By Brendah Nyakudya
As a thirty-something born and raised in Zimbabwe, my generation had it easier than most. We could be termed the first fruits of freedom, the first generation to be raised in an independent Zimbabwe, a liberated land brimming with hope, excitement and possibility. The war for independence in the 70s was a story we read about in history and Shona literature books. The economic meltdown of the recent decade didn’t affect us much because 80% of us had already packed up and left.
But for all we have been given it would seem that, as I see it, we have turned out to be the most complacent generation. The hope and freedom which was fought for and handed to me as part of the first independent generation of Zimbabweans seems to have fizzled in my hands. My lack of patriotic drive is something observed every time a crisis hits our country. With each catastrophe, I am vocal and opinionated — peruse through Facebook, Twitter, any major social media platform and I am there. I (try to) intelligently debate the issues with my loud, sharp and differing views but it seems this is as far as it goes.
My apathy may be masked by my vociferous debates but it does not go unnoticed; I have nothing to show for my opinions or for my discussions across restaurant tables. What physical contribution have I made to my nation? What Zimbabwean causes have I championed and followed through? Besides watching my country fall to ruins, what have I done to ensure my generation goes down in the history books with a personal legacy that our children will be proud of? What will they say about me after I am dead and gone?
South Africa, so much as happened here, major incidents that grabbed international headlines and many of those incidents involved our fellow Zimbabweans. Incidents of xenophobic violence in various communities, displacement of foreign nationals (mostly Zimbabweans) and poverty on all levels was the order of the day. With all those incidents, I was shocked, disgusted, saddened, moved … and I did what I do best, I talked about it — to my friends. But to those who had lost homes, been assaulted and were affected by the senseless violence, I said nothing and the sum of my efforts were a few hours doing a charity drop on a Saturday afternoon. I remained the silent generation.
How did I become so passive? Did I have it so easy that I have become hedonistic and self-serving in my approach to life and others, focusing only on the betterment of my life and the lives of my immediate family? I am supposed to be the voice crying out for justice and calling for or driving change from wherever I am. I am the generation that has known the best of Zimbabwe and what it represents. What stops me from speaking out and having a heart for those less fortunate? Surely this is the purpose we should all seek … to take on a cause bigger than ourselves and to make our mark on this world, make a difference in our countries.
It’s not enough to call for change, yelling “out with the old, in with the new”. Who among us is worthy to take up the reins and lead our country should the “old” be gone? We have the brains and the desire but something is missing. And if we don’t work together to find out what it is that has us acting like observers in pertinent matters that concern our fellow countrymen, we will remain the silent generation
Media personality Brendah Nyakudya is a freelance writer and blogger. She has visions of ruling countries in the future but for now is content working for management consultants in Johannesburg.
Brendah, I hope I may call you that? This is a wonderful piece of mea culpa and I think you are too hard on yourself. Perhaps your guilt is that you did not stay in Zim and have thus survived? Don’t be. The world needs warriors and peaceful men/women. Many died perhaps and still are dying in Zim and the truth is, the soil of Zim is full enough of corpses of warriors and innocents alike. You still care about your country but have chosen the wiser route which is to wait out Mugabe in safety. In small ways like speaking out to the Zim ex-pats and others you are showing your love for your country of birth whilst preserving the skills so that when the time comes, there WILL be people capable enough to tackle the huge job of rebuilding what is left over and creating a new and harmonious land of people who should never forget or allow to be forgotten the tremendous sacrifices of all whose blood has soaked it’s fertile soil. Mugabe is not immortal. One should merely support those you know who remain and suffer in whatever way is possible to you and spend your energy on that rather than feeling guilty for doing what you have done which is surviving. He who has the last laugh has the best laugh of all – Death Will come for Mugabe when he least expects it. He will succumb to his own bitterness and hatred.
I employ a university educated 30 year old black Zimbabwean and I have to say that I find his sense of apathy utter appalling. He and his well educated siblings have left Zim and his affluent parents are left behind to deal with the mess. He is in a continual state of hand wringing about his country, but would never consider doing anything about it.
