AS we celebrate 34 years of our independence as Zimbabweans this year, we must do so as Zimbabweans and as a nation.
The emphasis should be “as Zimbabweans”.
That is the name that unites us together as a people and a nation.
That is the name that mobilised us fight for our land and all its wealth together as a nation.
There was no Ndebele, Zezuru, Karanga, Manyika, Korekore, Ndau or Shona in the struggle. The organisations that we formed united us together as an entire people of Zimbabwe to fight for the entire freedom of Zimbabwe and its entire wealth as the wealth for the entire people of Zimbabwe as a nation.
There was no wealth for the Shona or Ndebele alone in the struggle for Zimbabwe.
There was not wealth for the Manyika or Karanga alone in the struggle for Zimbabwe.
There was no wealth for the Korekore, Kalanga, Ndau, Nyanja, Tonga or Nambya alone in the struggle for Zimbabwe.
There were no diverse people, diverse languages, diverse tribes or diverse cultures in the struggle for Zimbabwe.
The organisations that African people of Zimbabwe formed mobilised the entire people of Zimbabwe as Zimbabweans and inspired them to fight and liberate the entire land of Zimbabwe and all its wealth for the entire people of Zimbabwe as Zimbabweans.
There is no Shona, Kalanga, Manyika or Ndebele mentioned or implied in the names of the organisations that the people of Zimbabwe formed to fight and free Zimbabwe and all its wealth as the wealth for the entire people of Zimbabwe.
There is no Shona or Ndebele mentioned or implied in the names of organisations that triumphed in liberating Zimbabwe and all its wealth for Zimbabweans.
ZAPU was formed to organise and inspire the entire people of Zimbabwe to free the entire land of Zimbabwe for the entire people of Zimbabwe as Zimbabweans.
That is the meaning of ‘Zimbabwe African Peoples Union’.
ZANU was formed to mobilise and inspire the entire people of Zimbabwe to liberate the entire land and wealth of Zimbabwe for Zimbabweans.
That is the meaning of ‘Zimbabwe African National Union’.
ZANU PF was formed for the entire people of Zimbabwe to enjoy the entire wealth of Zimbabwe together as Zimbabweans and to live in harmony anywhere in Zimbabwe as Zimbabweans.
That is the meaning of ‘Zimbabwe African National Union (Patriotic Front)’.
The names that we continue to use in our Zimbabwean Constitution, institutions, organisations and school curriculums to refer to ourselves and Zimbabwe as a land of diverse people, diverse tribes, diverse languages and diverse cultures, spell disaster to our unity as Zimbabweans.
Matabeleland, Mashonaland and Manicaland are used by opportunistic and treasonous politicians, intellectuals and historians with fertile and treacherous imagination to suggest to their unsuspecting innocent and uninformed followers and sponsors that there is some land somewhere in Zimbabwe whose wealth specifically and exclusively belongs to some people or some tribes or some cultures alone and not to the people of Zimbabwe as Zimbabweans.
Zimbabweans must look closely into the potential consequences that may arise from the continued use of such divisive and emotive names in our schools, institutions and organisations by opportunistic politicians, intellectuals and historians, to plunge our nation into a dismal abyss of mutual genocidal hatred and conflict while we look on.
This has happened in Libya, Iraq, Tunisia, Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo and Mali, to mention just a few ongoing examples.
It can happen to Zimbabwe.
We are no different.