IT is befitting that we got our independence in April, the very month Mbuya Nehanda was executed and the Battle of Chinhoyi, which marked the onset of the armed struggle, also took place.

Gaining our independence hinged, to a great extend, on these two crucial events. Our colonisers were so afraid of an African uprising that they kept Mbuya Nehanda’s burial place a secret.

They feared the site of the burial of of this revolutionary matriarch would be turned into a shrine as a reminder of her gallant struggle to spurn colonialism.

The chopping off of her head, taken as trophy to the British crown, further demonstrated the insane extent the colonisers were prepared to go to intimidate like-minded protestors.

Neither persuasion nor intimidation would coerce Mbuya Nehanda into denouncing the struggle, even if it meant her assassination.

But these desperate attempts by the imperialists to thwart the revolutionary tide would prove futile.

For it was not long before Mbuya Nehanda’s defiant prediction, that her bones would rise, was to be fulfilled.

During Mbuya Nehanda’s First Chimurenga, the determination of the indigenes was demonstrated by their preparedness to face an enemy armed with guns while using spears bows and arrows. 

This bravery characterised the struggle which eventually led to the defeat of the colonial forces on the battle ground.

A typical example of the character internalised  by the indigenes following the death of Mbuya Nehanda is demonstrated succinctly at the Battle of Chinhoyi on April 28 1966.

This is generally regarded as the beginning of the Second Chimurenga, when the blacks started using the gun as well to combat the colonialists.

Indeed the defiant bones of Mbuya Nehanda had ‘risen’ with fury.

What is significant about the Chinhoyi Battle is not necessarily that all the seven guerillas perished, but that they had the Rhodesian ground and air power at bay for a whole day.

They would not surrender though the odds were heavily stacked against them.

Surrounded by Rhodesians with superior ground and air power, the Chinhoyi Seven gallant fight was suicidal.

But to them, this didn’t matter, what was important was that they were fighting for a cause – the liberation of their country from colonial rule.

Though they would not witness the coming of independence, what satisfied them was that, eventually, others would enjoy it.

Our independence did not come on a platter.

It was the blood shed by Mbuya Nehanda which inspired the Chinhoyi Seven and subsequent freedom fighters.

Our concern, however, is that these events and people are not given the prominence they deserve.

Why don’t we imitate our colonisers who attach great importance  to significant battles and the main characters involved.  

Though Allan Wilson and his troops were wiped out by Lobengula’s army, schools and roads, among others, are named after him.

In school, the colonial syllabus taught us what a wonderful leader Winston Churchill was for his role in an imperialist war that had nothing to do with us.

Schools and roads here in Zimbabwe are named after him – a legacy of colonialism.

Surely something more has to be done, at least, to Mbuya Nehanda and the Chinhoyi Seven.

For a start, we should have Mbuya Nehanda Day as a national holiday.

We should also be seeing several buildings and places named after David Guzuzu, Arthur Maramba, Chritopher Chatambudza, Simon Chingosha Nyandoro, Godfrey Manyerenyere, Godwin Dube and Chubby Savanhu.

These are the seven martyrs who set in motion our Second Chimurenga that led to our independence on April 18 1980.