Editorial Comment: Honouring of national heroes most welcome

25 Jan, 2015 - 03:01 0 Views
Editorial Comment: Honouring of national heroes most welcome

The Sunday News

zimpTHE move by the Government to gazette the changing of two major streets in Harare and Bulawayo to honour two former Vice-Presidents and national heroes Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo and Dr Simon Vengai Muzenda is a great recognition to the two liberation icons and a welcome development to Zimbabweans who have a deep sense of pride for being citizens of this great nation.

According to a notice gazetted last Friday, Fourth Street in Harare has been renamed Simon Vengai Muzenda while Main Street in Bulawayo is now officially called Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo Street. This is great tribute to the two nationalists who sacrificed their youthful years to participate in the protracted war of liberation, which delivered Independence to the people of Zimbabwe. The two icons alongside other brave Zimbabweans of their generation such as President Mugabe, Jason Ziyaphapha Moyo, Leopold Takawira, Herbert Chitepo, Josiah Magama Tongogara, Joseph Msika, John Nkomo, George Silundika and Enos Nkala just to mention a few took the bull by its horns and fought the racist Ian Smith regime and pounded it into pulp.

By renaming the streets in the country’s two biggest cities the Government is exhibiting its desire to break away from the symbols of Rhodesia’s white-dominated past and we urge it to now move with speed and change more colonial names and replace them with those of local icons or even those from the region who played a crucial role in the defeat of colonialism in this country.

We say so because to rename places and landmarks especially with local heroes is a great recognition to our identity, which was displaced by the forces of colonialism and domination. It is very crucial that as Zimbabweans we should have pride in our heroes and we should not forget that the colonialists inferiorised our history and now is the time to give it due recognition.

The renaming of our places and streets with nationalists such as President Mugabe, Dr Nkomo and Dr Muzenda is also an important branding exercise of our country as well as institutions and streets. The renaming is also a way of etching the country’s history and getting rid of colonial residue.

Although some prophets of doom might think that the Government is politicking by renaming the two streets in Harare and Bulawayo after Dr Muzenda and Dr Nkomo, it is important to make it clear that it is not every Jack and Jill that can have a street named after him or her because according to experts commemorative street naming is the best thing that can happen to an individual because a road touches more people more frequently than a museum, statue or historical plaque.

Street naming also makes the past visible and be an intimate part of everyday realm. Street names serve as daily reminders of what is historically important, so the Government has given the two nationalists the highest honour that it could give to the two departed giants of the liberation struggle. They deserve it.

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