THE biggest tragedy confronting our country is scepticism and self-hate.

It is most unfortunate that we have people in our midst with such repugnant attributes who do not hesitate to claim that nothing good will come out of this country.

Most of these negative statements have emanated from opinion leaders with aspirations to lead this country.

But how can you love something that you detest?

Can you loathe your country and claim to love it in the same breath?

The problem lies in the kind of education we are giving to our children.

Here is an education that was created to exclude owners of the country from the narrative.

Here is an education that psyches us to be comfortable in the periphery.

It has to be looked at and restructured.

That is a matter for another day.

While these two attributes are arguably the bane of development, they leave the country vulnerable to abuse.

We have witnessed that in the recent past.

The destruction of property and the subsequent violence have all morphed into what is now being termed the real and true Zimbabwean story.

The West has arrogated itself authority on what is happening in this country.

The West carries the voice of Zimbabwe it wants the world to believe.

But who has spoken for the person whose car was burnt, that person whose tuckshop was destroyed and that person whose shop was looted?

Who is speaking for that person who was beaten up for simply deciding to go to work during the stay-away?

Who will give an account of that story?

All we have seen are accounts of Government’s alleged ‘heavy handedness’.

That is far from the truth and a woeful recantation of reality.

There is truth that is being shunned and that truth is happening on the ground.

Why are we not being told of the fruition of the numerous economic deals that Government has entered into in the recent past?

Is that story not good enough to bring smiles to Zimbabweans?

Let us open our minds and see the reality obtaining on the ground.

Those who have had the privilege to go to the Robert Mugabe International Airport will have seen monster machines clearing the path for the expansion of the airport.

Those who have been to Hwange will have seen works being carried out on Units 7 and 8.

If one passes through Darwendale, he/she will see engineers and other experts breaking ground for the Russian platinum project.

Those who have gone to the countryside will also notice villagers and farmers preparing their tobacco for the market.

One has to go to Mbare Musika to see the hive of activity at the sprawling market.

Yet that is a story that is never told.

This is a story that scares many, especially those who do not wish this country well.

It is a story that puts paid to their nefarious claims that the economy has stagnated.

It demystifies their lies on the state of affairs in the country.

We are on the brink of something big, an economy that is being shaped and primed towards unprecedented development.

That is a story not told.

But that is a story we, the owners of that narrative, will continue telling.

And it is a beautiful story. 

A compelling narrative that does not deserve to be hidden from public scrutiny.