The ManicaPost
Munashe Eustice Chirinda
History has it that Africa is the centre of civilisation and knowledge.
How ironic would it be to an African child that the centre of all civilisation and the continent that is abundantly rich is in fact the poorest continent on the planet.
All this is emanating from the fact that Africa has not yet outlived colonialism.
In fact, Africa has only moved past the physical occupation of colonizers, otherwise the independence that Africa underwent is largely a myth.
The socio, political, economic, cultural, religious, technical, as well as educational institutions in the African states are serving that one purpose of glorifying and intensifying imperialism.
Africa is yet to dispose the colonial educational lenses.
This syndrome is deep rooted in our tertiary institutions to the extent that lectures are conducted in English, assignments are written in English, basic lecturer’s comment are written in English.
What then is Zimbabwean about the universities in Zimbabwe when lectureship in Shona is either prohibited or considered backward.
For the decolonisation of education to be feasible in any African country, language matters.
The words we use shape the stories we construct of people and places and ultimately the policies and decisions we make.
This is why colonialists had to make sure that spoke their language for them to be able to monitor our decisions, our knowledge and our policies.
They needed to understand each movement we made.
In other words, language is a representation of the reality which we use unconsciously, and thus, it reflects the prevailing relations in the society.
Having said this, there should a serious commitment from the government of Zimbabwe and the civilians in initiating the decolonisation of language in the lectureship and education of all courses so as to promote indigenous knowledge and to preserve the sacredness of Zimbabwean knowledge and initiate African solutions for our African problems.
It takes the freedom of the mind and the spirit for true independence to start taking root.
It is the colonial mentality that sees the sickening relocation of Zimbabweans to other countries in search of ‘greener pastures’, with some of theme relocating to work as general workers.
Others are falling prey to abuse and human trafficking. Great minds from Zimbabwe are attaining good grades in school and then relocating to the West to work and live there.
Brain drain is also coming through the use of scholarships.
As a result of this, Zimbabwe bleeds due to a shortage of doctors, engineers, lawyers and great thinkers.
The decolonization of tertiary education in Zimbabwe will help preserve Zimbabwe’s key to success and free Zimbabwe from its past colonizers.
It will help us achieve the true Zimbabwe for Zimbabweans.
◆ Munashe Eustice Chirinda is a student at Africa University
