Heroes Day Must Inspire Zimbabwe’s Economic Liberation,’ Dr Mupambi

9By Staff WriterHARARE — As Zimbabwe commemorates Heroes Day and Defence Forces Day, historian and governance analyst Dr Abigale Mupambi has urged the country to move beyond ceremonial remembrance and focus on completing the economic transformation for which the liberation struggle was fought.Dr Mupambi said the commemorations should serve as a reminder that every generation has a responsibility to confront the challenges of its time.“Each generation has its own obligation, and each generation has to face its own revolution,” she said.Reflecting on the liberation struggle of the 1970s, Mupambi said the young people of that era demonstrated courage, selflessness and unity despite differences in political views.She said their collective determination ultimately led to Zimbabwe attaining political independence in 1980.However, she argued that independence did not automatically resolve the country’s economic inequalities, particularly the historical question of land ownership.Mupambi pointed to colonial legislation, including the Land Apportionment Act of 1930 and the Land Husbandry Act, which she said dispossessed the majority and confined many Zimbabweans to marginalised areas.“Land is not just soil. The land is married to minerals. The land is married to production.

The land is food security. The land is the economy,” she said.According to Mupambi, the post-independence generation therefore inherited the responsibility of addressing the land question and ensuring that land and natural resources contribute meaningfully to the livelihoods of Zimbabweans.She said ongoing initiatives, including the title deed programme, should ensure that the benefits of land ownership extend to women, young people and communities.“We are in the midst of an economic revolution,” Mupambi said, arguing that Zimbabwe’s economic transformation continues to face challenges including corruption, neocolonial influences and sanctions.Despite these obstacles, she said the country had demonstrated resilience through initiatives aimed at empowering small and medium enterprises, increasing local participation in mining and encouraging investment models that allow communities to benefit from their natural resources.Mupambi maintained that the country’s land reform programme remains irreversible and said development should continue to be decentralised so that resources and economic opportunities reach communities.She also called for greater attention to the welfare and economic empowerment of surviving veterans of the liberation struggle.“As the nation honours the fallen, we must also remember the living heroes and heroines of the Second Chimurenga,” she said.Mupambi said the welfare, empowerment and aspirations of liberation war veterans should remain a national priority, arguing that Zimbabwe must find ways of ensuring that the sacrifices made during the liberation struggle translate into tangible benefits for those who fought and for future generations.She further stressed the importance of transferring historical knowledge and values from the liberation generation to today’s youth.“Intergenerational capacitation is very, very key at this juncture,” she said, urging young Zimbabweans to learn from the generation that “passed the baton.”Mupambi added that Zimbabwe’s history should be preserved as part of the country’s national heritage, particularly as efforts continue to identify and rebury fallen liberation fighters whose remains remain in unmarked or shallow graves.Some of these fallen heroes, she noted, are represented through the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and national, provincial and district shrines across the country.As Zimbabwe marks Heroes Day and Defence Forces Day, Mupambi said remembrance should ultimately translate into action.“Aluta Continua,” she said, stressing that the attainment of political independence in 1980 should be followed by the achievement of genuine economic independence.For her, completing that transformation would be one of the most meaningful ways Zimbabwe can honour both the fallen and surviving heroes of the liberation struggle.abigailmupambiEmmersonmnangagwaHeroes Day By Staff WriterHARARE — As Zimbabwe commemorates Heroes Day and Defence Forces Day, historian and governance analyst Dr Abigale Mupambi has urged the country to move beyond ceremonial remembrance and focus on completing the economic transformation for which the liberation struggle was fought. Dr Mupambi said the commemorations should serve as a reminder that every generation has a responsibility to confront the challenges of its time.“Each generation has its own obligation, and each generation has to face its own revolution,” she said.

Reflecting on the liberation struggle of the 1970s, Mupambi said the young people of that era demonstrated courage, selflessness and unity despite differences in political views. She said their collective determination ultimately led to Zimbabwe attaining political independence in 1980.However, she argued that independence did not automatically resolve the country’s economic inequalities, particularly the historical question of land ownership. Mupambi pointed to colonial legislation, including the Land Apportionment Act of 1930 and the Land Husbandry Act, which she said dispossessed the majority and confined many Zimbabweans to marginalised areas.

[paywall]

“Land is not just soil. The land is the economy,” she said. According to Mupambi, the post-independence generation therefore inherited the responsibility of addressing the land question and ensuring that land and natural resources contribute meaningfully to the livelihoods of Zimbabweans.

She said ongoing initiatives, including the title deed programme, should ensure that the benefits of land ownership extend to women, young people and communities. “We are in the midst of an economic revolution,” Mupambi said, arguing that Zimbabwe’s economic transformation continues to face challenges including corruption, neocolonial influences and sanctions. Despite these obstacles, she said the country had demonstrated resilience through initiatives aimed at empowering small and medium enterprises, increasing local participation in mining and encouraging investment models that allow communities to benefit from their natural resources. Mupambi maintained that the country’s land reform programme remains irreversible and said development should continue to be decentralised so that resources and economic opportunities reach communities.

[/paywall]