In the beginning before the beginning by Linda Masarira
Mwananangu ziva kwaunobva kwaunoenda husiku is a Shona saying which can be translated to mean, “My child know your roots because where you are going/headed to, darkness looms.” Hence it would be improper for me to start off this journey by talking about the day I was born because the journey begins much earlier, way before my birth.
My name is Linda Tsungirirai Masarira. I am a Rozvi Queen (Mambokadzi), a direct descendant of Mutinhima the Great Rozvi Warrior who served as the Army General. VanaMoyondizvo, Dehwa Bvumavaranda, Bhasvi are a fierce Warrior people whose prowess in battle saw my ancestors rule Zimbabwe/ the Mutapa State, an empire which spread as far as Central Africa.
Headquartered at Great Zimbabwe and later Mbire in Zimbabwe, the Munhumutapa ruled over all the land in Southern Africa, South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia, Angola etc all the way up to Tanzania. As such the Munhumutapa was very powerful, he controlled the gold, cotton trade in the State and would host traders from as far as China and Portugal. This made Great Zimbabwe one of the biggest trading centers in the region if not Africa. It was mostly the gold that drew these traders to Zimbabwe.
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To show his might, and ensure that he had the people’s respect, the Munhumutapa commanded his subjects to lie down on their bellies and slither their way up to his throne in order to address him. It did not matter who you were, human beings were accorded the same status regardless of skin color; the Portuguese crawled on their bellies in just the same manner as would other traders like the Moors (who were black).
Women have always been at the core of decision making in the Mutapa State, the Aunts (MadziTete) are an integral part of governance in any family structure in Zimbabwe from which Mutapa State draws its ethos. These are the values we still honor. However those values found in a woman are being questioned today and our role in the governance of our land and inheritance quickly forgotten.
One, Changamire Dombo, a fierce Warrior of whom I am a descendant won a famous battle in Manicaland against the Portuguese. He was cunning. It is said he used women to defeat the Portuguese army without a single one of his Warriors lifting a spear or bow and arrow. After finding out that the Portuguese were in the vicinity (present day Manicaland) and fully armored for battle. He gave an order to the women to collect firewood and stack it round the enemy’s camp surrounding it. After the women had followed his order and night time was upon them, he ordered them to light up the firewood, which the women did. Upon seeing the fires all around them, the Portuguese thought that Changamire Dombo had called out for back-up from the other tribes and as such being in foreign territory they stood no chance against the masses. They (Portuguese) abandoned their artillery and fled for dear life.
The late historian Dr Stan Mudenge, when giving the above narrative at a summit held at the Rainbow Towers some years back gave credit to the women who braved being seen or caught by the enemy in order for them to put the Changamire’s plan into motion, and armed only with firewood. He further went to give credit to all women for the roles they play in society, reminding us that we are just as important as any man since we also picked up arms and fought for the liberation of Zimbabwe from colonial rule.
The only difference between today’s women and those that fought and counseled in the Mutapa State is that we are from different eras but the same ancient blood flows in all of us. There is nothing new under the sun and as such I believe if one knows where he/she is coming from it is easier to know where you are going. If Zimbabwe can remember where she comes from and give due respect to the fallen giants that paved the way for us throughout the birthing of MaDzimbahwe I believe we will be reinstated to our rightful position on the world map, women will be given their rightful place in government, our economy will stabilize and many more things will begin to flow positively.
It is this history I draw my strength from as one of the Generals from the ancient world of the Rozvi was actually my great great Grandfather which makes me a Mambokadzi (Queen) His name was Mutinhima.
The fact that my Ancestors possessed and exuded such greatness and that their blood flows in me today is a constant reminder that they (my Ancestors) are with me even right now and that whatever made them powerful and great can also work in my favor today, all I have to do is look within for courage and ability to do those things any ordinary Zimbabwean would not do.
The word Rozvi actually means destroyer; not in an evil sense but rather in the sense of the warrior shrewdness and prowess possessed by the people of this lineage.
Therefore it shouldn’t be surprising that even in present day Zimbabwe, the Rozvi continue to play a vital role in national issues. However, I am not justifying tribalism, which, from time to time tends to raise its ugly head repeatedly in present day politics across Africa. I am saying, a man strongly rooted in his beliefs (roots) tends to know what his purpose in life is at an early stage, thus he begins to pursue it sooner than others. One doesn’t have to be the President to show that he is a great Leader but rather by inspiring others to such extents that they consciously or subconsciously begin to follow him, and are willing to fight for him because he represents a set of beliefs they dim fit and worthy to die for.
I believe in Freedom of expression for all, mwana asingachemi anofira mumbereko , yet another Shona saying which can also be translated to say, “Don’t bottle things up, speak out or those things will turn round and kill you.”
