In a Big Saturday Read that discusses, amoung other things, the recent renaming of streets in Zimbabwe, academic Alex Magaisa has said that the government has missed an opportunity to do something right. He said the government could have used the opportunity to be inclusive.
Writes Magaisa:
It is a tragic lack of leadership that the Mnangagwa regime fails to see the symbolism of the naming project and its potential open avenues of new perspectives. A more inclusive list might have had a better reception even if people had reservations over the timing and relevance…
Wisdom is knowing that one seemingly small gesture in politics can be a huge step building a nation. But such wisdom is sorely lacking in the country’s leadership. The importance of symbolism as a building block is lost on them. Instead, they use symbolism as a weapon. It is weaponised to exclude and mock. It is an instrument to assert power, to massage egos and to lay the blocks for constructing a cult of personality. History reminds us that it never ends well.
The government recently renamed several streets and buildings. 8 of the streets were renamed after current president Emmerson Mnangagwa.
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