‘Heroines and Martyrs’ : a tribute to Zimbabwe’s women
It is the end of winter, sunshine is slowly gaining in length, day by day, giving welcome respite to the winter chill settled in our bones. The landscape, dry and dusty, mirrors the mood in our land. We are closing in on three decades of “independence” and the end of winter is always a time to reflect on our “heroes and martyrs”.
Our yet to be liberated state controlled, Zanu dominated media has been churning out hours of dreary and predictable stories of excruciating martyrs like Chenjerai “Hitler” Hunzvi and Border Gezi in the minutes before each fiction filled news broadcast, playing hackneyed liberation songs and endless hours of badly written praise poetry, read by fawning sycophants; all of it so irrelevant in a country mired in poverty and despair.
So I sit here on the eve of “Heroes and Martyrs Day” wondering who the real heroes are in Zimbabwe. Is the legacy we leave for our children only one of despair and mayhem? I think not, for in the centuries to come, children at school will see the villains placed exactly where they belong, and will look at websites just like this to remember the true heroes of Zimbabwe.
The real heroes and martyrs are not the ones who have descended into the pit of corruption, violence and tyranny. No, it sthe people who each day show remarkable resilience and fortitude, these are the unsung heroes.
There are but a few women buried in Heroes Acre, yet it is Zimbabwe’s women who keep our country propped up. True martyrs who we can read about are women like Zodwa Sibanda and Sheba Dube, both bona fide war veterans who later committed their lives to humanitarian causes, childrens rights, political freedom and were part of the early cadre of Woza.
Women like Jestina Mukoko and Memory who refused to be silenced by a regime bent on silencing any who dare to stand up for truth and justice. A woman of the cloth, Sister Walsh who bravely stood before bulldozers in Murambatsvina.
Meryl Harrison who ignored the threats of invading Zanu youth to save dogs, cats, horses, the animals so mistreated at the start of this decade.
Beatrice Mtetwa who courageously spends her life dedicated to ensuring that justice is not forgotten. Justice Rita Makarau who, although has not always fought against Zanu corruption, stood up and dared to expose the pitiful state of our prisons.
There are also the women who remain voiceless but make up the backbone of our nation, the hundreds and thousands of gogos who in their twilight years are forced to give shelter and love to bands of orphaned children, sharing the little they have. There are the women who have fled across our borders and long to be reunited with their loved ones, but must stay away to feed their children.
There are the women who go to school every day to teach, despite paltry salaries, determined not to let the tradition of a country bent on the principles of education. The women who keep our infrastructure hanging together despite the determination of a regime that has no regard for its citizens.
The real legacy of Zimbabwe flows from the mothers of our land who refuse to give up and who will carry us through to a time of change and sunshine.
