Richard Bourne's well-written book on the background to what Zimbabwe has
become is remarkable for its attention to detail on both people and events.
It is historically comprehensive and gives readers a good understanding of the
background issues which led to the subsequent failures and failings. The book
rightly and accurately focuses on the historical roles of the main players
including Robert Mugabe, Ian Smith, Joshua Nkomo, Peter Carrington and
Christopher Soames. Many other lesser players feature, including a good
number mainly black, who are not nearly so well known even in their own
country.
The book to my mind is not so strong in giving adequate weight to the
importance of attitudes amongst both blacks and whites and particularly to how
the latter's mindset and attitudes led first to the failure of the Central African
Federation and then to the war of independence. Prime Minister Garfield Todd
and Governor Sir Humphrey Gibbs who tried to swim against this tide and
whose policies, had they been implemented, might have led to more peaceful
outcomes get scant mention. By the same token there is the key importance of
the hugely damaging minutiae of white racism including so call 'pinpricks' and
the almost suicidal but often routine humiliation of blacks. I learned in Northern
Rhodesia of the unanimous rejection by the locals of anything that smacked of
domination by whites in the south. Then there was the failure of successive
British governments to take a stronger line over the failure of Southern
Rhodesian whites to put "partnership" into practice when they had just voted for
it in a referendum.
Richard Bourne accurately describes the issues and personalities featuring at
Lancaster House. He does not however mention the indispensable role of
retired Colonial Service DCs, particularly those who had served in Northern
Rhodesia/Zambia, as British election supervisors in the independence elections,
which brought a longed-for peace and the chance of a new beginning.
These officers whose job it was to get on with everybody were uniquely qualified
and successful in getting the Rhodesian administrators, the nationalist politicians
and the traditional chiefs to work together.
Again on a point of emphasis on what led to the catastrophe. Bourne does not
do justice to what I thought was the damage done to their own cause by
negative attitudes of many whites in the years following independence. This
was complemented by New Labour patronisation and condescension which
seriously irritated Mugabe. To my mind Zimbabwe was doing so well. Hardly
mentioned are people like Chris Andersen (spelt Anderson by Bourne) who saw
clearly the damage done by all the negativity and courageously joined the
Mugabe government.
Bourne writes of the close links between Mugabe and the war veterans. Yet it
was surely the fact that at first he had largely ignored them and then tried to
re-ingratiate himself with them that led directly to the disaster of the land
invasions. Finally mention might be made of the large number of Zimbabweans
black and white with qualifications and perspectives born of experience who are
now playing vital roles in all fields of activity throughout southern Africa and the
wider world.
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