Reconciliation In Zimbabwe Research Articles

Truce and reconciliation in Zimbabwe: from Mugabe to Mnangagwa

Throughout history, truce-making has been an important mechanism to temporarily halt fighting between antagonistic forces. In some instances, national truces are used to usher in longer-term national reconciliation. In this regard, there is an important analytical distinction between a truce and a reconciliation. What is sometimes articulated publicly as a formal reconciliation is often merely a truce, at least from the perspective of the hegemonic party. Drawing on the theoretical work of Nir Eisikovits, we develop this argument in relation to what we identify as the three official episodes of state-centric national reconciliation in Zimbabwe, all taking place under Mugabe’s rule. In doing so, we demonstrate how ZANU-PF recalibrated the reconciliations as truces to pursue its strategic power interests. In this context, and more briefly, we analyse the post-coup Mnangagwa government’s discourse and acts of reconciliation (existing outside an official reconciliation pact) as another episode of truce-making, designed to benchmark what is unacceptable oppositional politics.

ZIMBABWE: CRITIQUING THE CHALLENGES OF CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS CONCEPTS SUCH AS UBUNTU AND THE “FORGIVE AND FORGET” APPROACH TO THE GUKURAHUNDI GENOCIDE

This article explores the challenges which emanate from the discourse of reconciliation in Zimbabwe as it relates to the Gukurahundi atrocities of the post-independence Zimbabwean era. Since most of the efforts to address this nation’s ugly past have been inϐluenced mainly by cultural (African) and religious (Christian) concepts such as the Bantu concept of Ubuntu and the Christian religion approach to conϐlict resolution which is based on the “forgive and forget” concept, this article will critique these concepts, demonstrating their unviability in bringing reconciliation in Zimbabwe. The article argues that without legal frameworks which can facilitate justice as a primary vehicle to reconciliation, the cultural and religious approaches may not make much impact in reconciliation efforts in Zimbabwe. For instance, it is not clear how the cultural concept of Ubuntu/ Unhu should be implemented to establish a formal and structured way of dealing with the issue of Gukurahundi. Among other issues of concern, the “forgive and forget” approach also poses its own problems, one of them being a too simple and casual approach to a much disturbing issue which has affected thousands of lives up to this day. With the aid of an example of how the post-World War II West Germany under the leadership of Willy Brandt addressed the issue of reconciliation and the history of holocaust, this article argues that justice should be the primary vehicle of the transition to reconciliation. Keywords: Gukurahundi, Zimbabwe, Ubuntu, conflict resolution

Traditional justice mechanisms and reconciliation in Zimbabwe: assessing the benefits

ABSTRACT This article, using documentary evidence and interviews, discusses the benefits of deploying traditional forms of justice as one of the strategies to address the persistent challenge of political violence in Zimbabwe, especially before, during and after election periods. It argues that it is important to recognise the roles traditional leaders play, particularly in creating cultural social spaces, encouraging social harmony and promoting tolerance in communities. Experiences from states emerging from conflict have shown that justice is usually elusive for the victims. Victims are at most left to feel sorry for themselves. It is therefore important to harness the benefits of traditional justice systems in transforming relationships and bringing social change. While traditional justice predominantly favours lower-level offenders, this can prove invaluable in the short to long-term efforts aimed at building peace in affected communities.

Matthean Jesus and peacebuilding in Zimbabwe 2018–2019

This article is an assessment of the applicability of the Matthean Jesus’ ethics in the context of peacebuilding in Zimbabwe (2018–2019). The article explores the factors which led to the removal of former President Mugabe from the office, and the events which took place from 2018 to 2019. It is alleged that torture, brutality and political killings of people continue to resurface even during the leadership of the new President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Faced with the above challenges associated with violence, socio-political, economic and religious conflicts, civil unrest and polarisation of the Zimbabwean society, the article gives an analysis of the relevance and applicability of Jesus’ ethics as presented by Matthew in a bid to bring national healing, peace and reconciliation in Zimbabwe. The ethics of Jesus are meant to transform society for the better; therefore, the article also assesses the lessons which can be drawn from these ethics amid challenges posed by a lack of confession, truth telling and transformative justice in the face of gross political intimidation and torture in Zimbabwe. The article concludes that the Matthean Jesus ethics are applicable in the Zimbabwean context. However, the implementation of these ethics faces serious impediments, which need special attention, especially the need of all citizens, government, political leaders, church leaders and civil society leaders to join hands together with the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission in bringing national healing in Zimbabwe. Contribution: This article is part of the special collection ‘Africa Platform for NT Scholars’. It focuses on the assessment of the applicability of the Matthean Jesus’ ethics in the context of peacebuilding in Zimbabwe (2018–2019).The ethics of Jesus are meant to transform society for the better, therefore, it is within the scope of this theological journal that issues associated with violence, socio-political, economic and religious conflicts, civil unrest and polarization should be addressed, hence the article fits well within this scope.

