The Sunday News
Major Phillip Tafumanei Vumba
THE defence of a nation is not the sole responsibility of the military. It should be based more on the understanding that our country is our heritage. Heritage is that which we inherit from the past, that which we live with in the present and that which we bequeath to the next generation. As such it is supposed to be selflessly and jealously guarded by every Zimbabwean against internal and external threats.
As Zimbabweans, we only have our one and only country Zimbabwe, which we need to guard jealously against external forces whose aim is to sow seeds of disharmony, disunity and distraction. It is therefore imperative to all Zimbabweans to understand that it is not in the interest of all foreign elements to see Zimbabwe prosper, but to some, their interest is to create opportunities to control and cheaply exploit our resources. It must be recognised that our country is a heritage that it was bequeathed to us by those who lived before us.
Zimbabwe has a history. A history of waging a struggle against imperialists whose interests remain parallel to what the people stand for as Zimbabweans. The people fought and won their independence in 1980, but the imperialists continued to be an albatross around their necks. They always make sure that Zimbabweans do not enjoy the benefits from their rich mineral heritage.
Imperialists employ non-governmental organisations (NGOs) as foot soldiers with the sole objective to disempower the people and alienate them from what is rightfully theirs. Once the people are disempowered, they become victims of blackmail.
The case of “if you want this, first do this then we will give you that”. In this regard, citizens become dependent on imperialists. It is high time that Zimbabweans wake up to the reality and know that the country is heritage from the ancestors bequeathed to the living for posterity.
This speaks to the Shona adage that says, “nhaka haigohwe” literally translated to mean one is not allowed to give out inherited items to foreigners. To those who are acquainted with the Palestine-Israelite conflict which has been ragging on since the 1940s, it is a clear example of the above adage.
The Israelites who biblically were given Canaan as their territory by God, chose to leave it and went into the diaspora. When during the Second World War they found themselves as victims of the genocide in Germany, they woke up to the reality that they had a country, a heritage to which they returned.
However, upon their return, they found the Palestinians rooted on the land and the next thing was conflict after conflict. Their argument today is that their country is their heritage and they are prepared to defend and expand it at all costs.
Taking a cue from the Israelites and Palestinians, it is the duty of every Zimbabwean to have an in-depth knowledge of the history of Zimbabwe, for it is through history that we get to know who we are, why we are who we are and maybe possibly project what the future can be.
Most of all people can defend it, knowing what they are defending. Never at any cost lose focus because Zimbabwe is a heritage for Zimbabweans and it must be jealously guarded.
