Zimbabwe's Political, Social, Economic Forecast: Promising!

Everything about the article: “My Father Was Loyal to Mugabe. It Didn’t Matter.” signaled readers were about to embark on an unhappy journey. From the “Cry Zimbabwe” headline that preceded the article’s title, to the “Anonymous” byline (which The Washington Post explained it was “withholding…for safety reasons”) to, most palpably, the influential Outlook section in which the story was printed.

Unfortunately, because of its belated Independence, Zimbabwe must now also undergo a delayed but necessary reconstruction period—something southern United States’ endured when America finally abolished slavery.

While outsiders may not fully understand all of the political, social, and economic details that are now contributing to Zimbabweans’ internal grief, we can, however, empathize with the anonymous writer and his compatriots, who are “agonizing about how [they] are going to make ends meet...butchered dreams...[and] unrealistic assurances.” It's part of the reconstruction process.

In his timeless classic, “The Souls of Black Folk”, W. E. B. DuBois, recounts American history during its Reconstruction: “in 1890 . . . the country is rich, yet the people are poor. The keynote of the Black Belt is debt; not commercial credit, but debt in the sense of continued inability on the part of the mass of the population to make income cover expense.” Similarly, Zimbabwe is finding its way in the world.

Although many may not agree with all of the choices or decisions made by its leader, President Robert Mugabe, blaming, condemning, or judging the current situation only serves to suppress any potential progress.

Zimbabweans cannot go back and change the past. Neither should they “look to the past for better times.” As Henry Wiseman and Alastair Taylor concluded in their “general observations” at the time Robert Mugabe transitioned into power:

“Intellectually and politically, it was understood that the terms of the Lancaster Agreement made new demands on everyone. But not all the demands could be met, whether from suspicion, fear, or disbelief. Hence, within this environmental context, free and fair elections ‘under the circumstances’ takes into account the aberrations, essentially those of intimidation, which affected the electoral process. It could not have been otherwise, that is, that every act had to be in conformity with the letter and spirit of the agreement in order for the election to be judged free and fair. For these and related reasons, none of the observers or officials charged that intimidation, however abhorrent, so radically skewed the results that a distribution of seats might have otherwise denied a majority to the victor, ZANU-PF.”

What should Zimbabweans do? Stop practicing the thought of seeing themselves subject to circumstances. In spite of what is happening, trust that Zimbabwe is making great strides and gradually improving.

Smile Zimbabwe. Take courage, knowing that in the same way your American counterparts valiantly triumphed and survived its Reconstruction period, Zimbabwe will do likewise—because, “people are alike all over.”