History of Zimbabwe

A zimbabwe is a native fort or walled compound. The greatest of these in the Mwanamutapa or Monomotapa Empire is called Great Zimbabwe, in the magnificent ruins of which was found the soapstone bird that features on the Zimbabwean flag. The name was adopted by independence movements fighting against the secessionist white-minority regime of Ian Smith.

The Gokomere people, a Bantu-speaking group of farmers, inhabited the Great Zimbabwe site from about 500, displacing earlier Khoisan people. From about 1000 the great fortress took shape, reaching its peak by the fifteenth century. In this period it was the pre-eminent state in southern Africa.

These were the ancestors of the Mashona (or Shona) people, who make up about 80% of modern Zimbabwe's population. Later they formed the Rozwi state, which continued until the nineteenth century. British occupation began in the 1890s, under the leadership of Cecil Rhodes, for whom the area was renamed Rhodesia. In fact, the strict Shona name is Zimbabhwe.

The minority Matabele people in the south arrived there in historically recent times (1834), being related to groups such as the Zulus in South Africa.

Between 1953 and 1963 Southern Rhodesia, Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), and Nyasaland (now Malawi) formed the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. This was wound up and the other two became independent under black majority rule in 1964, but Southern Rhodesia, now styling itself Rhodesia, refused to comply.

The UK annexed Southern Rhodesia from the South Africa Company in 1923. In 1965 the government unilaterally declared its independence, but the UK did not recognize the act and demanded voting rights for the black African majority in the country (then called Rhodesia).

UDI, as the unilateral period of independence, unrecognized by any other country, is known, lasted from 1965 to 1979, retaining the Queen as head of state until 1970 at which point Rhodesia became a republic. In 1979 they finally caved in to international sanctions and guerrilla war, and a multiracial government was formed under Bishop Abel Muzorewa, the country being renamed Zimbabwe-Rhodesia. UN sanctions and a guerrilla uprising finally led to free elections in 1979 and independence (as Zimbabwe) in 1980.

But this was still unacceptable to the world community and native liberation groups, and later in 1979 under the Lancaster House agreement, its legal status as the British colony of Southern Rhodesia was restored, in preparation for free elections and independence in 1980, led by Robert Mugabe. Robert Mugabe, the nation's first prime minister, has been the country's only ruler (as president since 1987) and has dominated the country's political system since independence.

Also, a song was written and sung by Bob Marley to celebrate the independence of Zimbabwe. He was invited to perform a concert at Zimbabwe's independence festivities, and this song, was, of course, included.

Robert Mugabe facing decreasing support, orchastrated the invasion of white zimbabwean's farms despite the severe drought in the region. This lead to the destruction of much of Zimbabwe's agricultural base through the often violent seizing of farms throughout 1999 and to date resulting in the decimation of the Zimbabwean economy. The political situation makes it unlikely that the West will be inclined to do much more than provide sustenance assistance.

The elections (held on the 9th and 10th of March 2002) were of critical importance to the entire Southern African region. The main concern was that if the elections were not free and fair it would have a destabalising effect on the region causing more economic turmoil in countries like South Africa and Botswana, not to mention extending the misery of the people of Zimbabwe.

The elections were marred by violence and itimidation of the opposition. Initially Mugabe refused to have international observers in the country to monitor the elections and even baned all foreign medi from Zimbabwe. After pressure by the European Union (which eventually led to limited sanctions being imposed on Mugabe and his inner circle Zanu pf ellite).

Mugabe has become notorious in Southern Africa recently for his flagrant freedom of speech and human rights abuses, the near-destruction of his country's economy (through the disruption of commercial farming) and for the paranoid way in which he has gone about eliminating the opposition to his rule.