The fall of Rhodesia – Zimbabwe Independence Day
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It took a long and brutal struggle for Zimbabweans to win their freedom from British colonial rule. Finally, on the 18th of April 1980, freedom fighters achieved the goal of overturning white minority rule, and achieving full independence.
Prior to independence, Zimbabwe was a British colony known as Rhodesia, named after one of the arch colonialists of Africa, Cecil John Rhodes. Rhodes, a British imperialist and a white supremacist, founded De Beers, a mining conglomerate that exploited black labor to enrich mainly white interests. Rhodes was reported to have said “I contend that we are the first race in the world, and that the more of the world we inhabit the better it is for the human race.” After his death, he was buried in Zimbabwe, although he is so reviled that there is a growing movement to ship his cursed remains back to England.
READ MORE: STOLEN FROM AFRICA: RETURN ANTIQUITIES LOOTED BY COLONIAL POWERS
Guerrilla warfare: Rhodesia Must Fall
The fight for independence was led by the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) and the Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU), both of which were political parties that advocated for black majority rule in the country. The two parties later merged to form ZANU-PF, which has been the ruling party in Zimbabwe since independence. Guerrilla warfare in Zimbabwe, also known as the Second Chimurenga, was a brutal and long armed conflict fought between the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) and Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA), both military wings of ZANU and ZAPU respectively, against the Rhodesian government.
It was a brutal and protracted conflict, which began in 1960 and only ended 19 years later in 1979. The guerrilla fighters used hit-and-run tactics and ambushes to attack Rhodesian military targets and infrastructure, with the goal of undermining the Rhodesian government’s authority and weakening its hold on the country.
Fighters were largely drawn from the black majority population, who were marginalized and oppressed under the Rhodesian government’s white minority rule. Other countries such as Zambia, Mozambique, and South African liberation movements, supported the guerrilla fighters and provided them with bases and logistical support.
After years of fighting and international pressure, a peace agreement was reached in 1979, which paved the way for Zimbabwe’s independence the following year. The guerrilla fighters played a key role in the country’s struggle for independence, and many of their leaders went on to become prominent political figures in the newly independent Zimbabwe.
Independence
On April 18, 1980, Zimbabwe declared its independence, and Robert Mugabe became the country’s first black prime minister.
The day is celebrated throughout Zimbabwe with parades, cultural events, and speeches by government officials. It is a day of national pride and reflection on the country’s history, as well as a reminder of the ongoing struggle for social and economic justice.
