WHEN we teach them at all levels it is the one most fundamental thing they should know and cherish.
No one else owns this land.
No one can lay claim to this land, no court of law can change this.
The British tried to, with the use of force, but the people of Zimbabwe and the progressive world, that force of people who believe in just and equality for all peoples rejected that attempt.
We fought and defeated them.
Today we are wrestling with forces which want to reverse this, which want to reinstate colonialism by hook and crook, and they are targeting our children because they are the owners of this country, the custodians of its future.
This is why we have to teach our children that they are the proud owners of this most magnificent country in the world.
This is why during the liberation struggle the very first Grade One reader we wrote at Matenje Base in Mozambique was titled: Zimbabwe is Our Country.
This resonated perfectly with the children because they were in the struggle because Zimbabwe is their country and they had left home in order to free their country from the jaws of the lion.
They had left all comforts and braved all dangers to get to the struggle, because they loved their Zimbabwe.
To this day, these children who left Zimbabwe for the struggle are an impregnable fortress.
They are the bulwark that steadies Zimbabwe against the forces that want to topple it and give it back to the armed British robbers and their relatives.
The children who fought for Zimbabwe’s liberation have to have someone to whom to hand over the mantle of Zimbabwe.
The mantle cannot be hung on a tree because the winds will tear it away and our future will be lost in the wind to the delight of those who have long coveted this beautiful, rich country.
Zimbabwe’s children therefore have to learn this, that Zimbabwe is their country.
Their predecessors owned Zimbabwe and that is why they took it upon themselves to fight for its liberation.
That is why they accepted that it was their responsibility, heavy as it was, costly as it was, to free their bride Zimbabwe.
Today’s children, thus, have to own Zimbabwe right from crèche, they have to, in everything they do, honour Zimbabwe, their special place on the globe.
Their school should be a place where they showcase their love for Zimbabwe, from the very grounds, every brick, every window, every school should to say to anyone approaching or passing by:
“This is owned, cherished and protected by Zimbabwe’s children.”
The culture of love for Zimbabwe should be at the core of their being, carefully cultivated through the curriculum.
When you love someone or something, you protect them, in thought, word and deed.
A dirty school surrounded by filth does not show that it belongs to Zimbabweans, because true Zimbabweans love their country and they guard it jealously the way a newly married man guards his bride.
The very bricks of the school should say we are loved and protected.
In Zimbabwe it is unheard of that children break windows because true Zimbabweans love their country.
In Zimbabwe it is unheard of that children soil the walls of their school buildings, because liberators give their very lives for what is so precious to them, no, it does not happen in Zimbabwe because Zimbabweans love their country.
Zimbabweans grow flowers, fruit trees, and vegetables at their school.
The Zimbabwean school is beautiful, it has neat bushes that are nicely cropped, it has big beautiful trees that provide shade in the summer, there is clean water for the children, and the children never leave it running into the ground because they know it is a precious resource, and because they love their country they never waste its resources.
At a Zimbabwean school there are no bush latrines, not even around it, because you know what, Zimbabweans are a proud people, disciplined and self-respecting and they love their country.
They would never allow anything like that to happen anywhere near them because they are proud owners of something very precious, their Zimbabwe; they wouldn’t, because every square inch of this great land is precious.
They will not tolerate anyone desecrating their heritage, anyone big or small, no matter their status; against all odds, they still protect Zimbabwe.
Every school, college, university is a showcase of this great love for Zimbabwe, every pupil, every student, every scholar takes care of each fragment of Zimbabwe, that is why everywhere there is the fragrance of flowers, our eyes are consoled by beautiful fruit and grain harvests, farming equipment, and the dining rooms smell of fresh home-made bread, roasting meat, wheat sadza, we can hardly wait to invite ourselves to the dining room.
The cows are mooing, they are restless, it is time to milk them, the goats are nibbling, someone is late with their feed, the sheep are skimping around wondering why the goats can never be at peace, and the hundreds of chickens keep perking, forever looking for the lost needle, the rabbits keep devouring leaves but their stomachs seem forever able to hold this.
Ah, this is where we are, this is Zimbabwe, we are home.

Dr Mahamba is a war veteran and holds a PhD from Havard University. She is currently doing consultancy work.