Revolution on the home straight
became centres of civilisation and wealth and with that magnets that drew the poor dwellers in the periphery or countryside to join bee-lines for the urban areas to render cheap labour to whites for a poor wage while rural areas remained comparatively poor even during the 38 years of independence and freedom.
It is no surprise therefore that today urban centres enjoy the best facilities such as banks, schools, hospitals, tarred roads and streets all of which exist thanks to the minerals and agricultural wealth in the rural areas while dwellers there continue to settle for the whey.
This inequality between the urban and rural set ups has over lived its tenure and must come to an end without any further ado.
Operation Restore Legacy by the armed forces, which ended President Robert Mugabe’s government when he resigned last November and brought in President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s new dispensation government, must now act and be seen to do so by bringing the revolution back on course and on the home straight through decentralisation of power from central government in Harare to the provinces.
At his campaign rallies President Mnangagwa has reminded Zimbabweans that each province has various rich resources such as minerals and agriculture potential among others for people to grow their own economy rather than look to central government to be spoon-fed all the time. But what do we see happening? Apart from panning for gold by our people, big mining concerns remain in the hands of foreign operators so that some of our minerals are carted off for refining abroad with a huge question mark remaining over whether Zimbabwe, the primary source of that wealth, benefits from all the sales of minerals overseas.
When on the other hand people take full charge of the mines with secondary industries being set up locally to process the minerals to finished products for export money earned will benefit provinces where the mines are situated.
What is required therefore is the training of Zimbabweans on how to run the mines and to process the minerals.
Land reform was perhaps the first step by the Zimbabwean Government after independence to give power to the people through the provision of farms to grow food for themselves and for export.
Command agriculture under which food crops are grown under irrigation as well as Command Livestock and Command Fisheries are the other means by which the Government has and is empowering people to own and use the country’s resources for their benefit as well as that of the country. The Government also has a desire for small scale farmers to go commercial and become selfsufficient in the provision of food rather than depend on imports of the commodity by the Government in times of drought and famine, for instance.
Villagers may also grow vegetables for export to the urban areas as a source of income.
A lot of training is needed here for the producers to store and preserve their produce so that it does not go to waste before reaching the market.
Similarly villagers panning for gold, for instance, require extensive training in the use of chemicals when processing their minerals in order to protect the environment.
When all the above is considered the time has indeed come for the devolution of power especially considering Zimbabwe’s very, very high literacy rate on the African continent which should make it easy for the people to grasp whatever they are taught for the success of their enterprises.
Devolution should help transform growth points into viable business centres with industries, shops and post offices among other things being set up to create jobs for local people.
At present most of those development zones are windswept centres, conspicuous by their noisy jukeboxes in bottle stores and poorly stocked shops.
What the above suggests therefore is that people should elect competent Members of Parliament who will lead them in spearheading massive development in their areas to make decentralisation an effective tool for transforming rural economies. Corn on the Cob Very few hostesses are likely to serve corn on the cob at a formal dinner. However, if you find yourself facing a cob on your plate, it is acceptable to pick it up with your fingers and gnaw away. However, try to do this discreetly, and do not pull out a toothpick to remove the kernels from your teeth.
A better and less messy method may be to tilt the cob on its end, and using your knife, gently saw the kernels off the cob. Then you can scoop them up with your fork and not run the risk of having corn between your teeth all evening. Fruit Whole, raw pieces of fruit are generally eaten with the fingers. However, once it is cooked, use the utensil closest to it. A fruit cocktail, even when the fruit is uncooked, should be eaten with a spoon or fork. Chicken Chicken is another one of those food items, like pork chops, that stump people. I recommend eating all chicken, including fried, barbecued, or baked with a fork in a public setting, whether it is casual or formal. However, it is always okay to use your fingers to eat chicken at a picnic or outdoor barbecue Pizza There is no doubt that pizza is a finger food. However, if the piece you selected is heavy with toppings, you may choose to use a fork. It’s better to be a little more formal in a casual environment than to wind up with a pizza sauce stain on the front of your shirt. Bacon and Cheese When you are served crisp bacon, go ahead and pick it up with your fingers. However, if it is soft, use your fork and knife. Doing otherwise could be quite messy. You should eat cheese with a fork if it is served as a side that accompanies another dish, such as meat or pie. If it is an appetizer, use a serving utensil or toothpick to lift it from the tray. You may eat it with your fingers after it is on your plate. French Fries Whether you are at a formal or casual dinner, use your fork to eat French fries. The only time you should eat them with your fingers is when you are at a fast food restaurant or picnic. However, if you are served fries with a hamburger, and the hostess uses her fingers, by all means, do what she does. You don’t want to make her look like a clod. Shrimp The method of eating shrimp is determined by several factors. If they are served in a cocktail sauce with a small fork resting on the side of the plate, use the fork. Shrimp with tails on a serving platter should be eaten with your fingers. Hold the tail, dip it in the sauce, bite off the edible part of the shrimp, and discard in the dish or bowl provided by the hostess. Shrimp on a skewer should be slid off the stick and eaten with a fork. Sushi Most sushi should be eaten with the fingers. However, if you are offered chopsticks, you may use them. A small slice of sushi may be consumed in one bite. When you are served a larger slice or whole roll, lift it to your mouth with your fingers or chopsticks and bite off what you can chew.
I wish I could write more about the type of food we can eat using our fingers. I know there are a few folks who use the fork and knife when having isitshwala/ sadza. Well, whatever the meal you are served, the only way you can know what method of eating you can use is to let the host take the lead and you follow the lead.