Zimbabweans: Forget Mugabe, end apathy and help rebuild Zimbabwe!

On April 18, 2008, Zimbabwe turned twenty-eight. Though we suffered and sacrificed, the promise of independence, peace, and prosperity offered us enough comfort to shoulder on undeterred. But, today poverty and political anxiety prevail. Anyone who has picked up a newspaper in the last few years may well be aware of the numerous reasons cited for Zimbabwe's crisis. They include colonialism, corruption, government's financial payout to war veterans, contempt for the rule of law, an unnecessary war in the Congo, human rights violations, the reckless land redistribution program, distortion of economic policies, and economic sanctions placed by Western powers. Some analysts have even mapped our crisis down to one man- President Robert Gabriel Mugabe. Thus, from Binga to Bangalore, Facebook to France, a campaign, the purpose of which is to banish Robert Mugabe, is now full blown.
On March 29, 2008, an unknown number of Zimbabweans took the campaign to oust Mugabe to the voting booths. Others have taken to the streets across the world in protest. "We need to raise awareness to get the international community to do something," protestors claim. Non-protestors and non-voters have adopted a "wait-and-see" attitude, while others remain paralyzed by the political impasse between the ruling and opposition parties. The international community has promised financial and material support to Zimbabwe. But, on condition that we deliver Mugabe's head on a silver platter.

Those calling for Mugabe's head have assumed the role of chief firefighter. They do not want to hear anything other than the "Mugabe must go now and Zimbabwe will be free" soundtrack. Any talk of reconstruction, economic revival to meet the needs of survivors stokes anger and accusations of being insensitive or completely out of touch. “Zanu PF slur” I mean. So, our nation is divided and our people are as angry as they are hungry. They want a quick answer. Put simply, a leadership change. It is hoped that this change of guard will extinguish the flames of poverty and usher in a new Zimbabwe. But, therein lies the partial source of our ailment. While, our short-term needs call for action, building a healthy nation demands looking beyond Mugabe. The continual task of attaining and sustaining a healthy Zimbabwe resides, not solely with its political leaders rather with its people. We must assemble the infrastructure needed to build our nation to last us for another twenty-eight plus years to come.

I do not mean to absolve Mugabe or any of our leaders of their sins. And neither do I mean to blame the victims of economic, political, and physical violence. Believe me; I am not saying we should all go on as if everything is kosher. No! But, all our energies cannot be focused on removing Mugabe because that alone will not end our crisis. Yes, Mugabe has vandalized our national highway to peace and prosperity. However, focusing all our time protesting, but very little energy to plan and prepare for reconstruction is not only distractive, but also detrimental to our national interest. Suppose the ancestors call Mugabe to the eternal resting place, then what? What if his ancestors bestow another 28 years of life on him and he holds onto the throne? Are we going to become a nation of professional protesters? We must not lose sight of the big picture!

The national priority we must all work for is to build and maintain a Zimbabwe that meets the best interests of our people. Such a task goes far beyond Mugabe or any other leader for that matter. It may be common practice to remove tree stumps or any other distractions to enact some structures. But, surely all of our cement mixers, builders, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, energy and enthusiasm cannot be vested on bulldozing at the expense of other equally important tasks. We would not have a house if all we did was remove distractions. I am not suggesting that marches and protests are bad per se; however, they cannot be our ONLY strategy for nation building. In fact, if the goal of these marches and protests is to “raise awareness,” should we not change gears to focus on other tasks since Zimbabwe's crisis has been well televised and printed all over the world? I am afraid; our efforts on the streets may be reaching diminishing returns.

Building a healthy and responsive Zimbabwe will require more than the change in government to meet our needs. It will require a lot of resources, including large sums of money, skills, energy, and strategy. Because of the great needs we have, perhaps it is time we started organizing ourselves around reconstruction. Though it is widely acknowledged that Zimbabwe has diminished its capacity to recover on its own without external help, we must not outsource the task of rebuilding our nation. Planning for such recovery must begin now, and before it is too late, we must take advantage of the international media attention to mobilize the extra resources needed to rebuild our county. The media suffers from A.D.D and it is only a matter of time before it loses concentration on Zimbabwe. Soon enough, Bin Laden, Iran, or the Olympics in China will be at the forefront. So, we better move before it is too late.

Whatever government the voting public chose, Zimbabwe will need help to revive the economy. Hence, the Diaspora must help raise financial and material resources to help respond to national needs. Our infrastructure is deteriorating, but unless we act, it will rot. The Diaspora must also contribute skills to address the serious brain drain that has long been affecting our country's capacity for development. Harnessing and successfully integrating our skills into public and private institutions at home provides a powerful opportunity for building a better Zimbabwe. We can use our knowledge and skills to provide strategic advice to any legitimate government to help address unfair international trade rules, and bad economic policies pushed on us. Even if it is common knowledge that forces beyond our boarders have exacerbated our crisis, we cannot let arsonists stop us from rebuilding our house. Instead, our efforts must be coordinated to enhance effectiveness of resources, and the unit of effort needed to defend our dream of a better Zimbabwe.While some people left Zimbabwe, not by choice, or chance, it is essential that we repair the damage inflicted on our relationships with each other and our public institutions. This we must do, to avoid the insanity of walking on the same path that has led us here today. But, more than anything, rebuilding robust institutions will demand major changes in attitude and values.

For a start, we will need to be disciplined enough to work for and protect the sacred promise of a healthy Zimbabwe for everyone. While we all have immediate needs, we must control our urge to satisfy personal needs at the expense of our national well-being. In practical terms, this means that the diaspora must work to create a mechanism to channel remittances officially to spread the benefits beyond immediate beneficiaries. Similarly, government must work collectively to create structural and institutional reforms to leverage remittances to address poverty. And those entrusted with the momentous task of safeguarding our national resources must not violate public trust for their own good. Our success as a nation will depend on our ability to perform as an effective team. This demands that we create an atmosphere of mutual support, respect, and cooperation. Because no nation can be built by one leader, no matter how wise and good-hearted, we must value the initiative of every single person.

The Zimbabwe crisis presents us an opportunity to examine the values we should embrace for national reconstruction and progress. As a nation, we must take ownership and responsibility for our country. Personal and professional integrity must be our guiding principles. And more importantly, we must hold each other accountable- not for anyone's sake, but ours. Accountability requires that we embrace the humility to accept when we are wrong.

Because of our current condition, we will need a lot of persistency and excellence in our tasks. Without service, sacrifice, and dependability, nothing will be built. Needless to say, restoring Zimbabwe's capacity to feed, educate, medicate, and defend her children will require "amadoda sibili." And of course "real men" are born of "real women". Thus, everyone will need to be involved in the decision making processes to address all of the problems pertaining to government policy. We must change our complacency and apathy to concern and action. And government must facilitate the creation of a mechanism for everyone to partake in our national affairs.

While the 28 years that Mugabe has been in power is a long time in one person's lifetime, it is but a grain of sand in our country’s history. Zimbabwe is too rich and precious to be left to a few individuals. Protests will not be enough and neither will outsourcing the task to the international community. The well being of Zimbabwe is our collective responsibility. Zimbabwe needs all of us. And, the question is, "can we depend on you to answer the call?"