When Piety Is Not Enough: Religio-Political Organizations in Pursuit of Peace and Reconciliation in Zimbabwe

In post-independence Zimbabwe, religion has been associated with piety and acquiescence rather than radical confrontation. This has made it look preposterous for religious leaders to adopt seemingly radical and confrontational stances in pursuit of peace and reconciliation. Since the early 2000s, a new breed of religious leaders that deploy radical and confrontational strategies to pursue peace has emerged in Zimbabwe. Rather than restricting pathways to peace and reconciliation to nonconfrontational approaches such as empathy, pacifism, prayer, meditation, love, repentance, compassion, apology and forgiveness, these religious leaders have extended them to demonstrations, petitions and critically speaking out. Because these religious leaders do not restrict themselves to the methods and strategies of engagement and dialogue advocated by mainstream church leaders, mainstream church leaders and politicians condemn them as nonconformists that transcend their religious mandate. These religious leaders have redefined and reframed the meaning and method of pursuing peace and reconciliation in Zimbabwe and brought a new consciousness on the role of religious leaders in times of political violence and hostility. Through qualitative interviews with religious leaders from a network called Churches in Manicaland in Zimbabwe, which emerged at the height of political violence in the early 2000s, and locating the discussion within the discourse of peace and reconciliation, this article argues that the pursuit of peace and reconciliation by religious actors is not a predefined and linear, but rather a paradoxical and hermeneutical exercise which might involve seemingly contradictory approaches such as “hard” and “soft” strategies. Resultantly, religio-political nonconformism should not be perceived as a stubborn departure from creeds and conventions, but rather as a phenomenon that espouses potential to positively change socio-economic and political dynamics that advance peace and reconciliation.

Can spirits play a role in peace and reconciliation projects? Perspectives on traditional reconciliation in Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT There is a long history of spirit-oriented systems of reconciliation and healing in Zimbabwe. However, under white rule, this work was marginalised and driven underground. In Zimbabwe today, diverse views on reconciliation, reparation, justice and national healing are producing rich but frequently conflicted initiatives around ‘traditional’ and ‘community’ reconciliation. The article considers contradictions and pressures facing the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission and different approaches to ‘spirit-led’ trauma healing work from three grassroots organisations: Heal Zimbabwe; Tree of Life; and the Centre for Conflict Management and Transformation. It indicates how religious, cultural and political affiliations influence participants’ openness to traditional and spirit-led forms of reconciliation; and how this, in turn, constrains how perpetrators, victims and reparation are defined by those working in this field. Rather than identifying specific practices as ‘authentic’ traditions, the article suggests that a continuity of community/cultural approaches can inform contemporary national healing initiatives in Zimbabwe.

The travails of the Organ for National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration (ONHRI) as a strategy for transitional justice and reconciliation in Zimbabwe

The travails of the Organ for National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration (ONHRI) as a strategy for transitional justice and reconciliation in Zimbabwe

Matthean Jesus and forgiveness in light of national healing, peace and reconciliation in Zimbabwe, 2008–2017

The history of Zimbabwe is characterised by a series of challenges, which, at different turning points, manifested themselves through violent conflicts, since its independence in 1980. Faced with the challenges associated with violence, socio-political, economic and religious conflicts, civil unrest and polarisation of the Zimbabwean society from 2008 to 2017, this article discusses the relevance and applicability of Jesus’ ethics with special focus on the Matthean Jesus and forgiveness in a bid to bring national healing, peace and reconciliation. The article stresses that the application of Matthean Jesus’ ethics is vital for the Zimbabwean society because it paves way for peace, healing and reconciliation. Among other factors, the Matthean Jesus’ ethics call for victims of political violence to unconditionally extend forgiveness to their offenders as demonstrated by the Matthean Jesus who forgave mankind’s sins through his sacrificial death on the cross. Over and above that, there should be an honest implementation of justice and truth telling by the Zimbabwean government through willingness and commitment to institute the rule of law and cab all forms of lawlessness. Moreover, it is imperative that there should be a formation of an independent truth, justice and reconciliation commission to deal with truth telling, acknowledgement of past wrongs, and restorative and transitional justice issues in Zimbabwe.