I am often puzzled that there isn’t as much as a fraction of the same enthusiasm to get rid of Mugabe as there was to get rid of Smith. I can only conclude that the people don’t hate him enough, which makes me a little cynical when it comes to facing every second beggar and economic refugee in Johannesburg. But when I see their sad faces, I tend to give in a bit. But, really, how long is this self-destruction of a country going to be allowed to carry on for?
Brendah, what a looser! I can imagine two million of you mourning about Mugabe and tearing your hair that “he should go” but with no clue whatsoever who should MAKE him go. But at least you are ‘woman enough’ to own up, others blame the sun for patching the riverbed. Come home, darling, and let’s get read of tyranny from tha TRENCHES!
Zim seems to have been full of people like yourself.
Educated, enthusiastic supporters of the liberators, utterly uncritical of their leadership, who then headed south when things got worse than under Smith.
A spineless nation, unable to oust a corrupt 80 year old.
One Zimbabwean asked me with disapproval one day why South Africans like to protest so much and I asked him one question, I said if Mugabe was president for South Africa, was he going to carry on like he does in Zimbabwe? That’s when he realised that unless Zimbabweans do something about the situation in Zimababwe even if it means giving up their lives then nothing is going to change.
Brenda – pass the VB beer and the prawn chips why dont you.?. Please dont start anything before Roger Federer and mouth of scotland Andy Murray have their ding dong.
May I suggest not starting anything before the winter olympics.Splent too much on the plasma to miss all that color.
In all honesty I dont think I could miss the world cup either- so I wont complain if you start without me
The protesting and opposition of leaders wouldnt be necessary if the people used their votes wisely. Lemmings have only one way to go.
Zim is just an example of this. We deserve to hang our heads in shame at what WE have done or not.
I agree with you James but there is one problem, even if Zimbabweans use their votes wisely Mugabe rigs them. The Zimbabweans should rise up and make it clear that enough is enough. They should organise marches, strikes, election boycotts without fear even if they are persecuted. The thing is the are those who support Mugabe even when they see that all that he is doing is ruining the country and that supports my original posting which somehow says the Zimbabweans themselves are to blame for the situation that they find themselves in.
Brendah , Don’t feel to bad about it , SA is gradually moving in the same direction . Just remember to allways remind yourself that everything is the fault of aparheid / colonialism .
Mugabe’s perceived invicibility entreched apathy. Witness, Tsvangirai was beaten up and no one stood up. However, its roots are to be found when one half of the country did nothing when another half was suffering untold suffering for being of another ethnicity. Zimbabwe has in its entire history always been a dictatorship.
Zimbabwe’s clamour for democracy is not really a clamour for change but is borne out of economic suffering. Even opposition was borne out of that cause. The problem is that in a country where the rat race is in its earnest self preservation and self interest trump everything else. Hence an economic problem is looked at individually such that when one gets a break the protest becomes muted. The same is true of most of those who vote with their feet leaving the country. They solve their own individual and economic crises. In other words in ala Mobutu’s Zaire, “It is each man for himself, Mugabe for us all”. meaning each to eat according to his own devices, Mugabe and Zanu to eat according to the much they steal from us. There is such a relentless pursuit of money that the very call for a stayaway is regarded as an unwelcome, unnecessary disruption of the pursuit for money with varying degrees through the years. Social services may collapse, who cares?
Then we turn and deflect our failure to Mbeki etc. No book describes the situation of Zimbabwe’s failed revolution than Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables.
It’s easy for us all to judge, but many people do the same worldwide. Huge numbers of Germans muttered about Hitler, but did nothing. Vast numbers of South Africans objected to apartheid but did little more than mutter. The USA majority, I am told by Americans, is bitterly upset with Obama. Mature countries change their vote accordingly and Americans say Obama won’t get a shot at a second term. We’ll see…
It is, though, a fact, that if a population does nothing, the government it deserves has an easy path. My empathy for Tsvangirai grows daily; amid his own personal problems, he has had to deal with a Mugabe most of us think utterly crass and stupid. You could at least give him your support.
To be honest, I’m convinced our turn is next and until SAns who understand the economic implications stand up against the staus quo, we’ll travel the same road as Mugabe.