Unchaining Zim from the past

Vince Musewe

This quotation inspires and encourages me to look at solutions outside our current paradigm. It has made me realise that there is a better outside to the problems we face.  It is such adversity that surely spurs us on to think outside the box, to seek something better outside a narrative that is not creating the results that we want.

Countries such as Germany inspire me because they have learnt through a horrific dictatorship, separation of the East from the West and then to unity and finally to becoming the strongest economy in Europe. Japan has also progressed from total devastation to becoming a technological giant. Surely we can do the same in Zimbabwe?

Toxic vortex
I recently learnt from my colleague about “the blue ocean strategy”.  In our case in Zimbabwe, this entails us deliberately leaving the bloody waters of contentious Zanu (PF) toxic politics, and creating something new. We must deliberately unchain ourselves and our brains from this toxic vortex of contentious unproductive Zanu (PF) politics because there is nothing there. The courage to turn our back on the old formulas and invent the future must be now.

We have to redefine our political dialogue and purpose. We have to think anew and create new politics that will create the society we want. These new politics are about constructive co-operation, humble service to the people of Zimbabwe, accountability, non-entitlement and delivery.

Added to that, we have to create new inclusive economics of self-belief, self-reliance and shedding of past behaviours and systems that continue to enslave us. We have to create economic freedom, attract long term capital that is untainted by the motives of international organisations, and respect the rule of law and security of private ownership of assets.

In my opinion, if we can combine these two, we shall be surprised on how quickly we can turn around our situation and write a history of the glorious turn-around of our country. It can be done.

Glorious turn-around
Zimbabwe can never live to its full potential as long as Zanu (PF) is in power. That is a fact we all agree on. However, what is the political alternative? It must be fashioned by young progressive Zimbabweans who are untainted by the past and do not seek politics as a means to an end, but an end in itself – an end to serve and empower especially our youth so that they can be given space to become who they want to be and live a productive life.

To honour and empower our women, whose potential to contribute to the development of our country remains shackled by antiquated cultural biases and false notions of their role in society and who they can become.

We must seek to restore our dignity and our pride as Africans. We must also seek fundamental economic transformation because democracy does not necessarily promise economic freedom and success. We have witnessed this in South Africa and even in so called matured democracies in the developed nations. Democracy without economic freedom is sterile.

Unchain ourselves
It is time to unchain ourselves from the past through a blue ocean strategy where we leave the bloody waters of political bickering and speculation and create something significantly different from the past.

We can never create a better future through the popular, mundane and interminable attacks of our present circumstances without imagining and believing that there is indeed a better outside. It is important that we change our dialogue and begin to create that outside in our brains. Once we do that we shall soon find ourselves moving in that direction.

Zimbabwe needs a new vision and reawakening to the possibilities that have been deliberately suppressed or ignored by those amongst us who fear change.

I always refer to this quote by Niccolo Machiavelli: “There is nothing more difficult to plan, more doubtful of success, more dangerous to manage than the creation of a new system. The innovator has the enmity of all who profit by the preservation of the old system and only lukewarm defenders by those who would gain by the new system.”

If we the new generation leaders could only appreciate the above, then surely we shall write our own history, a history of glory and dignity of Great Zimbabwe. – Vince Musewe is an economist and author based in Harare. You may contact him on vtmusewe@gmail.com