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This book tells a history of Africa, from Zambezia to Zimbabwe by way of Rhodesia. It travels from the Limpopo River in 1390 and looks at one Chief Hungwe whose people built in stone. It looks at the construction of Great Zimbabwe. It travels with Antonio Fernandes to the Court of Monomatapa, and sees Robert Moffat establishing a Mission station at Kuruman, Cecil Rhodes inciting Charles Rudd to seek a concession from Lobengula, and the Pioneer Column arriving at Salisbury. Nearer our times, we watch the Liberation Struggle, meet Robert Mugabe, examine droughts and ESAP, and look at the backgrounds which formed Mugabe and Tsvangirai, Muzenda and Zvogbo. The book is built in three Parts, three sets of stories of Zambezia, Rhodesia, and Zimbabwe, which together make - a history?
As Zimbabwe continues to steal the limelight for all the wrong reasons, this little book offers an interesting insight into what has actually made the country what it is today. It is not a political critique – there are plenty of those around. Nor is it a novel, although it reads like one. But it is educational, even to people born and bred in Zimbabwe who may not readily recall who was Antonio Fernandes or Charles Rudd or Soshangane or Sally Hayfron. Or even Lobengula or Cecil Rhodes.
The book is divided into three Parts, the first of which, Zambezia, takes us from around 1390 AD to 1890 when the Pioneer Column arrived at Fort Salisbury. It sees the building of Great Zimbabwe, the establishment of the Shona Empire of Monomatapa, the incursions of the Arabs and Portuguese into the Zimbabwean hinterland, and of course the arrival of the Nguni and the English. The Second is called Rhodesia and covers just that, the 90 years life of the territory of Rhodesia from 1890 to 1980. The main players in this saga are the Missionaries and the Moffats at one end, and Ian Smith and Robert Mugabe at the other. And finally the third Part, Zimbabwe, describes the impact of the climate and the World Bank on the unfolding drama, more important perhaps than the human players who share the stage. So we look at El Niño and ESAP as well as Mugabe and Tsvangirai.
The Author, a retired Zimbabwean businessman, was well acquainted and well connected with the conservative business establishment in Rhodesia and Zimbabwe, but also very close to the corridors of political power from Independence in 1980 to 2000. So he was in a unique position to understand the actions of all the actors in the play. He has used this understanding to write this story book, as he puts it, with three separate but linked stories which together make – a history?