The daggers are out

The Zimbabwe election date is set, the candidates are known and the daggers are out. There were two main parties in Zimbabwe namely ZANU PF and MDC, now from the look of things they are three. The Opposition MDC has spilt into two, one led by Morgan Tsvangirai and the other led by Arthur Mutambara. They recently tried to make a coalition for the general election but it seems they are poles apart. They are as divided as when they parted ways a year ago. Recently dirty linen was being washed in the public with the two opposition leaders analysing each other rather accurately. In a recent interview with the BBC Mutambara outlined his vision but is being described as inexperienced, Mutambara. Mugabe needs no introduction we have known him long enough his is one with everything in short supply. Tsvangirai is launching his election campaign in a few weeks time and being described as courageous but vision less. We wait with fingers crossed because he is notorious of boycotting elections (Chin'ya hachina dumbu). With all this hive of activities on the political front, i still have a strong conviction that the three parties are missing the boat and they still do not know what the people of Zimbabwe want. It will be one of those elections again. The two MDCs, call them MDC1 and MDC2 whatever you want are still supported largely by urbanites and ZANU PF largely rural with the majority of the population still living in the rural areas. The MDCs will share the urbanite vote and ZANU PF the rural. Statistician do your computing, election rigging or no rigging. That brings me to the million dollar question: What do Zimbabweans want for themselves and their country. State your case and let these so called politicians know.

Legacy of colonisation

Until we light our own path we will continue to be a lost cause. The drastic manifold difficulties Africa faces suggests that something more that mere delay, unfavourable conditions or misguided policies is obstructing the goal development. The suggestion calls for serious reflection on the experiences of colonialism. The stance is necessary because many studies have not focused on the real source of Africa's ills: The phenomenon of mental colonisation. The African mind needs to be emancipated from Western constructions, emphasising on Afro centric developmental construct. The blacks have come a long way but unfortunately they are still going uphill. In this I mean they have worked hard to free themselves from the legal restraints that kept them being discriminated against from an apartheid level. However, the mental state of Black people around the world is fractured, broken and lost, not knowing who they really are. I fully comprehend people know they are from Brazil, Bahamas, Tanzania, United States, Zimbabwe, Jamaica or Canada. But, these labels should not become a badge that creates a rift to divide them or a banner to wave other Black people off with disdain, because they don’t fall under your flag. They all must remember and never forget that the borders as they exist today, the borders that define our particular nations were created for domination and control over you and your resources. It is a shame in 2007 that the Black people have not overcome the illusion of borders, nations and flags. The view emerges from the clear perceptions of deep damages by the internalisation of the colonial discourse and how it contributed to the underdevelopment of the African modes of thoughts. Taking into cognisance the undeniable technological lag of Africa. Is there a way of defining Africans that removes the charge of backwardness? What I refer to as "the African delay in the control of nature". The definitions that have robbed the African child of an independent thought to become leaders and not followers, to become and end in themselves not a means to an end. Their upbringing emphasised on acquiring the western data, memorise it without question and regurgitate it in a two or three hour examination and then on successful completion, look for work in the (Bwana) white boss's establishments and get a remuneration at the end of the week (wage) in a khaki envelop or be condemned to the rubbish bins to feed yourself. They knew more about the prairies of Canada compared to the savannas that they treaded daily herding cattle. This condition manifested over centuries of through coaching and now the birds are coming home to roust. The African population's next best ambition is to live comfortably like their yesteryear masters. To this day someone who is well off is referred to as 'murungu, muvheti etc' white person that is the underdevelopment of the metal state. They grab every little resource towards self enrichment when in position of power (abuse of power).Very few people are going beyond this level to become selfless visionary leaders who are not looters of country wealth. To explore these and many more unanswered questions, the space below is all yours keep us informed with the mighty pen.

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Interfacing two knowledge systems