The Legacy of Struggles for Independence in Zimbabwe: A Double-Aged Sword for Zimbabwe’s Youth

By Dr Masimba Mavaza

Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle is a critical moment in the nation’s history that heralded the bravery and determination of the people who fought for freedom. However, talking too much about this legacy might be detrimental to the young people in the country.

It is important to pay tribute and to remember the past sacrifices, though the overwhelming focus on the liberation struggle narratives can make the young people’s needs, hopes and dreams.

The glory of independence, as big as it is and wonderful to talk about, is becoming a rhetoric. The young generations have been looking up to create their history but space has never allowed them. It’s always full and occupied.

Surprisingly, recently the retirement age has been moved from 65 to 70 years.

“With this pace, we might end up having no retirement at all,” said one of the Harare-based youth who is worried about not getting any opportunities in the government

The ideology of the liberation struggle in the national discourse of Zimbabwe may cause imbalances in the national identity and therefore illusions of the history of the young generation.

Young people may feel obliged to live up to a specified image of what it is to be Zimbabwean, and in the process, they will be discouraged from discovering new ways of doing things.

This may kill creativity and invention and the net result is backward-looking rather than forward-looking upbringing is inculcated in young people of the nation.

In an interview with one of the youth who attended the Independence Day celebration in Gokwe-Nembudziya and requested anonymity for safety reasons, he highlighted that as the youth they will forever be grateful to the liberation struggle fighters.

“But I feel that this has made our country remain stagnant as all the resources in the country revolve around war veterans and being linked to those who fought in the liberation struggle, born of a war veteran or linked to the ruling party. What about us the young generations?

This shows that the ongoing conversation about liberation struggle greatness can hinder young Zimbabweans from dealing with the current challenges.

Instead of sharing the burden of the climate crisis, the economic instability, and the social inequality that they are faced with, they will find themselves more engaged in the past era reminiscences.

This kind of disconnect will cause young people to be unable to solve the difficult problems the country might be encountering.

However, the liberation struggle text in the country can limit the concept of patriotism leading it to be a single-dimensional one.

Zimbabwean youth who do not resemble the traditional heroes of the liberation struggle might feel that they are not fully included in the national debate.

This, by default, will impoverish the diversity of ideas and perspectives, which will as a consequence slow down the pace of Zimbabwe’s development, if not even the stoppage of the same.

This is not only the effect of divisions still existing among the people but also because these people have the same awareness as the older ones and it is their turn.

If Zimbabweans keep on referring to the difficulties and the challenges they face during the liberation struggle this will leave them no space to get new things done.

It is high time that our leadership introspect and stop this national dialogue that only addresses the needs of one generation, and leaves the other generation not benefiting.