Youth and Heroism

Youth Perspectives on Heroism



Introduction

Zimbabweans in the month of August commemorate the contributions by the gallant sons and daughters towards the liberation struggle for independence. During the colonial era, race was the basis on which valued resources were authoritatively allocated and denied. Power, and all that is associated with it, was enjoyed more by the white minority and the . A struggle for independence brought a lot of excitement to the black majority as they anticipated freedom, equal and equitable resource allocation and distribution. The quest for these principles separated families as some ran away and crossed the borders into neighbouring countries to train in guerrilla warfare. Approximately 60,000 people lost their lives in seven years of bitter war either in combat, in ‘crossfire’ or in massacres. These people could have remained in school and obtained certificates or degrees that could have improved their chances for better employment, could have remained at home to fend for their children, husbands, wives or siblings. But they chose to face the brutality of the oppressor and sacrifice their lives. On the other hand there were those who survived the brutality of the oppressor, not because they were wiser, but because of the grace of God, the guidance from the Zimbabwean spirits and the support they got from the communities from where they operated. Heroes were born out of this struggle and today as young people we respect them and ululate for them.

However the independence in 1980 brought an end to segregation on racial grounds, it was a moment of jubilation, hope and vision building for the future. It called for unity of purpose, focus, commitment to rebuilding relations, the infrastructure and the nation as a whole. This commitment would not let down the cause for which the heroes died for. However many freedom fighters did not live to taste independence, to dance together with the rest of on Zimbabwean streets, shouting from the top of buses and from a village bottle store, holding a trade mark ‘Shake-Shake’ opaque beer. They were there at the Lancaster House Conference in 1979, at Rufaro stadium when the British flag was officially handed back to the Britons. However more than half of that population is no longer active, leaving behind a very youthful society in relation to the knowledge of the armed struggle.


Independence Through Young Eyes

Before debates on heroes and heroism, young people needed to start by creating a common understanding of independence. When asked what independence meant for them, many felt that independence meant integration, disarmament, demobilisation and rehabilitation of those who had been involved in the Zimbabwean war of independence both combatants and non combatants. It also meant the desire to reorganise and realise the purpose of having gone to war. It meant trying to realise the people’s hard won dream, and making sure that the ‘new’ leaders conform to the principles and ideology of independence set during the struggle. After independence the struggle was supposed be the fight against remnants of injustices, violation of human rights, gender inequality and all forms of prejudice. It is because these are strong sources of conflict in post war era. They say it was after independence that a ‘new’ struggle was supposed to be made clear to everyone including the role of young people. This included youth participation in building economic sustainability, the building up of a democratic Zimbabwe and its perpetual existence. Young people feel that some leadership got relaxed, concentrated in personal gains, and enjoyment of independence gains ended up lost for most young people and many poor people. Twenty seven years now, the people who chose to take a different, but noble path to fight for the people in this manner have become villains. Whilst those who we look up to as our new (although old men and women now) leaders turned the Parliament into the biggest bedroom, they slept and continue to sleep yet when they die they become heroes. “It pains most of us” If we should take after such leaders, we therefore dread being old, we ditaste their leadership models and examples. If we follow some of them, we will take this country to ‘hell’ in no time.


Young People’s Views on The Question of Heroism
However the question that remains in many young people’s minds is what defines a hero in Zimbabwe. Some are wondering if at all the war period alone defines who is going to be a hero upon or before their death. Heroes’ commemorations in form of group discussions and debate were held between 20 August and 15 September in Bulawayo urban. The debates were meant specifically to look at how young people view what defines a hero. Generally young people appreciate the fact that the liberation struggle was necessary because of the imbalances and segregation that existed then. They have very high respect for all those who lost their lives before and after independence fighting for justice, equality and equity. It is also clear in the minds of many young people that the battle did not end with the attainment of independence. As such, all the people of Zimbabwe have the responsibility to continue to work for and protect the sovereignty of this country. Anybody who puts this country first before anything else is a hero.

As much as people fought and died, young people still feel that during the liberation struggle, a lot of non-combatant individuals served and died in the struggle more than some of the people that are called heroes today or are buried at the National Heroes Acre. This is so because the liberation struggle was multi faceted and hence needed a holistic approach in making sure that Zimbabwe was going to be fully independent.

