18 April 1980 is a day that many Zimbabweans are proud of, but only a few can argue it brought us the expected gains. 31 years after attaining independence, many Zimbabweans are still suffering and wonder what independence really means.
Instead of living an improved life after the Second Chimurenga was fought and won, life has turned out to be worse than during the Rhodesian regime. Thomas Mapfumo, a world-renowned outspoken Zimbabwean artist on his album “Chimurenga Explosion” did a song titled Nhamo Zvekare whose lyrics goes:
“Vakomana patakabva kuhondo/ Baba namai takakunyeperai/ Tikati nhasi rugare rwauya /nokuonawo kupera kwehondo/ tisingazive zvakanga zviri pamberi/ tikati nhasi nhamo yapera/ nhamo yauya vakomana/ nhamo yauya zvekare.”
When loosely translated this says “when we left the bushes after the war, we thought life was going to improve because the war was over and we had won the country. We didn’t know what was in store for us thinking all our troubles were over but now we are having even more problems”
The above quotation from the great Mapfumo embodies the illusion that many youths who fought in the war had, thinking that by winning the war, their troubles were solved. It is unfortunate those who had the power then, and still do have the power 31 years on, had other ideas.
Having inherited a country whose economic and social life was the pride of the region even though it was placed under real sanctions, the Zanu PF regime has managed to make Zimbabweans a charity case, citizens who run around the globe with begging bowls.
It was the youth of the 1960s who decided to change the course of their lives by taking to the bush; it remains the duty of the youths of any particular generation to take destiny into their own hands.
31 years means that a full generation has passed since independence and it is our generation that now needs to decide what our destiny is and take the necessary action needed to get there, by merely sitting back and watch the elderly do everything for us; we are destroying our own future.
To change the future of this country, the first thing we youths need to do is register and vote in our masses and take the independence to the next stage. We the youths constitute more than 60% of the voting populace and by voting in large numbers, we can help ourselves live the life we envisage.
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Youth Forum Information and Publicity
