Land reform in Zimbabwe, class dynamics and delayed Bandung: an interview with Sam Moyo

Abstract

ABSTRACTInterviewers’ note: Land reform in Zimbabwe has caught the world's attention. It's condemned by the mainstream in the West. It has also been highly controversial in South Africa, as post-apartheid South Africa has been unable to address the historical legacy of severe land inequality. What we find interesting and intriguing is that the land reform in Zimbabwe occurred at a time when neo-liberalism was raging in the world. What has been the historical and political context and dynamics of the land reform in Zimbabwe? Doe it bear any relationship with the earlier land reforms in some former colonial and semi-colonial countries around the mid-20th century? What are its implications for the understanding and challenging the current world system? On 19 April 2015, we had an opportunity to discuss these questions in person with Zimbabwe-based Sam Moyo, a leading agrarian political economist and a critical thinker in Africa. He was attending the Hangzhou Forum of Bandung/Third World 60 Years.