The Potential of Early Childhood Development Contributing towards National Healing and Reconciliation in Zimbabwe

Since independence in 1980, the process of nation building through ‘national healing and reconciliation’ has remained a burning issue deserving rethinking and revisiting at various levels to nurture democracy in Zimbabwe. Efforts towards this goal have featured mainly through three landmark phases, that is, Racial Reconciliation Policy (1980), Unity Accord (1987), and the Organ for National Healing and Reconciliation (ONRH) in 2008. However, despite these efforts, violence has continued to raise its ugly head, with recent reports revealing in-house violence within major political parties. Such developments have threatened the very core of the well-intended ONHR. The main question for this study was: What could be the missing link in all these efforts towards peace-building and development? There was need to identify a realistic/holistic approach to national healing and reconciliation. For the purpose of this study, the main task was then to highlight the possible role that could be played by the youths in national healing and reconciliation, with specific reference to Early Childhood Development (ECD). This was an exploratory study, aimed at finding out how the curriculum could be applied in the process of national healing/reconciliation. The study was mainly based on document analysis of Chapter 13 of the 1999 Presidential Commission of Inquiry into Education’s Report, the 1993 ECD handbook (revised in 1999 and 2010), and the Zimbabwe Education Blueprint 2015 – 2022. This was then reinforced by a detailed review of literature, where several key documents were studied in search of relevant theoretical perspectives. Results showed ECD providing a firm foundation for the future of peace, national healing and reconciliation in Zimbabwe.

Consequences of Elitist Reconciliation in Zimbabwe and South Africa: A Comparative Study

Consequences of Elitist Reconciliation in Zimbabwe and South Africa: A Comparative Study

TOWARDS PEACE, HEALING AND RECONCILIATION IN ZIM-BABWE: THEATRICALISING POLITICAL VIOLENCE THROUGH RITUALS (2011)

This paper explores the reconciliatory possibilities of the theatrical piece Rituals (2011) penned by Stephen Chifunyise and directed and produced by Daves Guzha. The Rituals’ theatrical piece memorialises as well as condemns a culture of violence demonstrated during the 2008 harmonised elections in Zimbabwe. Through “ritualized” performance, a community embarks on a metaphysical journey focused on exorcising the ghosts of political violence still haunting individuals, communities, politicians, and the nation as a whole. These day-to-day modes of healing and reconciliation, dramatised through Rituals, suggest that communities can create platforms for peace, cultivate tolerance and permit dialogue to prevail if victims are brought face-to-face with perpetrators of violence with the hope of ironing out political differences. It is going to be argued in this paper that although the political drama in Rituals, centralises politicians as major culprits that fomented violence, its failure to go beyond political meta-narratives constricts its capacity to explore the complexities of violence in Zimbabwe. These complexities are informed by factors such as lack of voter education, existence of age-old grudges, and fragmentation of community values, among others. Another critical strand to be explored in this article is one that interrogates Rituals’ potential to reach out to the wider audiences at grassroots levels, since the political drama in Rituals speaks to the “upper class” and intellectual circles, thereby foreclosing critical debate and “voices” that should emerge from “below” which are communi­ties many of whom were directly involved. By adopting a down-top methodological approach, the article seeks to place communities at the forefront in confronting questions of violence, peace-building and reconciliation in Zimbabwe.

