IN the last issue I wrote about how the colonial architect Cecil John Rhodes’ grave is well kept atop a Mwari shrine in the Matopo Hills and how whites still kept colonial replicas that kept reminding us of how painful our liberation struggle has been.
Rhodesians still keep relics of their battles against former freedom fighters and these still exist today in the form of books, statues and other memorabilia in private clubs and residences at the expense of our own artifacts that were shipped to their countries during the liberation struggle.
This was done to erase the collective memory of future generations and they have successfully done so by preserving their own legacy through educating our children about how important their history is, how they stole our land and parceled it out to their kith and kin.
Schools and scholars continue to be hoodwinked by former Rhodesians who teach and tell them that the white man is superior to black Zimbabweans.
This is done by the continuous teaching of how clever the whiteman is.
This has been done by the continuous preservation of their relics in private museums and galleries both locally and abroad.
Miffed by these false claims, in December 2001 a group of incensed war veterans destroyed some metal plaques on the brooding presence of David Livingstone’s statue which proclaim the Scottish missionary as the discoverer of the Victoria Falls.
The two metal plates inscribed with the history of how Livingstone ‘discovered the falls’ were stripped off the statue.
The war veterans had been angered by the inscription on the plates, which suggested that Livingstone was the first person to see the Mosi-oa-Tunya, the name given to the spectacular waterfalls by the local BaTonga people long before the Scotsman set foot in Africa.
The ex-combatants also tried to pull down Livingstone’s gigantic metal statue, but were restrained by the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe (NMMZ).
The irony is that the BaTonga people living in the area knew the falls before Livingstone’s statue is inscribed: ‘Missionary, Explorer; Liberator’.
Questions still linger as to who he liberated to deserve such a gigantic statue in one of the country’s natural wonders and tourist attractions.
Schools still visit the Victoria Falls and are told that David Livingstone discovered Victoria Falls, yet little is taught about the great BaTonga chiefs who protected the Mosi-oa-Tunya and its pristine environments.
The NMMZ have a mammoth task to try and correct the false history on the walls in its centres where colonial statues and other Rhodesian relics still stand.
The other monuments that have suffered degradation from both natural forces and neglect over the past years include the Khami Ruins, the second largest monument in Zimbabwe after the Great Zimbabwe in Masvingo.
Although it has been restored a number of times, it has become an important component of Bulawayo’s historical and cultural heritage.
Yet numerous visits are made to Matopos National Park to see animals at the expense of this important historical monument of the Rozvi State.
Other contemporary ruins include Nalatale near Gweru, Zinjanja, Dhlodhlo Ruins and Bumbusi in the Hwange National Park.
The Bumbusi Ruins are part of the Zimbabwe Ruins and are believed to have links with the Munhumutapa Empire, yet they still lie derelict in the park while scholars enjoy watching animals in the national park.
Whites have also distracted our children by claiming that the park is under siege from poachers who are wantonly destroying the fauna and flora of the park, but little attention is paid to the ruins, an integral part of our history.
Historians argue that part of this visual history should be respected and incorporated in educational modules and books.
However, because of our history of resistance to colonial and imperialist domination, visual history in Zimbabwe has remained revolutionary in character.
As the nation marks the Heroes Holiday to honour our gallant freedom fighters and others who died to liberate us from white bondage, all peace loving Zimbabweans should observe minutes of silence to remember these brave soldiers and sons and daughters of the soil.