There was a period of time where the now-defunct nation of Rhodesia became somewhat of a social media trend. Its supporters used images of its supposed serenity to illustrate the contrast between the white-ruled Rhodesia and its modern descendant, Zimbabwe. A Zimbabwe which has made its name synonymous with poverty, and economic mismanagement. In reality, very few people understand that behind the social media edits lay a dysfunctional nation with deep inequality and a militarised black underclass. From this black underclass rose two wars against their imperial overlords, the first and second Chimurenga wars, the impacts of which left profound scars on the history of colonialism and its attempts to retell its history.
Chimurenga is taken from the Shona language of Southern Africa, loosely translating to English as revolutionary struggle. I would love to go into a deep dive of the history of Rhodesia, from the Pioneer Column to the Lancaster House Agreement, however I chose to start a political philosophy blog, rather than a history one. The work of journalist Jude Bela provides an incredibly deep insight on the matter at hand.
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| A Matabele Warrior depicted by the British |
Collective power
The first Chimurenga was an uprising against the repressive nature of settler rule, as the black majority were forced into the arid regions of the nation whilst the colonisers took the fertile ground, driving out its inhabitants in the process. Concentrated into areas of hunger and poverty, a rebellion began in 1896. A community-driven revolt fostered by an opposition to settler power, inspired by the tales of the great kings they descended from.
A key feature of this time was the manner in which the first Chimurenga transcended racial divide. The Matabele and Shona peoples where the major dominators of the land of Greater Zimbabwe, yet it was the Matabele who were seen to be the dominator of the Shona in any military disputes the pair had. However, upon learning of the plight of the cause of the Matabele, the Shona supported their neighbours in a bid to end settler rule.
There is a deep false consciousness in support of racial division across the African continent. Whether it be the hand-drawn borders of the Berlin Conference or the arbitrary lines our ancestors created deep into the second millennium, there seems to be an ever growing desire to tie our superiority to anything of value in a world where the colour of our skin is attributed to inferiority. Today it manifests in the form of xenophobia as members of the African working class, pin the source of their struggles towards the fellow working man. Those who benefit from this system necessitate our mindsets to be devoid of solidarity and hence support the algorithms and media fostering this division. It's no surprise that South Africa's anti-immigrant movement is supercharged by social media, becoming so powerful that hundreds of Africans are being driven out of the nation. A forgotten lesson of the first Chimurenga is the power of the collective. When faced with oppression, the choice to unite should have become a precedent which the continent should have followed. Yet today, our obsession with the feeling of power leads us to find anything to fulfil it, whether it be for the benefit of our people or not.
The opiate of the African
The Chimurenga also raised uncomfortable questions with our obsession with Christianity which we still aren't willing to answer. Mbuya Nehanda was a Shona spiritual leader who was cited as an inspiration behind the revolutionaries of the second Chimurenga (also referred to as the Rhodesian Bush War). Upon her capture by the British she was given a choice. To accept Christianity, or face death by hanging. She chose the latter. The legacy she is is known by is the warning she gave before her execution "my bones will rise again," a stark reminder that her liberatory purpose didn't die with her physical body but would carry on in the hearts of her people. Yet today, in the African continent, religious fervour dominates the revolutionary one with the formal end of colonisation ushering in the informal reign of religion. A mind virus which has conquered and dominated the continent in the way in which the British and French did all those years prior. The term 'opiate of the masses' is becoming a buzzword which I want to avoid, however formal religion plays a brilliant role as 'the opiate of the African'. We donate chunks of our salaries to building churches whilst our brothers die of malaria. A more aesthetic place to pray whilst Shell pumps our water with oil. The Christian socialist movement exists so I'm not pinning the ineffectiveness of the African working class to purely faith in God, however the manner in which we are able to artificially create division through it is astonishing.
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| Zimbabwean Christian Socialist Joshua Nkomo |
The legacy of the Chimurenga is one that's going to die out if we don't directly address it's true meaning. Religion was given to African and has been used to keep us docile, artificially manufacturing division amongst us and keeping us looking upwards rather than inwards in our search for political change. A new generation of African politicians, must take a stand to firmly reject our slide into depravity. Ibrahim Traore, a leader which can be described as an anti-colonial, has tightened homosexuality laws in Burkina Faso, a decision driven purely by the manufactured hatred which religion creates. An example of the blinding effect, religious belief has on our government. Our obsession with racial division is something that I fear will continue unless our prehistoric tribalism is addressed. The Italian anti-fascist resistance was able to operate effectively due to its widespread message. I doubt Italy's Bonomi would reject someone from the movement on the grounds they were Venetian as opposed to Neapolitan yet we choose to divide and kill ourselves on the basis of the location our ancestors were born in, poking holes in the frail unity of our working class.