Most young people did not see the liberation struggle but hear a lot of stories from their own parents, relatives and media. They know many close relatives and families who lost members, livestock and property due to the war. A closer look at the current heroes status leaves young people with a lot of questions. To young people it seemed as if the question of a hero is based on who held the gun to remove the white men. To them many people disturbed the system and structures at the same time supported the armed combatants. These are their own heroes as they faced the oppressor with no gun to defend themselves. There are others who chose to remain in schools and achieve great honour. These after independence had powerful positions in government and are almost assured of a hero status when they die. Young people ask if such people are heroes?

For young people, all those who chose to skip the borders, trained and fought in the struggle are heroes; great and small. Young people talked of village heroes, district heroes, provincial and national heroes. Village heroes are mostly those who participated in the war by remaining behind to cook and give important information to the liberation fighters. They deserve to be respected and to be mentioned. The media need to see these contributions and sing out loud their contributions. These village heroes remind young people what they have read about ordinary unarmed citizens waging a war in a non violent manner and defeating an enemy. There are many people who could have benefited if these people had remained alive but the fact that they died for a national cause makes them very special to their families. All these people made it possible for liberation, made it impossible for the colonial regime to continue to rule but to give up power in 1979 bringing independence in 1980.


Young People Have A New Perspective
Young people feel that there are some individuals like the late and former mayor of Harare who are heroes today yet they failed dismally to contribute to the development of Zimbabwe after independence. As the man in charge of Harare, the city became one of the dirtiest in the sub region, corruption set in during his time and grave financial mismanagement was reported during his time. All that young people remember about him is the controversial Mayoral mansion in Harare that was built during his time. He was fired from the mayoral post. “We next heard that he was declared a hero after his death…… hambe kutshoni lokho.” Asked Glander during the session. Duduzile believes that these are terrible examples for young people. As long as you have some bit of liberation contribution you can behave in an irresponsible manner and still be declared a national hero? Young people ask why he was made a hero. What defines a hero if we look at this man. All 56 young people who took part in the debates do not remember any positive contribution that this man did during the war as it was not written in any popular books and papers before his death. Bottom line for many young people is that before his death, his war contributions were unknown to many people including young people. Not much was mentioned about him being a nice and honest Zimbabwean adult who deserves to provide a role model for the young generation. One youth asked if just because you know some big people you become a hero. One youth asked if it is morally correct for adults in an independent country to misbehave by mismanaging people’s resources just because they have a war background? What lessons can we learn from such heroes? Are they role models for young people? They asked.

The issue of the first President of Zimbabwe took centre stage. While many young people come from Christian families, do not condone abuse of young boys and young man through homosexuality, the issue of the hero status of the first President of Zimbabwe is quite controversial. Young people feel the work he did contributed a lot to the peace that we enjoy today as Zimbabweans. The root of the current peace and unity, tolerance and co-existence that prevails in Zimbabwe is a product of the efforts and work of the first President of independent Zimbabwe, says many young people. Does his sexuality cloud all this work? As young people we feel and say “No”. He is a hero and should be accorded as such. If homosexuality was a crime in Zimbabwe he should have been convicted and charged accordingly so that it does not prevent him from being declared a hero upon his death just like the former mayor of Harare.

On the sport light was a certain war veteran doctor who young people described as dishonest yet he lays at the national shrine as a hero. They say his dishonesty led to the looting of the liberation war compensation funds that were availed by government to take care of those who were affected by the war. This doctor is said to have been corrupt and championed the looting of the war veteran’s compensation funds. Some young people know individuals who were examined by this doctor and were declared bad % deformed in order to access more than what they deserved from the fund. This is corruption, broad day light robbery and should be condemned. Nobody like that should be accorded a hero status as they are a terrible example to young people. Just like the way the former president’s sodomy issue was treated, that upon his death he was a disgrace to the nation and it cancelled off all his other positive contributions and efforts, such was the treatment the above mentioned doctor should have faced had there been an independent body. Because of this backdrop, heroes are no longer important to young people because they are associated with theft, mismanagement of public institutions and resources, dishonesty, segregation, violence, they are part of the reason why youth are unemployed today, why Zimbabwe is isolated and other forms of gross human rights violations.

