By Princess Eugene Majuru
As Members of Parliament debate Constitution Amendment Bill No. 3 within the walls of the new Parliament building at Mount Hampden, few seem to acknowledge the deeper historical significance of the ground beneath their feet. Long before the modern state of Zimbabwe existed, before Salisbury became Harare, and before Parliament moved from the capital city to Mount Hampden, these lands formed part of the ancestral territory of the Mbari people. Today, national decisions are being made there, yet the descendants of the original custodians of the land remain largely absent from the conversation.
This raises an important question: can a nation discuss its constitutional future while overlooking the communities whose history is intertwined with the very land on which that future is being shaped? Constitution Amendment Bill No. 3 has generated fierce debate among politicians, lawyers and civil society organisations. Yet there is another perspective that deserves attention—the perspective of heritage, memory and historical belonging.
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