Book by Zim academic inspires active citizenry
ZIMBABWE’S former deputy prime minister, Prof Arthur Mutambara, has written an interesting account of his rise from student politics to the corridors of power via the ivory towers of Oxford University in the UK.
Aptly named In Search of the Elusive Zimbabwe Dream: An Autobiography of Thought Leadership,
Needless to say, the confrontation left Mugabe humiliated after Mutambara gave him a piece of his mind. Fast forward, in February 2009, Mutambara, Mugabe, and then prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai were the three principals of the unity government that brought Zimbabwe back from the brink of total collapse.
During his engineering pupillage programme in 1991 at Wankie Colliery, Mutambara confronted management over the mistreatment of black workers by under-qualified white supervisors.
He didn’t find the elusive Zimbabwean dream at the colliery. Mutambara always knew the elusive Zimbabwean dream needed properly equipped people to make it a reality.
It was not a coincidence that he took a detour away from Zimbabwe’s increasing governance ills and headed to the ivory towers in the UK to acquire more knowledge. Prestigious That pursuit led him to the prestigious University of Oxford where he obtained a MSc in computer science and PhD in robotics and mechatronics.
The journey also took him to the US, where he was a research scientist at Nasa, professor at MIT and management consultant at McKinsey.
This is an inspiring story of a man who combines academic excellence and social responsibility, intellectual prowess and revolutionary confrontation… A man who travelled far and wide to develop his thoughts in order to better search for the elusive Zimbabwean dream for a democratic, peaceful and prosperous state characterised by sustained and inclusive economic growth.
If this account fails to inspire you to be a citizen activist, it is unlikely anything will. The book is already available on Amazon (Kindle and paperback), and from SA and Zimbabwean book stores from today. Published by SAPES and Staging Post. Author: Prof Arthur G O Mutambara.