WE, in the village, live on stories of our people, of our land.
These are stories of our greatness, our wealth and the high value of our land.
These are stories which are a constant reminder of not just who we are, but also who our enemies are.
As we go to vote, we are more than casting a vote.
We are defending our country.
We are protecting our nation.
We are shielding our motherland from predators.
And most importantly, we must know we are the builders of our beloved country for none but ourselves have the responsibility of building it.
As we cast our vote, let it ring loudly in our ears that indeed nyika inovakwa nevene vayo/ilizwe liyakhwa ngabanikazi.
Stories we grew up on in the village emphasised that neither curiosity nor circumstance made Africans leave their homeland because prosperity dwindled as one moved further away from the motherland.
It was also hammered into us that our forefathers and mothers were symbolised by the lion because it can only be found living in its wild state on the continent of Africa.
This is because lions live in prides and require herds of beasts for their daily provision of food without upsetting the ecosystem.
And these numerous herds of wildebeest, antelope, buffalo, zebra and many other animals are concentrated in spacious Africa which is full of grasslands and forests that sustain them.
For this reason, the lion will not leave Africa for another land and such was the case with our forefathers and mothers.
Under the leadership of President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, in the Second Republic, there is no reason to leave our resource-rich motherland.
Zimbabweans should not be eager to leave their land for resource-impoverished lands like Europe and this is an anomaly that has been made possible only through deception.
Africa meant the world to the ancient Africans and even more to non-Africans who were dazzled by our continent’s natural resources.
Africa has always been a coveted region by people from different parts of the world and, up to today, they want our continent while we want to leave.
It is only deception that has caused Africa’s children to leave her for lands with inferior natural resources.
We must be willing to do the work and not just work for others.
The West sells us worthless and intangible things such as lifestyle and First World status which sees Africans going to European countries in order to be called ‘civilised’ or ‘fortunate’.
Even if their quality of life decreases and are abused, many blacks would rather stay in Europe than be called inhabitants of backward, underdeveloped, ‘uncivilised’ and Third World Africa.
These intangible things the West sells to Africans are called ‘soft power’ used to rob Africa of her resources.
Soft power has seen sons and daughters of the soil being disloyal to their country and even trying to change their citizenships to become American or European.
Brain drain, and even treason, have festered under such conditions causing underdevelopment as the children of the land abandon it, leaving a labour deficit.
Our labour continues to develop the West leaving the continent in a vicious cycle of imbalance that furthers our underdevelopment.
This worsens the blow of slavery that saw millions upon millions of Africans being stolen and sent to the West by ship in the 17th, 18th and 19th Centuries.
We cannot be a people willing to leave the same land that our ancestors fought to stay on a few centuries ago.
And woe unto those who remain in the land and become sellouts trying to find a way to benefit from Westerners whom they deem superior and more prosperous than them.
It is a shame when productive families accept Western aid and do not question why that aid is given to them.
Why should we be beneficiaries of non-governmental organisations that have regime change agendas?
If these recipients of foreign aid only knew how Westerners, particularly blacks like African-Americans, are suffering as victims of abject poverty, they would probably redirect that aid to the West where it is much needed.
Every nation has its problems and it is up to the citizens of each nation to make sure they produce enough to supply their domestic market.
We must be willing to work and not expect handouts.
Zimbabwe, in the Second Republic, has refused to give away its resources to outsiders before making an effort to ensure their citizens have benefitted from them.
The indigenes are heavily involved in the mining sector.
Our leader, President Mnangagwa, has refused to be bought and has not sought Western rewards but is working for the benefit of his people.
He has attracted the ire of the West which rewards African leaders who are loyal to them and disloyal to their own people.
The ‘divide-and-conquer’ tactic has not worked, and will not work, in our country because from Zambezi to Limpopo, we are a united people, following a visionary leader.
Let us vote to defend the motherland.
