Movements back agrarian reforms
Herald Reporters
LIBERATION movements and pan-African movements in the Diaspora have come out in full
support of Zimbabwe's land reform programme and called for unity of purpose among
themselves to economically develop the continent.
In a communiqué read at the end of the Zanu-PF External Relations Conference by Mr
Tiryenje Kaunda of Zambia's United National Independence Party, the movements
applauded the land reform programme as an illustrious example and precedent to be
followed by displaced peoples to reclaim their heritage.
"We believe that land is a God-given heritage that should go back to its rightful
owners.
"Historical crimes committed by colonial powers should be addressed expediently to
ensure that restitution is achieved in the indigenous and displaced communities.
"We, therefore, believe that the developments in Zimbabwe have been a guiding light
for other nations.
"We reaffirm our solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe in their land reform
programme, indigenisation of the economy and empowerment of the rural masses.
"We urge Zanu-PF to continue on this path which will ultimately lead the nation to
economic liberation," the liberation parties said.
They recommended that the Zimbabwe Govern-ment embark on a pan-African education
exercise to provide the true information and background on the land reform programme
so as to increase the levels of understanding and comprehension of the programme by
other nations on the continent.
They noted the immense propaganda power "our detractors have at their disposal, with
their highly intoxicating media".
The liberation war movements said while political independence had been achieved,
there was now need to pursue economic independence.
They bemoaned the continued control of natural resources by colonial forces, which in
many cases continued to own and control most of the resources.
"We condemn the lingering racism of white settlers and their descendants on the
African continent and their continued attempts to control African economies.
"We denounce the racist regimes in Australia, Britain, New Zealand and the United
States which are exploiting minorities in favour of global capitalist ideals.
"We find their regimes hypocritical and as the greatest enemies of democracy, world
peace and economic justice," read the communiqué.
A mental decolonisation, the liberation movements said, was needed in the African and
indigenous communities to reassert national pride and to promote indigenous values and
ideals which have been eroded by Western capitalist ideals.
African nations should develop their own systems of homegrown democracy which need not
be aligned with Western models of democracy.
"We believe that democracy is a very African principle and we should have confidence
in our own systems of democratic governance," they said.
The liberation movements said there was need to ensure that it was not the elite and
petty bourgeoisie that benefited to the detriment of the masses.
"We must adhere to equity, fairness, impartiality and transparency. We need urgently
to empower the rural poor, who need to be equipped with the knowledge and physical
tools to enable them to be self-reliant.
"Redistribution of land is an excellent way of ensuring that the rural poor will have
access to the means of production. We need to provide resources for them to be able to
fully utilise this land and to achieve maximum productivity."
There was great need for networking and solidarity among liberation movements and
between them and the progressive world to harness their potential to achieve gains of
the continued struggle.
There was need for deep co-operation between Africans at home and those in the
Diaspora.
"All liberation movements, comrades and friends of the struggle should play their
individual roles to counter the lies and deceptions of the Western media by providing
the true picture of Africa to the rest of the world.
"All Africans at home and in the Diaspora are challenged to increase investment,
tourism and trade with Africa, which will create jobs and add value to the raw
materials of Africa," the liberation parties said.
In separate interviews, representatives of the Black United Front, the December 12
Movement and Australian Aborigines said it was particularly important for liberation
movements in Africa and those in the Diaspora to unite since they were fighting a
common enemy.
Cde Coltrane Chimurenga of the December 12 Movement said the issue of land that
ex-liberation parties were trying to address could not be separated from the issue of
reparations that they were pursuing as pan-Africanist movements representing 40
million black people in the United States.
"We have been fighting against the worst international atrocity against humanity just
as the liberation wars were waged against the oppressors.
"Now that we are waging the second phase liberation war, the liberation of our
economies, which involves the redistribution of land, we are also waging our own war
for reparation. Whether we will actually succeed or not will be another matter. These
two struggles should never be separated," he said.
He called on ex-liberation parties to take a leaf from Zimbabwe when dealing with the
issue of economic independence.
"Africa is the motherland because that is where our land is and it should be liberated
by all means necessary," he said.
Cde Chimurenga said Zimbabwe was now leading the pan-Africanist movement for the
redistribution of land and should have a programme of action to counter external
aggression since it was the central target because of its land redistribution
programme.
He ex-liberation war parties should also unite with the pan-Africanist movements
because of the manoeuvres being made by the oppressors who were seeking to use the
African people in the Diaspora to influence the continued oppression of Africans and
aggression against African countries.
"As African children in the Diaspora, we should retaliate by attacking the enemy when
he is at his weakest. This is the case in the United Kingdom where Mr Tony Blair is
isolated because of Britain's involvement in the Iraq war.
"His only ally is the United States and it is important that African children in that
part of the Diaspora strike now," said Cde Chimurenga.
Mr Michael Anderson, an Australian Aboriginal activist and founder of the Sovereign
Union of Aboriginal Nations and People of Australia, told AFP: "(President) Mugabe is
not doing any more than what a lot of indigenous people are asking for around the
world.
"They want self-determination, they want return of the lands, control of their natural
resources," he said.
Cde Esther Stanford of the Black United Front of the United Kingdom said as a black
movement in the Diaspora, they were fighting against oppression from Western
governments just as was the case with the ex-liberation parties.
She said that some of the forms of oppression that they had to deal with was denial of
access of black children into the educational systems overseas and efforts by the
Western governments to instill their values in black youths who are taken and put in
institutions where they are taught Western values.
"Most of our youths make up the bulk of inmates in jails overseas, but we should
remember that these are African children and together we can overcome the struggle
which begins with us restructuring our values.
"The struggle is not about changing places with the oppressor, but what we seek is
justice, justice for the blood, sweat and tears for those who went before us," she
said.
The secretary-general of the World Assembly of Youths, Mr Donald Charumbira, said the
role of the youths was to get educated in order to lead the economic and social
emancipation of Africa.
"The new generation should be prepared to sacrifice short-term gratification in the
interest of advancing our struggle for economic and social emancipation," he said.
He said for this to be achieved there was need for youths to be fed with appropriate
ideology that would give meaning and purpose to their lives.
He said today's youths were living in an era devoid of ideology which is in contrast
to the days of communism and the liberation struggle when youths had a sense of
meaning and purpose. Many of the youths of that era dedicated their lives to achieve
the ideals of both communism and the liberation struggle, he said.
"For the young people in the Diaspora, nationalism and pan-Africanism are ideologies
which we need to take to heart for Africa to prosper.
"We need to urgently revitalise the spirit of both ideologies in the youths so that we
are proud to be Africans and to represent our various nationalities," he said.
Dr Barnaba Benjamin of the Sudan's People's Liberation Movement, who presented a paper
on international relations and globalisation, said countries in Africa needed to
analyse the concept with the utmost circumspection.
He said that it was equally important for countries to come up with their own
positions before engaging in globalisation in order to counter its effect in the
continent.
"While we still have processes such as Nepad (New Partnership for Africa's
Development) in Africa, globalisation is no longer a process.
"In dealing with globalisation we need to know who our friends are, our history and
where we wish to go, because it is essential that Africans pool their resources
together to counter the impact of globalisation," he said.
The Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in anarchy"
Groupe de communication Mulindwas
"avec Yoweri Museveni, l'Ouganda est dans l'anarchie"
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