Appreciating President Mugabe’s Linguistic mastery
Whether President Mugabe is speaking in extemporaneously in Shona or hammering down on Africa’s most hateful enemies in the mother tongue of European Settler Colonialism’s evil architects, the messages are heard loud and clear.
FROM the exact moment US-EU Imperialism decided that Mother Africa’s human resources had to be brutally conquered and ruthlessly exploited, they were forced to address what has through time arguably become their ultimate dilemma; how to control the flow of communication that cut through the boundaries of colonial languages and our indigenous mother tongues.
Due to their White Supremacist disposition, imposing culture has always been articulated and justified under the guise of civilising the uncivilised, yet the truth of the matter our beloved ancestors, who produced 5 000 indigenous languages can never be labelled linguistically inferior to any group of people past or present.
This dynamic issue has created an atmosphere that has resulted in the African cause being articulated primarily in the languages of our former colonisers and enslavers, which in reality makes each and every single victory we have won on the battlefield bitter-sweet, putting it lightly.
For this reason the most crucial mouthpieces of the US-EU Imperialism media and propaganda apparatus, have an extremely difficult time dealing with African freedom fighters, who have turned what on the surface appears to be the ultimate disadvantage, into an invaluable weapon, which will cause them many a sleepless night for many years to come.
When the Washington Post Africa Bureau Chief Mr Kevin Sieff had the audacity to refer to President Mugabe as a closet Anglophile, a fan of Charles Dickens, who once said cricket “civilises people and creates good gentlemen”, this young man of European ancestry should be reminded of the old adage that; “it is better to remain silent and have others assume you are a fool than open your mouth and remove all doubts”.
We thank Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah for addressing this aspect of Settler Colonialism on page 32 of his classic book Africa Must Unite when he taught us, “the social effects of colonialism are more insidious than the political and economic.
This is because they go deep into the minds of the people, and, therefore, take longer to eradicate. The Europeans relegated us to the position of inferiors in every aspect of our everyday life. Many of our people came to accept the view that we were inferior people.”
Since President Mugabe at some point in his intellectual development praised Mr Dickens, which not only illustrates he has at least one thing in common with writers like Leo Tolstoy, George Orwell and G.K. Chesterton, let us not lose sight of how an African born on his indigenous soil in 1924 gained access and exposure to a British author born 112 years before him in the first place.
The fact of the matter that President Mugabe more than likely enjoyed reading “Oliver Twist”, “Nicholas Nickelby”, “David Copperfield” and “A Christmas Carol”, captures the mind frame of one of his biggest ideological influences Tanzania’s First President Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, when he chose to rewrite the Shakespeare story “Julius Caesar” in Swahili for his students and people to learn and appreciate.
As far as championing the sport of Cricket goes, we don’t want the US-EU Imperialist media and propaganda apparatus giving President Mugabe more credit than he deserves, we are sure he would be the first to acknowledge that the Pan-Africanist icon C.L.R. James, whose biography written by Dave Renton is titled “Cricket’s Philosopher King” is more worthy of praise.
On the back of this book the same man that the Osagyefo credits with teaching him the important lesson of organising underground and introducing him to his lifelong friend and Comrade for life the Pan-Africanist Giant George Padmore, when describing his love for the game of cricket is quoted as saying the following “I never cheated, I never appealed for a decision unless I thought the batsman was out, I never argued with the umpire, I never jeered at a defeated opponent . . . If I caught myself complaining or making excuses I pulled up.
“If afterwards I remembered doing it I took an inward decision to try not to do it again. From the eight years of school life this code became the moral framework of my existence. It has never left me”.
When it’s all said and done President Mugabe loves Cricket like Commandante Fidel Castro loved baseball and boxing, Comrade Samora Machel compared whipping the Portuguese on the battlefield like throwing a good uppercut in a boxing match.
What US-EU Imperialism hates with a passion is when their attempts to use culture as a tool for dehumanisation blows up in their face, if reading “Julius Caesar” helped the Mwalimu reach the conclusion that history obligated him to jeopardise his life and government by aiding all the liberation movements in Southern Africa, we as Africans take his love for Shakespeare with a grain of salt.
Those who want to take shots at President Mugabe for loving the game of cricket, let us not discuss this game without exposing the gross and cowardly opportunism of the former British and Australian Prime Ministers Tony Blair and John Howard, who were both on record saying that during the 2003 Cricket World Cup they would prefer if their teams did not travel to Zimbabwe for matches.
A few years later a rumour circulated that President Mugabe wanted to visit Jamaica and take in a few Cricket matches, which resulted in the neo-colonialist publication The Jamaican Gleaner stating that he would not be welcome, for all we know either Mr Blair or Mr Howard were ghost writers of this stupid article.
There is an interesting correlation between Cricket players of Zimbabwe’s national team Andy Flower and Henry Olonga spearheading a Black armband protest and the Government of Zimbabwe being suspended from the League of Commonwealth nations and eventually deciding to withdraw.
Africans at home and abroad thank President Mugabe for not allowing his alleged love of cricket, affect his better judgment by providing all African and Caribbean nations, who are part of this fraternal body, a blueprint on how to hold on to your dignity when the entire world is watching.
President Mugabe has also been ridiculed by the Zimbabwean war veteran and combatant Margaret Dongo, who stated the man, who wears Pierre Cardin suits and enjoys Europe’s finest colognes, is not the same man, who wore Peking suits and led the final phase of the Second Chimurenga, yet she acknowledges the strategic brilliance of the Land Reclamation Program and the impact of US-EU sanctions.
This is an extension of the criticism from those who felt it was counter-revolutionary for President Mugabe to be knighted by the Queen, yet when news surfaced about the Third Chimurenga most of these windbags were unavailable for comment.
Those of us who languish in the backyards of our former colonisers and enslavers use the term speaking truth to power, which is used to characterise bravest voices, they must realise that President Mugabe and ZANU-PF have upped the ante by speaking truth about power.
Only those of us who have experienced some degree of liberation and self-determination can articulate this part of the African experience and narrative.
Obi Egbuna Jnr is the US Correspondent to The Herald and the External Relations Officer of Zicufa (Zimbabwe Cuba Friendship Association). His mail is obiegbuna15@ gmail.com