of our heroes and heroines in the long and torturous history of our great nation.

The fallen heroes sacrificed their souls for the country and for future generations, so that every Zimbabwean could taste the true essence of independence, freedom and the return of collective national dignity.

We once again take time to respect the gallant sons and daughters of Zimbabwe, to whom we are all collectively indebted.

It is on this day each year that we acknowledge and salute our heroes and heroines, both the living and the dead.

Each year the nation is afforded a priceless opportunity to reflect on the price that was paid to liberate our nation from the shackles of racism and colonial oppression.

It is indeed a travesty of justice to the memory of those who sacrificed so much and paid the ultimate price, that 32 years after independence, we still have no collective appreciation of the significance of Heroes Day.

If it was not for the heroes and heroines who dedicated their lives for the independence of Zimbabwe, the country would not be where it is today. Because of these people we are now living in a free Zimbabwe, free from colonial bondage.

This is a day we give thanks to those gallant men and women who gave up their lives so we could all be free. This day was hallowed yesterday, is hallowed today, will be hallowed tomorrow, and always in future, as an abiding signpost of how Zimbabwe came into being.

Many living and those who lost their lives for the liberation of Zimbabwe, some of them who pioneered the liberation struggle made it possible for Zimbabwe to attain independence.

The freedom fighters, both living and departed, left their homes and families to be the torchbearers in the liberation struggle.

Lest we forget, our important heroes who fought selflessly to liberate our country, there is still more that needs to be done to honour them.

Some of the heroes and heroines lost their lives in the struggle leaving behind their families with nothing to hold on to, families that still struggle to make ends meet.

Some of the families cannot send their children to school or access Government grants for the upkeep of the children despite being vetted after independence.

There is also a need to upgrade some of the shrines which appear abandoned, with many graves at some provincial heroes acres still without tombstones, to act as a reminder for all Zimbabweans about those who sacrificed their lives.

More needs to be done to honour some of the gallant sons of Zimbabwe, like the late Father Zimbabwe, Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo and the Soul of the Nation, Dr Simon Muzenda.

A number of projects still lie uncompleted especially plans by local authorities to name some of their streets after vibrant leaders such as Dr Nkomo and Dr Muzenda. It is commendable that some streets are named after some cadres, the likes of Samuel Parirenyatwa, Jason “Ziyaphapha” Moyo, Josiah Chinamano and George Silundika.

Dr Nkomo was honoured through renaming Bulawayo Airport to Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport although the project is still not yet fully constructed because of lack of funding.

Some comrades in the struggle also have a responsibility to ensure that this rich liberation history is immortalised in print, film and other media.

The living heroes of the armed struggle need to write books on their experiences in the struggle because if they fail to do this, history will die with them and there will be no history left of our heroes. They must use these platforms to showcase their journey in the liberation struggle and highlight the work of the fighters during the struggle.

The country so far has no first-hand recollection of the armed struggle. Many youths neither watch local television nor read newspapers. The big question is: how are they expected to know about a liberation struggle that was prosecuted in the 1960s and 70s?

In this day and age, people need books, films, podcasts and websites to make this information accessible to the youth, without this young people will continue being brainwashed by imperialists.

By honouring our heroes, we are actually investing in our nationhood. The same Western activists who tell us not to honour our heroes will conveniently forget to tell us that the British and Americans are passionate about honouring their own heroes.

You Might Also Like

Comments