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Of white farmers and children of the soil

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THE following story is called ‘Three Hairs of a Lion’. It is from African oral tradition. It is about a boy whose mother had died. His father married another woman and introduced her as the boy’s new surrogate mother.
The woman loved the boy very much. But the boy would not have her for a mother. The surrogate mother did everything to win the boy’s love. But the boy would not love her no matter how she tried to lure him with glittering gifts and toothpaste smiles. He continued to reserve his true love for his true mother, always, in life as in death.
Now, the story has a bearing on us as Africans in Zimbabwe and true children of this land and our relationship with white Rhodesian colonist and farmers as usurpers of our land. The whiteman killed our ancestors who are the true mothers and fathers and founders of this land whom we continue to love forever in life as in death.
And as their true children and sons and daughters of this land, we must continue to reject any overtures or re-engagements with white Rhodesian colonialist racist farmers as surrogate mothers and fathers and usurpers of this land no matter how alluring they may read. We must forever continue to deny them our love and reserve it only for leaders who are the true sons and daughters of this land and founders of this nation, and say to whites:
“We shall never love you no matter how you may try to lure foolish ones among us with your fake smiles and glittering gifts of diamonds and gold stolen from our land. We shall never bow down before you as our gods ever again.
“You can go and tame the lion, pass a camel through the eye of a needle, make stones bleed, turn man into woman, and make man marry man, and woman marry woman – as long as Mbuya Nehanda, Sekuru Kaguvi, Mapondera, Mashayamombe, Chingaira, Chitepo, Ziyapapa Moyo, Mangena and several uncountable others you have murdered at Chimoio, Nyadzonia, Chibondo and other places — still remain in our memory, Zimbabwe shall never be a colony again! Zimbabweans shall never accept you as leaders of this land again!”
This is the patriotic position our ancestors taught us as children of the soil through the wisdom of oral traditions. We must only listen to their voice as true mothers and fathers of this land, not the voice of surrogate Rhodesian farmers.
Only when our true mother says: Chidhanga Chidhanga! should we reply: Tiyamwe Amai! When surrogate whites pretend to be our mothers and say: Chidhanga Chidhanga! We must immediately recognise them by their untruthful voices as imposters and dismiss them with the contempt they deserve saying, like Segab in the following story: Amai vedu vakafa vasingapute fodya!
You are not our mother! Our mother never smoked dagga or spoke through the nose like you do! Enjoy the story, ‘Three Hairs of a Lion’, and stay away from the whiteman and his troubles:
Segab’s mother died when he was 11 years old. His father married another woman, Bizunesh by name. Segab did not like Bizunesh. But Bizunesh began to love the boy very much and tried to be a nice and good mother to him. She always made good breakfasts, dinners and suppers, but he did not eat them. She bought him many good clothes, but he did not look at them. She gave him new shoes, but he went to the river and threw the shoes into the water. When she spoke to him, he always ran away.
One day the poor woman said to Segab, “I always wanted to have a son, and now I have you, Segab. I love you very much, my dear boy!” But Segab said angrily, “I am not your son, and you are not my mother. My mother is dead. I do not love you. I will never love you.”
Bizunesh was very sorry and cried all night. In the morning she decided to go to a wise old man. She told him about Segab who did not love her. The old man said, “I can help you. But first you must bring me three hairs of a lion.”
“But how can I do this? The lion will kill me,” Bizunesh said. “I cannot answer your question. I need three hairs of a lion. Try to get them.” So Bizunesh went out to try to get the hairs. She went far, far away from her house and came to a place where a lion lived.
The lion was very big and roared angrily. He was hungry. Bizunesh was afraid of him and ran away quickly. But the next day she came back with some meat for the lion. She put the meat not far from him and ran away.
The lion saw the meat and went to it. He ate it all very quickly. The next day she again brought some meat for the lion and put it a little nearer. And again the lion ate it all up. Every day Bizunesh brought some meat for the lion, and he soon understood that the woman was his friend. He was not angry, and he did not roar. He was very happy to see her.
And one day Bizunesh came very near to the lion and gave him the meat from her hand. At the same time she tore three hairs off his back. The lion was not angry. Bizunesh ran to the old man and showed him the hairs.
“What must I do with them now?” she asked. “Nothing,” he answered. “But you know how to go near a lion, little by little, step by step. Do the same with Segab, and I am sure he will love you.” This is what the Rhodesian Commercial Farmers Union is trying to do. Who says Rhodesians will never die? Zimbabwe shall never be a colony again!

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