Robert Mugabe, the West and the Rest of Us
July 17, 2007 by 
OCI
Mugabe’s war with the British and it’s establishment still rages with the latest being yesterday’s revocation of an honorary degree awarded to him by Edinburgh University way back in 1984.
To many observers, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe means different things to different people. The British government sees him as one of the ‘evil rulers’ in dear Africa and is doing everything in its power to sabotage his efforts; while on the other hand most Zimbabweans still sees him as their hero from their Rhodesia freedom fighting days
As an African and an observer of the decline in Zimbabwe’s political, economic and social life in recent time; the solutions as I can see lies not in the interferences of our supposed lovers of Africa from the west trying to save Africa but to a larger extent our perceptions of ourselves and the way to strive to live above our present prejudices and predicaments.
Time and again, it is imperative to state that our faith does not in anyway lie outside of Africa; it is within Africa that we can find the solutions to our numerous problems of disease, poverty, wars and other vices that we in Africa as the west believe is renowned for; even as Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala observed. Let ‘our Charity begin from Home’.
Ask for revocation of degrees, the blatant awards of degrees and honours by these foreign Universities needs to be checkmated; although, it amounts to nothing for now to Mugabe as he struggles to hold on to power. The issue here is to help the people of Zimbabwe to overcome their present predicaments and start existing again as a nation rather than the shadow it casts now.
Back home in Africa, our leader should muster enough courage to call ‘a spade , a spade’ rather than the ‘cult-like’ cover up that currently pervades amongst them. It is high time Zimbabwe is saved from total economic, political and social collapse.
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Well said
I am of the view that Mugabe’s tenure really ought to be winding down. The man has been at the helm of power for some 28 years and he has for the best part being good economically and politically for Zimbabwe.
The current economic malaise in Zimbabwwe is enough for any leader to want to quite the stage for an injection of new ideas and ways of doing things. The issue of Land in Zimbabwe and indeed in some states in Southern Africa is very emotive. Many in that part of the world are calling for justice to be served in terms of fair and equitable distribution of land amongst its inhabitants.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission should announce the result of the Presidential election that was held some two weeks ago. The rules of the Zimbabwe’s electoral system ought to be observed. Mbeki’s position that there is ‘no crisis’ in Zimbabwe is interesting and should be seen in totality of some of the issues besetting the region. At least in terms of the Land issue and other factors,mainly colonialism.
Whatever happens, I think Uncle Bob should be given a soft landing. He is one of the towering figure of African politics in the 20th century.