On the psychology of oppression: blame me on history!

Critical Arts, July, 2009 by Brilliant Mhlanga

(3) This was taken from a story by Donald Trelford, editor of The Observer (UK) following an interview with Robert Mugabe in 1984. When Mugabe was asked whether he would ever consider a political solution to the issue of Matabeleland instead of a military one, he responded: 'The solution is a military one. Their grievances are unfounded. The verdict of the voters was cast in 1980. They should have accepted defeat then ... The situation in Matabeleland is one that requires a change. The people must be reoriented.'

(4) This was part of Robert Mugabe's speech in the 1980s when he referred to the Ndebele as 'dissidents'. He said: 'We eradicate them. We don't differentiate when we fight because we can't tell who is a dissident and who is not.' (http://www.sokwanele.com/ articles/sokwanele/gukurahundiinzimbabwe_29May2007.html). The stigma of a Ndebele being seen as a dissident in present-day Zimbabwe still exists in current political discourse. This would explain the divisions in the opposition MDC, that later caused a split in 2005, and also why those from Matebeleland, who broke away to form a faction led by Professor Welshman Ncube, continue to be labelled as 'dissidents'.

Brilliant Mhlanga is a doctoral researcher at the Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI), University of Westminster, London, and also lectures at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Zimbabwe. bsigabadem@gmail.com