WOMEN, it can be argued, are the backbone of every struggle or revolution, since time immemorial.
And women played a significant role in Zimbabwe’s protracted liberation struggle.
Writing about women in the struggle is penning a celebration, a story of heroines.
Women contributed and continue to contribute to the revolutions experienced in the country.
The women of this country have been willing participants to efforts to driving the country forward.
And the women of their own volition have gone the extra mile.
Their contribution has helped Zimbabwe succeed against its detractors.
Women have ensured that the fabric of the nation is not torn apart stitching it every time it is threatened with falling apart.
In the First Chimurenga, Mbuya Nehanda played a leading role and so powerful was she that she was also the inspiration that fired up the Second Chimurenga.
She became the first woman liberation war heroine.
And many women followed in her footsteps.
The protracted liberation struggle had as much women as men and all played important roles in securing the freedom of the country.
Nehanda Nyakasikana did not only sacrifice her life, but dedicated her soul and spirit to the freedom and emancipation of Zimbabwe.
Her words ‘mapfupa angu achamuka’ became a rallying call that ensured that the spirit to fight and freedom was not broken.
Her exemplary leadership inspired many a women to leave the comfort and safety of home for the bushes to fight the imperialists.
It was this spirit that led many others to support the guerrillas through feeding them.
Women such as Oppah Muchingur-Kashiri, Mandiitawepi Chimene and Monica Mutsvangwa are among examples of women that dedicated their lives to liberate the country from colonial bondage.
In her book Woman in Struggle, Dr Irene Mahamba, a former liberator, writes about the role of women during the liberation struggle.
She sets the record straight, the contribution of women to the struggle, she stresses, was as equally important as that of men.
As war collaborators popularly known as vanachimbwido, women played a fundamental role in the liberation war.
They carried arms, provided food and crucial information to the guerrillas.
Their participation in the war highlighted their desire to fully express themselves as capable human beings that were not a burden to society.
The liberation war was one platform women used to show that being female was not a handicap.
There is no doubt that women’s participation in the economic, social and political affairs of the country have resulted in the successes recorded thus far.
In every facet of the country’s development, women are involved.
They even make up the majority of the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
Just like the women in the liberation struggle, today’s women are engaging in jobs that were traditionally viewed as men’s.
Many women now participate in mining, construction, farming and diamond cutting and polishing, among other things.
The First Lady, Amai Dr Grace Mugabe, is a typical example of a woman who has defied the odds venturing into business in a significant way.
An increase in the number of women in executive positions is also a clear example of the contribution of women in Zimbabwe’s ongoing revolution.
Examples of such women include Professor Hope Sadza who is the Vice-Chancellor of Women’s University in Africa, Professor Primrose Kurasha, the Vice-Chancellor of Zimbabwe Open University, managing director of Nicoz Diamond, Grace Muradzikwa and Securico’s managing director Divine Ndlukula among others.
The revolution continues in Zimbabwe and women must continue contributing to achieve the desires of the nation.