To young people, people are not supposed to be dead to become heroes, and the liberation struggle should not be the determining factor. Gary Magadzire, and Professor Calvawel were heroes not because they went to war but because of their contribution to the society. Heroes’ status should be accorded by popular selection well before an individual dies. A hero should be a hero of today, one who can take or own problems and participate effectively, unwaveringly until the day s\he dies for the betterment of the community or nation. According to young people, those who today continue to sacrifice their lives for the restoration of national pride, bring hope to many during difficult times, even without war credentials, these are the people who matter most.

Young people talked about the former deputy minister who they felt was neglected for years who upon his death was declare a national hero. One youth who claimed to know somebody who is a relative to the former deputy minister says he was told that the former deputy minister had used an ox-drawn cart to go to the hospital.


Hopes for the Future
Young people think that there has to be an independent body that selects these people in accordance to their contribution towards the development of the country after independence and not only limited to the liberation struggle. Their heroes today are not those only recognised by the current selection committee, but those who have worked with people and had people at heart, the likes of Jairos Jiri and Auxillia Chisoro who worked tirelessly with HIV/AIDS victims, herself a victim and first to go public, is lying at a mission cemetery at Gokomere near Masvingo, how about people like Lookout Masuku the gallant ZIPRA cadre, Enoch Dumbutshena, Ndabaningi Sithole and Leonard Dembo? Will Oliver Mutukudzi and many other honest and hard working Zimbabweans be considered? As young people they believe that one does not need to belong to a certain political party, age group or race for them to be heroes. The youth blames the adults, politicians, the government and the ruling party for the ‘privatisation’ of national democratic process as this lead to the reversal of independence gains. These people and institutions, according to young people, have failed to appreciate that its role in the liberation struggle does not mean it has the monopoly of what follows there after including who chooses a hero. If the general population were asked to choose heroes some very interesting names would come. Many young people think that the heroes’ status will lose its importance if the criteria for choosing one are not well debated and clear to most citizens.

The struggle many people lying at the National shrine today was the fight for injustices, dictatorship, repressive laws, poverty due to bad governance. This then takes us to the next stage of how and who defines a hero. This process has remained unclear for young people. Currently it is the ruling party, that has a decision making body called the politburo who upon the death of an individual sit to decide the heroes status of that individual basing on the individual’s war credentials. This process overlooks at the current or recent behaviour of an individual. Like the two biblical thieves on either sides of Jesus on the cross, some are heroes or villains at the eleventh hour such as Cain Nkala and Canaan Banana respectively.


Conclusion
Young people feel that as a nation we should bring to an end the era of choosing heroes using liberation credentials only. Liberation struggle should not be core. All Zimbabweans both young and old need to know that they all have the potential to be heroes if we work for democracy in honesty, fight injustices, corruption, political segregation and intolerance, gender segregation and regionalism. For young people this is a new struggle that requires new sensibility, a virtue that refuses or denounce privatisation of individuals’ efforts for political mileage.

It is not that young people do not care about the history of this country, they want to extend it beyond the liberation struggle. For them the greatest struggle is to keep the independence gains such that they multiply and reach out to all citizens irrespective of who and where they are. The struggle is not over as everyday has to be considered as such. It is only this way that we can work for sustainability, equality, equitable distribution of resources and the general enjoyment of people’s rights.

Asked if they thought the older generation does not care about democracy they all feel that it is not true that the old do no care about democracy and a system open to pluralism. Young people feel that old people have contributed a lot to the current hardships in the country by mismanagement, theft and dishonesty. However they are hopeful that there is still a handful of adults who are willing to join hands with the youths to transform the current system so that heroes are accorded with what they deserve. Zimbabweans need to know that serving the community is above partisan politics, has a long term effect and can be used to determine your status after death. Young people need role models so that they honestly grow up in dignity with respect for their communities and the nation at large. Heroes are not born they are made. Let us all join hands and make young people future true heroes and heroines.

Our fathers pushes us to the wall

I come from a culture where older people are supposed to be respected. They are supposed to have gained a lot of respect from young people through a display of courage, honesty, selflessness, sevitude and democracy. Older people do not ask for this respect as it is accorded to them by a generation younger than them in appreciation for what they will have done for their society.

However we are presently confronted with a situation where the elders have a created a tricky environment for the younger generation. This generation is growing up in an environment of corruption, broad daylight thieft of public goods, nepotism, lazyness, dishonesty and violent. All these promoted and perpetrated by the elders.

In my culture you do not fight your father. But what do we do when they slap us and push us against the wall? What do we do when they play with our minds and distort our lives?