Silencing guardians of the democratic Shrine in Colonial and Post-Colonial Zimbabwe: student activism, Zimbabwean Nationalism and the Third Chimurenga (1960-2005)

Student activism at the University of Zimbabwe has a long history in colonial and post-colonial Zimbabwe. Student activism and activists have been dismissed, demonized, scandalized and rubbished in both pre and post-colonial Zimbabwe. During the decolonization process, the student movement and natio...

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Main Authors: Mazambani, Ishmael, Tarugarira, Gilbert
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Midlands State University 2016
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/11408/1284
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author Mazambani, Ishmael
Tarugarira, Gilbert
author_facet Mazambani, Ishmael
Tarugarira, Gilbert
author_sort Mazambani, Ishmael
collection DSpace
description Student activism at the University of Zimbabwe has a long history in colonial and post-colonial Zimbabwe. Student activism and activists have been dismissed, demonized, scandalized and rubbished in both pre and post-colonial Zimbabwe. During the decolonization process, the student movement and nationalists were allies in their quest to end colonialism, colonial injustices and unfair land distribution. The colonial regime branded them as terrorists because they supported the Liberation struggle. It needs to be underlined that student activists were blinded by nationalist rhetoric as the Zimbabwean nationalists were masquerading as liberators driven by the propensity and passion to deliver the Zimbabwean people to the “Promised Land”. The honeymoon was short-lived soon after the attainment of independence as myths of decolonization and illusions of freedom became a nightmare. The independence euphoria vanished as student activists realized that the democratic shrine had been abandoned by the adoption of authoritarian and dictatorial tendencies by the Zimbabwean nationalist government. Draconian and biting pieces of legislation were enacted to politically castrate and silence critical voices in order to maken them “null and void”. The Third Chimurenga in our view had several purposes and functions. It was a political gimmick to serve political ends, a regime survival technique of ZANU-PF, an agenda to finish the unfinished decolonization process, an extension of the silencing of opponents and rewarding of political cronies and supporters.
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spelling ir-11408-12842022-06-27T13:49:07Z Silencing guardians of the democratic Shrine in Colonial and Post-Colonial Zimbabwe: student activism, Zimbabwean Nationalism and the Third Chimurenga (1960-2005) Mazambani, Ishmael Tarugarira, Gilbert Democratic Shrine Third Chimurenga Pre and post-colonial Zimbabwe Student Activism, Zimbabwean Nationalism Student activism at the University of Zimbabwe has a long history in colonial and post-colonial Zimbabwe. Student activism and activists have been dismissed, demonized, scandalized and rubbished in both pre and post-colonial Zimbabwe. During the decolonization process, the student movement and nationalists were allies in their quest to end colonialism, colonial injustices and unfair land distribution. The colonial regime branded them as terrorists because they supported the Liberation struggle. It needs to be underlined that student activists were blinded by nationalist rhetoric as the Zimbabwean nationalists were masquerading as liberators driven by the propensity and passion to deliver the Zimbabwean people to the “Promised Land”. The honeymoon was short-lived soon after the attainment of independence as myths of decolonization and illusions of freedom became a nightmare. The independence euphoria vanished as student activists realized that the democratic shrine had been abandoned by the adoption of authoritarian and dictatorial tendencies by the Zimbabwean nationalist government. Draconian and biting pieces of legislation were enacted to politically castrate and silence critical voices in order to maken them “null and void”. The Third Chimurenga in our view had several purposes and functions. It was a political gimmick to serve political ends, a regime survival technique of ZANU-PF, an agenda to finish the unfinished decolonization process, an extension of the silencing of opponents and rewarding of political cronies and supporters. 2016-05-11T15:38:24Z 2016-05-11T15:38:24Z 2015 Article 2312-945X http://hdl.handle.net/11408/1284 en Repositioning the Humanities: Journal of Contemporary Research;Vol. 1, No. 1; p. 5-38 open Midlands State University
spellingShingle Democratic Shrine
Third Chimurenga
Pre and post-colonial Zimbabwe
Student Activism, Zimbabwean Nationalism
Mazambani, Ishmael
Tarugarira, Gilbert
Silencing guardians of the democratic Shrine in Colonial and Post-Colonial Zimbabwe: student activism, Zimbabwean Nationalism and the Third Chimurenga (1960-2005)
title Silencing guardians of the democratic Shrine in Colonial and Post-Colonial Zimbabwe: student activism, Zimbabwean Nationalism and the Third Chimurenga (1960-2005)
title_full Silencing guardians of the democratic Shrine in Colonial and Post-Colonial Zimbabwe: student activism, Zimbabwean Nationalism and the Third Chimurenga (1960-2005)
title_fullStr Silencing guardians of the democratic Shrine in Colonial and Post-Colonial Zimbabwe: student activism, Zimbabwean Nationalism and the Third Chimurenga (1960-2005)
title_full_unstemmed Silencing guardians of the democratic Shrine in Colonial and Post-Colonial Zimbabwe: student activism, Zimbabwean Nationalism and the Third Chimurenga (1960-2005)
title_short Silencing guardians of the democratic Shrine in Colonial and Post-Colonial Zimbabwe: student activism, Zimbabwean Nationalism and the Third Chimurenga (1960-2005)
title_sort silencing guardians of the democratic shrine in colonial and post-colonial zimbabwe: student activism, zimbabwean nationalism and the third chimurenga (1960-2005)
topic Democratic Shrine
Third Chimurenga
Pre and post-colonial Zimbabwe
Student Activism, Zimbabwean Nationalism
url http://hdl.handle.net/11408/1284
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