Mothers of the revolution: Role of women in the struggle

As Heroes Day commemorations approach, prospects and risks faced by women during the liberation struggle should be brought to the fore to pay special attention to the role they played at various levels of the war.

During Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle women played key roles.

While some women were compensated with high positions and the trappings of office after the struggle, others who suffered traumatic experiences — including sexual abuse — during the struggle, were abandoned.

From the 1960s to the late 1970s, Zanla and Zipra guerrillas fought a protracted bush war against the colonial regime of Ian Smith, culminating in Independence in 1980.

During the struggle for liberation from colonial rule, both men and women worked to overthrow the yoke of oppression.

Many strikes were led by the women, for instance, one in 1961 against a constitution which institutionalised racism, thousands of women demonstrated in Salisbury now Harare.

Two thousand were arrested and refused to pay their fines, choosing to go to jail instead.

However, their husbands came to the jails and paid their fines, demanding that their wives return home to cook.

When the Zimbabwe National African Union (ZANU) was formed in 1963, only men were trained to fight the newly declared armed struggle.

Women were considered too weak to fight in a guerrilla war.

Experience in the field drastically changed this traditional view of women.

Women carrying food for the guerrillas proved to be as courageous, tenacious and untiring as the men.

ZANU started to train a few women and by the end of the war, thousands were fighting and many became commanders of men and women.

The then leader of ZANU, Robert Mugabe affirmed: “Not only do women feed the front by carrying war material to it from the rear, but they also fight on the front and become exposed to the enemy’s

bullets in the same way as men.

“Our women have scored numerous victories alongside the men. They have demonstrated beyond all doubt that they are as capable as men and deserve equal treatment, both in regard to training and appointments,” he said.

In the pantheon of Zimbabwe’s struggle icons, one woman stands out — Mbuya Nehanda.

A powerful spiritual leader of the Shona people and the spirit of the original Nehanda, said to be a princess of the Mutapa Empire, Nehanda Charwe Nyakasikana stirred her people into rebellion against an increasing number of British settlers in their territory.

So ignited the First Chimurenga, the first liberation struggle.

Before being hanged in 1897 on charges of murdering the Native Commissioner, Nehanda proclaimed that one day her bones “would rise again”.

Fast-forward to the 1960s, when liberation fighters once again took up arms against colonial rule, invoking the spirit and bravery of Mbuya Nehanda.

She was the first national heroine, a powerful symbol of Zimbabwean resilience, courage and tenacity.

Mbuya Nehanda has acquired near mythical status and has been respected and admired for generations. Unfortunately, the same respect and recognition has not been extended to the majority of women who joined the fight for independence.

According to research work by prolific women writers, being a woman in liberation camps was hard, especially for the poor, young rural women who trekked to the camps in Mozambique.

Dr Josephine Nhongo-Simbanegavi and Professor Rudo Gaidzanwa have researched and published work on the experiences of young women during the liberation struggle.

In her work on politics and masculinity in Zimbabwe, Gaidzanwa writes: “The war front was gendered and the masculinities of the soldiers who commanded the warriors and those who fought in Zimbabwe were the most dominant.

“The women who joined the liberation war were relegated to carrying supplies and munitions for male freedom fighters,” wrote Gaidzanwa.

Also in her book,“Woman in Struggle”, Dr Irene Mahamba, a former liberator, writes about the role of women during the liberation struggle.

She put across that the contribution of women to the struggle was as equally important as that of men.

As war collaborators popularly known as vanachimbwido, she said they played a fundamental role in the liberation war.

They carried arms, provided food and crucial information to the guerrillas.

But the guerrilla war fought with limited resources was characterised by abuses, some which still haunt female ex-combatants up to this day.

Besides, female ex-combatants were largely overlooked when former guerrilla armies were integrated into the newly-constituted Zimbabwe National Army in 1980.

Moreover, in her book, “Re-Living The Second Chimurenga: Memoirs of Zimbabwe’s Liberation Struggle”, former education minister chronicles the systematic abuse of women by their male superiors, notwithstanding their efforts to resist their demands.

Chung argues the primary grievance of women fighters was ill-treatment by male soldiers.

The experiences of women of the liberation struggle were also best captured by the controversial film, “Flame”, which premiered in 1996.

“Flame” was the first feature film made in Zimbabwe about the country’s war of liberation and it stirred a lot of controversy.

Directed by Ingrid Sinclair, the film tells the story of two women who joined the struggle for independence.

“This story of two friends is one of many,” narrates Liberty, the film’s central character, conjuring up images of the many women who left their families and schools to travel for days on foot, sometimes without water and food, before reaching refugee and training camps.”