SOURCES close to the producers of the controversial theatre production about Mbuya Nehanda and Sekuru Kaguvi premiered at HIFA, ‘Lover’s in Time’, alleged that the cost of production was close to a quarter of a million dollars.
The amount of money poured into this single project raises suspicion as to the overall intention of the production.
The film industry has for decades now been used as a tool to change and manage perceptions about a whole range of topics from homosexuality, white superiority to even historical distortions.
In the 1960s, a film on the Vietnam War called The Green Berets with the Pentagon’s backing and President Lyndon Johnson’s approval was made with the specific intention of countering existing opinions about the war.
The film was depicted as a war story about brave American soldiers fighting cruel communist Vietnamese.
Ironically there were some Vietnamese actors in the film reinforcing the message of their inferiority in the face of the white American heroes.
This was despite the fact that the Americans eventually lost the war.
This brings us to the much anticipated Chinhoyi Seven film by Moses Matanda, a Zimbabwean from the Diaspora.
It becomes interesting to have one of our own take a noble cause to produce a film that highlights the battle of Chimurenga.
The anticipation is largely due to our hope that Matanda will own the narrative and tell the Zimbabwean story about a critical phase in our nationhood.
He has reportedly said the production will be in consultation with the peasants, former guerrillas themselves to historians.
It is a brilliant plan that pales Ingrid Sinclairs 1996 production Flame and many other such productions that reduced the victory of the liberation and sacrifice to insignificance.
There are many good points in the projects, I have a few problems most can be ironed out, but I have one big qualm.
Why choose a segment where all heroes die?
Most of the narratives about the liberation movement are about how the enemy killed us.
They are about how we perished at the hands of some skinny white teenager.
Why do we portray ourselves as victims as if we did not vanquish the enemy in numbers that they had to recruit the retired and the teenagers?
We celebrate films that celebrate our death at the Chinhoyi, Nyadzonia and Chimoio, but never our victories.
Where are the narratives of our triumphs at Altena farm?
Where are our films on how we hit the fuel tanks in the then Salisbury?
The battle of Mavhonde was no small victory, but we remain silent, treacherously so.
We inadvertently continue to glorify varungu through narratives that describe our weaknesses and the moments in the narratives when they kill us.
I speak for those who died killing varungu.
We have the burden of narrating the tale they never lived to tell.
Our silence is a betrayal.
It is time to tell the tale of bravery on our part.
A tale of young males and female with very little except a dream to have a better tomorrow who put their lives on hold, some forever others to return years later never the same.
Today this sacrifice is downplayed as insignificant.
It is ‘thingified’ to the past that should be forgotten and only segments of it revived for the white sponsor’s pleasure.
The Chinhoyi film tells of the bravery of seven men that are vanquished by a ‘powerful’ white army.
If not handled well the intended project could be an affront to our pride, dignity and honour.
My advice to the honourable film maker is that he should start with the Altena attack, bombing of the fuel tanks, Mavhonde battle and many other great victories against the enemy who always appeared invincible.
If he cannot do this he must roll his film pack his bag and return to the land of vasina mabvi.
We do not want another production that gives vasina mabvi mileage.
“Until lions tell their tale, the story of the hunt will always glorify the Hunter.”