It’s better to speak out against the inhumane conditions we’ve been forced to live under due to bad governance and be arrested for it, than to wallow in self pity within the walls of my house fighting off and enduring the foul smell coming from the toilet down the corridor because I haven’t had running water in the house for weeks now and there always seems to be a long winding queue at the borehole.
It’s better to speak out than to remain quiet about the fact that the more we Westernize or Easternize instead of Africanizing governments and returning to what made us who we are today, the further we draw away from who we truly are as a people. Decolonization of the African mind is crucial and vital if we are to make decisions that have our children’s future at heart; and no one understands that more than the woman, who for nine months carries a child in her womb with the hope that one day she will hold him in her arms, nurse him and watch him become a great man.
Zimbabwe needs a mother, a woman who understands the pains of giving birth, and holds the essence of human life close to her heart. For so long we have had to sit aside and watch our nation’s economy deteriorate, the schooling system, hospitals and neighborhoods included. The cost of living is higher than the average woman/man’s income, price inflations rock the nation and inconsistency by government in showing concern has further catapulted the people of Zimbabwe into disbelief and most are suffering from low self esteem. While the man remains the head of the house (who deserves my respect and honor) most are failing to even take care of their households leaving the women to hunt for their families. The family structure is at the verge of collapsing and as a mother and woman I really can’t stand aside and just look.
As such I have taken the initiative to write my own story in a book. In this autobiography I intend on revealing who the real Linda Masarira is and put to rest some of the controversies that have dogged my life albeit untrue. With a political past that has seen me thrown in jail or prison at one time or another I am quite confident that one day the people will hear my message, a message of hope, gender equality as I believe women are segregated against when it comes to matters of decision making in Zimbabwe. I am a human rights activist, seeing that we are going nowhere I founded the Zimbabwe Women in Politics Alliance, The Association of Railways Terminated Employees and I was also President of the Trainmen Workers Union, where I voiced for the betterment of the livelihoods of workmen in our nation. I’m also Chairperson of STAR fellowship cohort 3 and Chairperson of the Revolutionary Freedom Fighters.
My message to all women has always been the same, stand up and be counted and in this book I will describe in detail all the campaigns I was successfully involved in such as the “bring back our women from Kuwait” campaign which saw more than 200 women who had fallen victim to human trafficking returned home. The Occupy Africa Unity Square Campaign which was stopped by Police and ended up with the arrest of fellow brother in arms and colleague Itai Dzamara, who was never seen nor heard from ever since. For the same reason I mobilized workers at National Railways of Zimbabwe to stand up for their labor rights I will not rest till freedom is realized in the nation of Zimbabwe and I believe my book will help give insight into how we can free ourselves, upholding freedom of expression which is an issue in Zimbabwe. Over and above that, that it will awaken the docile spirits in most women, the fighter spirit of the lioness watching over her family.
There is so much yet to be done such that I feel the Awards I have received are worthless if no real change comes to the nation of Zimbabwe. In 2016 I received the Zimrights Female Human Rights Defender of the year. I also have the Giraffe Award for Human rights, Phenomenal African Woman October 2017 and Fortune Magazine’s 2016, 5th Most powerful Woman in the world, of which I am humbled but at the same time am aware that my story is yet to be told; how did I get to this stage I am at in this life and what I believe is the way forward.
The book will include my early life growing up in Greencroft, Harare, the bullying I received as a child and how I learnt to stand up for myself and fight back. I endured racist treatment as a child at a school dominated mostly by white people. This did not destroy my self esteem, no, it made me stronger and helped me understand at an early age that we are all different. What might work for my Western white colleagues might not work for me simply because we are different. Africa is yet to define herself as she has prioritized Western and Eastern philosophies, governance, religion and culture over its own, thus there’s an identity crisis amongst its people that needs purging and perhaps we can once again stop lightening our skin for want of being included where we are clearly unwelcome and unwanted.
The book will also highlight my spiritual journey and self realization as I went from a woman of the cloth to discovering that my Ancestors still speak and are willing to direct my path in order to bring harmony and peace to the nation of Zimbabwe by bringing back the ways of our Ancestors to society today, our way of praying and not what we were taught by others. Only then can Africa trade as equals with the rest of the globe otherwise whose table are we as Africans guests on? It certainly isn’t an African table because often times we find ourselves crying out for inclusion in world governance when we should be concentrating on ourselves and what we already have. Africa is the richest continent on the face of the earth with abundant minerals and raw materials, by allowing and respecting the process of gaining wealth, no matter how time consuming it might be only then can we be counted amongst others that have managed to overcome economic and mental colonization like India.
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