The Sunday News
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HOW many of us have gone past a statue and seen only its physical features and presence? How many have actually stopped to think why a particular statue was erected? Seeing into the meaning. Are statues that important or are they (as one writer put it) just huge lumps of concrete for pigeons to s..t on? The stubborn truth is that statues are not just lumps of concrete. They are serious signs of a people’s thought. Statues are part of a community or nation’s cultural narratives. If one looks deeper into most of these statues one sees stories of power and identity in them.
Before the statue of Joshua Nkomo was erected in Bulawayo there was a lot of debate. In fact, the first statue that was made was thrown away because some people, including the Nkomo family, felt it was too small and made of cheaper material and therefore not befitting the stature of the late Vice-President and Father Zimbabwe and his contribution to Zimbabwe’s independence. Erecting the statue was a serious statement by the Zanu-PF Government. The fact that it was President Mugabe himself who unveiled it speaks more about the power and influence Joshua Nkomo had in this country. Also remember the late Father Zimbabwe is probably the only local hero to be honoured in statue form. Why is that? The answer is because statues are not just lumps of concrete or brass or whatever material they are made of. Statues have stories to tell. If you stop for a moment to see beyond the physical form you will see the stories.
There was a storm in South Africa around the statue of one, Cecil John Rhodes. Students at the University of Cape Town wanted it removed as they rightly felt the statue stood for a lot of things they wanted forgotten or eradicated in South African history. The statue has since been removed. For starters the feeling is that Rhodes himself was the personification of colonialism in Southern Africa. He and his BSA Company looted African resources for their benefit. The debate about the removal of the statue has been raging on for weeks now. Victory for the Rhodes must fall campaign!
Perhaps after this victory it is time to think more seriously about building new statues and icons to celebrate not only the fall of colonialism but the black man’s achievements. For the absence of statues and icons that tell our stories and identify with us is not Rhodes or his friends’ fault. It is the fault of our own people, leaders, who see no value in statues.
The storm in South Africa also triggered debate here in Zimbabwe about Rhodes’ grave with some activists saying his remains should be removed from the Matopos. The debate on the removal of Rhodes’ remains from Matopos did not start this year. Some years back the late Warlord Chakaredza wanted to march into Matopos and desecrate the grave.
The argument was the same. Rhodes symbolised colonialism and all its ugliness, particularly of robbing and putting down Africans. It was better to erase all the memories of colonialism from our society. Worse is the fact that the grave sits in a shrine.
Most of the people that visit Matopos only get told about Rhodes, never about the shrine. But for now the issue of the grave seems to have been closed by President Robert Mugabe while in South Africa last week when he said Zimbabwe will let Rhodes sleep in his grave. But debate about Rhodes’ grave will come back again. Mark my words. It is quite sad and very unfortunate that while Rhodes’ grave is well kept, a few kilometres away from it lies King Mzilikazi. But his grave looks abandoned, forgotten. Again this is not Rhodes’ fault. Bulawayo has not yet put proper value behind the narrative that goes with the place where King Mzilikazi lies. Full stop.
In Bulawayo, at the Main Post Office, and a few metres from where Nkomo’s statue stands erect, there is a monument there erected in the “deathless memory of Rhodesian riflemen killed in the Great War”. All the names of the dead white soldiers decorate the walls around the monument. But there is nowhere in the city where you can find a monument or a statue commemorating Ndebele warriors who died defending their land against Rhodes and other colonialists. Perhaps our leaders do not believe in visualising our own narratives. Perhaps.
However, as we pull down statues, threaten to dig up the remains of dead colonialists we must, as a people, have a plan about our own signs, texts and narratives. What do we want our children and grandchildren to always remember? Food for thought.