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YOUNG people should not only be inspired by the country’s history but also take part in efforts to document it using the latest technology so that they immortalise Zimbabwe’s heroes while writing in stone the country’s trials and tribulations.

Knowing and appreciating a country’s history is important as it gives one a sense of who they are, where they are coming from and where they are going.

According to one scholar: “Writing history is important to governments and nations because it helps to shape national identity and inform public policy. History provides a record of the events and actions that have occurred within a society and this record can be used to understand the present and make decisions about the future.

“Governments and nations often have a vested interest in how history is written, as it can be used to justify their actions and policies, as well as to shape public perception and understanding of their country’s past. History is also an important way for people to understand and learn from the experiences of the past, which can help to prevent the repetition of mistakes and promote progress.”

It is against this background that we support calls by President Mnangagwa for the young and techno-savvy to join efforts in documenting the country’s history so that the Zimbabwean story is told by Zimbabweans.

This is in line with the President’s philosophy: “Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabanikazi balo/Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo.”

Speaking during his commissioning of the Pupu Battlefield Memorial Site in Lupane on Thursday, President Mnangagwa said:

“The journey of our forefathers will never be forgotten. This has seen my Government recognising heroes and heroines of the first Chimurenga/Umvukela, for example, through the mounting of the Mbuya Nehanda Statue in Harare. 

“Likewise, many strategic national institutions have been named after the heroes and heroines of Chimurenga/Umvukela,” said the President. 

“This monument being unveiled today is our collective honour of the historic acts by the brave warriors of yesteryear. They planted the revolutionary seeds that opposed forms of occupation and oppression. No group of people should ever denigrate or misrepresent our rich liberation war heritage. 

“We all have a duty to safeguard our national identity as the people of Zimbabwe by telling the correct story of our country, ourselves,” said President Mnangagwa.

“Going forward, the portrayal of our country’s history must be corrected and rewritten. The narratives of our liberation war history should correctly reflect the heroic acts of our forefathers in our country’s quest for justice, independence and freedom,” said President Mnangagwa.

“I challenge the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage to work closely with communities, historians and academics to comprehensively correct colonial biases, falsehoods and misrepresentations. Let’s use ICTs so that our young people are exposed to our country’s rich history of sacrifice, as well as the journey to independence, unity, peace and development. I call upon families and communities to play their part in this regard.”