Zimbabwe. The Past is the Future

Those for whom Zimbabwe is home do not always share the dismissive judgements of their country, pronounced by much of the Western media. Nevertheless they do acknowledge some of the essential truths these may contain. The most persistent judgement and point of agreement is that one political party’s overriding ‘policy’ is the preservation of itself in power, no matter the consequences.

The contributors to the book, all Zimbabweans by birth or by adoption, argue that although this is not a sustainable policy in the long run, it may persist in the shorter term. To break the deadlock requires an understanding of the processes that have brought the country to its present state. The essays pose and respond to a range of questions concerning politics, the land, the environment, economics, civil rights, torture, the opposition, the press, Robert Mugabe, and the ideologies informing the decisions of those in power before and since independence. Contributors include Brian Raftopoulos, Godfrey Kanyenze, Emmanuel Manzungu, and Chido Makunike.