The recent history of Zimbabwe is the same struggle that many African Nations had to escape European Colonialism and then form democratic governments. The problems they face have roots in the fact these colonies were put together as a mix of different tribal groups. The European powers created them without consideration for tribal and ethnic boundaries. It is important to understand the rivalry between the Shona and the Ndebele, and to recognize the substantial contribution the Ndebele people made to Zimbabwe.
Rocks, Rock Painting
There are archeological sites in Zimbabwe that have artifacts dating from about 150 AD. In the 5th Century, the Bantu tribes may have moved into the region and lasted from the 6 th to 10th centuries. The ruins of Great Zimbabwe near the town of Masvingo show signs of pastoral lifestyle. The name of present day Zimbabwe comes from the name the Bantu gave to their largest city.
Althought, it is widely believed that the ruins were built by the Shona people; there is no actual evidence that they built them. The Ndebele people were great architects too and many of their geometric designs are similar to those of Frank Lloyd Right, who designed the Guggenhium Museum in Manhattan. Who built the Great Zimbabwe is still one of the mysteries left to solve.
The first modern civilization was the Mwene Mutapa, which by the middle of the 15th century ruled most of the Rhodesian Plain and parts of present day Mozambique. This empire’s wealth came from gold, copper, textiles and iron smelting. There was trade with Arab and Swahili merchants.In the 1500’s, the Portuguese arrived in Zimbabwe and they were mostly concerned with their mining interests in what is present day Mozambique and Angola. However, during their time in Zimbabwe, the Portuguese had several battles to maintain their interests and this led to the decline of the Mwene Mutapa. By about 1700, the Portuguese left the plateau and several Shona States got together to form the Rzowi Empire. This Rzowi Empire lasted till the 1800’s when the Ndebele tribe from South Africa came and gained power over the Shona.
In the 18th century, Europe colonized almost all of Africa. Cecil Rhodes was the head of the British South Africa Company (BSAC) and believed that Britain must gain colonies all around the world. He negotiated a treaty in 1888 with Lobengula, who was the head of the Ndebele people, who were in control of Zimbabwe at that time. The treaty opened up the mining resources to the BSAC and was supposed to decrease Europeans coming to Zimbabwe. However, many Europeans did arrive in the next few years and by 1895 the country was called Rhodesia and controlled Rhodes and the British. The Shona and the Nedebele tribes joined together to fight the colonial rule, but in 1896 their leaders were arrested and hanged.
In 1923, Rhodesia was partitioned into North and South Rhodesia, the northern part became a British colony and the southern area became a white ruled state, self-governing in the British Empire. Rhodesia was offered to join and become part of South Africa but the vote, controlled by the whites turned it down. In 1930, a land act was passed which prohibited blacks from owning the best farmland and in 1934 the labor law was enacted which prevented blacks from entering skilled trades or professions. This helped secure white power.
In 1923, Rhodesia was partitioned into North and South Rhodesia, the northern part became a British colony and the southern area became a white ruled state, self-governing in the British Empire. Rhodesia was offered to join and become part of South Africa but the vote, controlled by the whites turned it down. In 1930, a land act was passed which prohibited blacks from owning the best farmland and in 1934 the labor law was enacted which prevented blacks from entering skilled trades or professions. This helped secure white power.
In the 1950’s there was a Federation of Southern Rhodesia, Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland (now Malawi) whose Minister, Garfield Todd was forced out when he wanted to incorporate some African demands. There was to be no compromise. The largest civil rights movements for the blacks were ZAPU (Zimbabwe African People’s Union), which were mostly Ndebele, and ZANU (Zimbabwe African National Union), were mostly Shona. In 1963, both parties were outlawed and the leaders were arrested.
Rhodesia’s Prime Minister Ian Smith at this time was trying to break away from Great Britain, completely, but was stopped the British. In 1965, when Smith’s party won all the seats in parliament, they made a Unilateral Declaration of Independence, which was opposed by Britain who imposed sanctions on Rhodesia. The British wanted Rhodesia to accept a system where blacks would have political power. During this period, ZAPU and ZANU increased their guerilla warfare. In 1968, the U.N. also began enforcing the sanctions against Rhodesia.
Prime Minister Ian Smith realized by the mid 70’s that there would have to be a political compromise as many whites were leaving the country and the international pressure was increasing for him to accept black majority rule. Smith wanted veto rights for the white minority and also control over the army. The Black Nationalists rejected the demands. In 1976, ZANU and ZAPU agreed to a united front and this helped their negotiating power. In 1979, elections were held and everyone was allowed to vote. The UANC (United African National Congress) won and assumed power in June 1979. The country was now called Zimbabwe Rhodesia. In 1980, new elections were held and ZANU won the most seats and Robert Mugabe became Prime Minister; this made the ZANU stronger and countless ZAPU were killed by a ZANU lead by Mugabe.
Though Zimbabwe was now ruled a by a democratically elected leader there were many problems ahead. How do you make the transition peacefully and fairly. One of the most pressing issues was land reform. President Mugabe promised a fair redistribution of land but whites did not want to give up what they considered their property.The Ndebele region in the Southwestern part of Zimbabwe felt that reform was happening the slowest in their part of the country. However, many complain that no land is now owned by anyone who had been previously landless, as promised, and that the land is going to Mugabe's friends and supporters only. This led to a feud between the ZANU and ZAPU. Zimbabwe had old tribal rivalries and the problems of land distribution continued. Mugabe, had to please the black population which the better land, that they were not allowed to have under Rhodesian rule. He also needed to not take too much land away from the white minority; they would all leave, as many had left, with their fortunes.
The 1990’s saw President Mugabe becoming a more powerful ruler and less democratic, cracking down on opposition groups. The economy was in bad shape, there was a severe drought. The people were upset when atrocities, such slaughter had been revealed to have occurred during 1980’s. All these problems made it impossible for Zimbabwe to make a transition to post colonial rule. Zimbabwe had a strong economy and plently of natural resources; but inflation and unemployment were problems that brought political tensions. President Mugabe became more dictatorial.
In 2002, international election observers saw fraud and intimidation by Mugabe and his party. Sanctions were imposed by the U.S., the European Union and the British Commonwealth. The economic situation in Zimbabwe is still very bad, now both because of the sanctions and the actions of the Mugabe. The problems of Zimbabwe are important for us to focus on; because multinational or multicultural regions such as Iraq, Sudan, Bosnia, Kashmir and Bolivia are structures arranged by European colonial rule, some with old tribal or religious conflicts that are exploding with serious consequences for the whole world.Importan Link for cross-referencing --
http://www.iwpr.net/index.php?apc_state=henfacr257731&s=o&o=africa_zimba_photos_100605.html
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