Maravi

(NEWZIMBABWE) Governor wants Rhodes exhumed

Governor wants Rhodes exhumed
by Lunga Sibanda
15/12/2010 00:00:00

BULAWAYO governor Cain Mathema has demanded the exhumation of the remains of colonial kingpin, Cecil John Rhodes, and wants the government to pull down the stature of missionary, David Livingstone, saying they were “symbols that persecuted our people and took away our freedom and wealth”.

Rhodes’ grave at the Matopos Hills is a major tourist attraction, and Livingstone’s statue – which was targeted by war veterans in 2001 -- is a notable landmark at the Victoria Falls.

Mathema said: “All over the country, you find schools named after colonialists, statues erected to celebrate colonialism. I am struck and baffled by the attitude of our people to continually embrace a bygone system that worked tirelessly to thwart their energy and aspirations.

“The total liberation of Zimbabwe is not complete as long as the country continues to live on the legacy of our former masters. As long as the names remain, as long as the scar of Rhodes’ grave remains, it is not the psychological colonisation question alone that remains open, but the question of true freedom.”

Mathema said Zimbabwe had enough of its own heroes and found no justification for the lionising of key proponents of colonialism in southern Africa, led by Rhodes.

He added: “Our people still believe that the name Robert Moffat is glamorous than the name Lobengula. Well, I will tell that personally I hate all colonial names, as I said before I am not a racist but I hate all people who oppress and intimidate others.

“And you cannot deny that the missionaries abused us for the sake of their prosperity.”

In 2001, veterans of Zimbabwe’s liberation war from white colonial rule destroyed metal plaques on Livingstone’s statue, which proclaim the Scottish missionary as the discoverer of the waterfalls.

But the vandals failed to bring down the metal statue.

The state-run Sunday News reports that the presence of Rhodes’ grave at the Matopos “has not gone down well with the country’s tradition and beliefs as Rhodes was known to be a homosexual, a sexual behaviour that is taboo in Africa.”

Mathemba fumed: “I wonder why 30 years after independence Rhodes’ grave is still found on the country’s traditional shrine of worship. It’s an insult to our ancestors and maybe that is the reason why our ancestors at Njelele, where we pray for rain, are no longer giving us enough rain.

“My call is not directed against Britain or whites, but against symbols that persecuted our people and took away our freedom and wealth. For I believe that physical freedom goes hand-in-hand with psychological freedom.

“We need to celebrate our own heroes and heroines. We do not get inspiration from the likes of Rhodes, so why should we visit their graves and their statues? I would love a situation whereby I would go to Matopo and gaze upon the statue of Lobengula or Mzilikazi. That is what the country should aspire for.”

Labels: CAIN MATHESA, CECIL RHODES, COLONIALISM, POLITICS

posted by MrK @ 3:11 PM