Delays kill the future. Our future is heavily dependent on the reconstruction of local politics. And building a new kind of politics in Matabeleland relies upon an understanding of the past and acknowledgment of the present.
We, in Matabeleland, are at a stage of our political existence where we are convinced the current political system of Zimbabwe could never be home to us; to wish for change is no longer the option, we need to be practical and execute political change; fight to liberate the men and women of Matabeleland.
At the heart of postcolonial mainstream politics in Zimbabwe is a new kind of intolerance towards certain population groups, other cultures, traditions, and values; this is in the form of ethnic Shona supremacy and tribalism; this is more brutal than in the era of colonialism, and even more comprehensive and totalitarian.
Our generation must defeat this evil presence; we can achieve that by repurposing our resources; we need to stop investing so much energy in finding excuses not to support local organisations espousing Matabeleland focused political solutions and focus on our goal to empower the territory.
Challenging unjust laws and unfair application of otherwise good laws must never be confused for tribalism. You do not become a tribalist for demanding that public institutions invest in the recognition of your language, and culture, and for asking that public servants who work in region have specific competencies including local languages.
People of Matabeleland have the right to their culture, norms, and values. Calling people names for demanding basic rights only serves to mask the real tribalists while further alienating victims of tribalism.
Systemic and structural tribalism manifests itself in the form of laws, written or unwritten policies, and entrenched practices and beliefs that produce, condone, and perpetuate widespread unfair treatment and oppression of certain population groups, with adverse socioeconomic outcomes. That is certainly not what we are calling for when we express a Matabeleland focused agenda.
There is overwhelming evidence giving credence to the argument that postcolonial mainstream politics in Zimbabwe can never be home to Matabeleland and does not even begin to pretend to care for the cultural diversity of the local population.
We are confident that future historical research will confirm that tribalism over the past four decades has effectively and entirely penetrated every community in Matabeleland in the process damaging the social fabric of our communities. And the impact of Gukurahundi has been detrimental to the psychological framing thus, political decision-making in our communities.
There is need to confront the realities of our time; most ethnic Shona people have not decolonised their thinking in relation to the tribal elitism they hold towards minority population groups in Zimbabwe. Appealing for sympathy from a predominantly Shona narcissist political organisation like ZANU PF, as a policy, will not positively contribute to the rebuilding of Matabeleland’s essential infrastructure – social, economic, and political.
Let us focus on our vision for the region and engage the public; we want to regain control of local institutions; to achieve that, we must build support for locally viable political organisations and make mainstream politics obsolete in the region.
It is apparent that dealing with Mashonaland histrionics is a poor excuse for not taking ownership and control over our goals. Focus must now be on confronting our reality without fear or favour. We must not try and rationalise the circumstances of Matabeleland people in Zimbabwe; we must not make excuses; our progress does not need them, and our enemies will not believe them.
As alluded to above, the ultimate change in our circumstances requires that we perceive reality for what it is without attempting to make it fit our emotions. The delusional wish for a one identity state must not cloud our lived reality of marginalisation in Zimbabwe based on our social identity.
The narrative of Matabeleland’s lived experience is ours to transmit to the world. We are marginalised from access to real power processes in the country. We are treated less favourably and come last in everything Zimbabwean.
The Zimbabwean identity celebrated in the mainstream politics is not just any national identity but rather that brutal Shona tribal supremacism that manifests itself – its way of life – as the only meaningful identity there is. The political set-up is reassuring to an ethnic Shona public fearful that marginalised and disenfranchised minority population groups of Matabeleland might rise to challenge the status quo.
It is not a coincidence that ZANU PF as a representative of mainstream Zimbabwe politics invests heavily on such days as Unity Day, an annual celebratory occasion affirming that discriminated, victimised, marginalised minority population groups, are all too willing to be complicit in perpetuating the fantasy that Shona rule and culture is the quintessential site of unrestricted joy, freedom, power, and pleasure.
The future is ours to create, we are the precious resource we have been waiting for to change things, let us work. If you are afraid to stand out, you will immerse yourself in a crowd that minimises you and makes the point of making you feel you do not belong.
MTHWAKAZI INDEPENDENT 