Invisibilising the victimised: churches in Manicaland and women's experiences of political violence in national healing and reconciliation in Zimbabwe

Invisibilising the victimised: churches in Manicaland and women's experiences of political violence in national healing and reconciliation in Zimbabwe

RECONCILIATION WITHOUT JUSTICE? AN ANALYSIS OF THE FILM, RECONCILIATION IN ZIMBABWE, THE FIRST TEN YEARS

The aim of this article is to explore the idea of reconciliation and justice in the documentary film, Reconciliation in Zimbabwe, the first ten years (1990). This film is one of the very first and few films to deal with the themes of reconciliation and justice from the perspective of the moving image. At the centre of the film narrative is how different political constituents in Zimbabwe between 1980 and 1990 think about the question of reconciliation and the possibility of ultimate justice. Coming immediately after the war, the film debates the varied and diverse expectations of Zimbabwean whites and blacks, and the role of memory in relationship to the new politics of tolerance proposed by the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, Robert Gabriel Mugabe. The article argues that the significance of the film lies in the desire to balance hotly contested perspectives on what constitutes reconciliation and justice in Zimbabwe.

Developing Transpersonal Resiliency: An Approach to Healing and Reconciliation in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe has been experiencing one of the worst economic and humanitarian crises in modern times, after its people have suffered from horrific episodes of political violence. An approach to healing and reconciliation in Zimbabwe aimed at developing transpersonal resiliency, called Lament, Welcome, and Celebration (LAWECE), was designed to be culturally appropriate through involving two distinct versions of psychological and spiritual intervention, one appropriate for traditional Shona values and one for Christian values. LAWECE involves a sequence of activities focused on both individual and community healing, starting with a lamentation process acknowledging the atrocities, followed by a welcoming process that invites all to participate (including perpetrators of the violence), and culminates with a celebratory process to consolidate the healing. Throughout there is a respect for diversity of religious and secular perspectives, congruent with its transpersonal perspective.

Unhu/Ubuntu and Education for Reconciliation in Zimbabwe

The paper examines the concept, strengths and shortcomings, role and implementation of the reconciliation policy as Zimbabwe emerged from periods of conflict crisis soon after independence in the 1980s, and the current crisis in the 2000s and how the policy can be introduced in schools through ‘education for reconciliation’. The authors argue that education can be used to cultivate reconciliation and national healing in the evidently ‘wounded’ people of Zimbabwe who bear scars of colonial times and war, and the post-independence conflicts. Reconciliation through education for “diversity” and tolerance makes a compelling argument in so far as we understand how education shapes culture and cultivates values among a people. Education for reconciliation is perceived as a philosophy that promotes respect for human life and human dignity. The paper concludes that education is an instrument for the inculcation and promotion of the epistemic and ontological principles enshrined in the African philosophy of Ubuntu/unhu.

A Tale of Three Dinner Plates: Truth and the Challenges of Human Rights Research in Zimbabwe

This article provides a personal reflection on the experience of human rights reporting in Zimbabwe from 2000. It does so through the prism of a story of violence and counter violence in a rural village in Matabeleland North as it has been told to Solidarity Peace Trust researchers over the course of several months in 2008. The story, which hinges on the fate of three dinner plates, is retold here with the aim of revealing the ways in which lived experiences of violence can blur the categorical boundaries of perpetrator and victim. It sheds light on some of the complexities of histories of violence, the ways violent events are narrated by those involved and blame is attributed. Such complexities are inevitably overlooked, excised or circumvented in the conventions of human rights reporting. Yet recognising such local complexities, and appreciating the ways in which collective attribution of blame can escalate cycles of violence, is a necessary part of any process of healing. Failure to recognise these complexities can lead to well-meaning civic actors inadvertently exacerbating existing tensions instead of reconciling them. In retelling the story of the three dinner plates, the article looks forward to a process of reconciliation in Zimbabwe, which the country desperately needs in order to embrace a future of peace, justice and reconstruction. Such a process will need to include public debate at village as well as at national level, and will need to take account of the complexities of the ways in which people talk about and make sense of their own lived experiences of violence.

Reconciliation in Zimbabwe: Reality or illusion?

This symposium, co-hosted by the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) and the South Africa Office of Oxfam, drew together individuals and organisations working in the areas of violence, conflict and peace-building. Ingham-Thorpe describes how Mugabe's policy of reconciliation in Zimbabwe left intact many oppressive and inequitable structures, for example the land-reform issue remained unresolved. She also considers the displaced violence, massive youth unemployment, and the trauma of unmet expectations since demobilisation. This article is hosted by our co-publisher Taylor & Francis.