Decolonial Reflections: The Case for Youth-Led Homegrown Success Standards in Zimbabwe

By David A. Chikwaza

The success standards in Zimbabwe especially amongst Generation Z are not rooted in Zimbabwean culture, heritage, and identity but in colonialism as a system. Recognizing this is crucial for mental emancipation, empowerment, agency, and escaping the present doldrums of chronic underdevelopment. Going forward, Zimbabwean youth must draw on indigenous knowledge and develop homegrown unique success standards. 

It is increasingly evident that many Zimbabweans equate success with speaking fluently in English, emigrating to Western countries, owning and driving expensive cars, taking flights, living in opulent mansions, and generally emulating no longer sustainable Western lifestyles.

The revelation yet to dawn on them is that no nation can prosper without first defining and pursuing homegrown success standards in the context of its indigenous-based values, beliefs, identity, and shared vision. The Asian tigers, namely Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore illustrate this. Although there were other factors behind “the Asian miracle” one cannot rule out the quality of having home-grown success standards.

This raises three key questions: First, why do Zimbabweans continue to highly esteem values that are not their own? Secondly, what effect does this have on the prospects for socio-economic development? Lastly, what is the solution?

To answer the first question, it is imperative to note that past and present administrations have failed to prioritize and effectively implement programs and projects that develop a sense of pride in the Zimbabwean identity and culture. That is why the youth population keeps highly esteeming values that are not theirs. 

The global colonial empire continues to dispossess, dislocate, alienate, dehumanize, and enslave not only Zimbabweans but the majority of the formerly colonized across Africa. Colonialism persists in invading the mental universe of the colonized, delegitimizing their humanity, ways of knowing, and standards of success. In this era of globalization and the internet, it is imperative to critically discuss the limitations, poverty, and falsehoods of Westernization, which remain largely unknown to most Zimbabweans.

The nationalist movements in the 20th century, led by figures like Robert Mugabe and Kwame Nkrumah, barely mentally liberated the formerly colonized. Consequently, Zimbabweans continue to idolize and adopt Western standards because colonialism persists beyond the dismantling of the political empire. 

It endures through invisible global structures, institutions, and systems, continually reshaping its power dynamics. As rightly noted by the Indian psychologist, and theorist, Ashis Nandy, it remains an intimate enemy, invading the heart, mind, and body. Like many across the continent, Zimbabweans experience its effects daily, partly explaining their persistent attachment to Euro-North American success standards. 

To answer the second question, adopting Western standards hampers socio-economic development by eroding pride in the Zimbabwean identity and stifling local ingenuity, agency, and craftsmanship. Instead of striving to develop their own country by collectively confronting corruption, dictatorship, and economic misgovernance, it is a fact that many would rather emigrate and become second-class citizens in other countries, preferably Europe and North America. 

For instance, according to the government of Zimbabwe, more than 20,000 Zimbabweans alone migrated to the United Kingdom on a UK health and care worker visa in the year that ended in June 2023. While this underscores the predicament the Zimbabwean youth find themselves in, this mindset in the long term leads to perennial enslavement and a significant brain drain. 

The aim is not to discourage emigration due to push and pull factors but to ensure that those who relocate understand that Europe and North America are not the “garden of Eden” portrayed by colonial education, colonial christian doctrines, Western literature, the film industry and the internet. 

Living in Western or foreign countries has its downside for instance, many are daily subjected to either direct or subtle racism. Straightforward conversations with those in the diaspora would highlight that far from what they post on social media, they are often depressed due to poor social life in this part of the world. 

They are also constantly concerned about raising children in such environments. Therefore, the idea that happiness and success are elsewhere must be debunked. The truth is that success starts in the mind regardless of where one finds themselves. This thinking is likely to usher in a paradigm shift in Zimbabwe’s youth approach to their present predicament.

To answer the last question, two actions are essential. First, Zimbabwean youth must lead a civic process focused on developing  homegrown success standards that draw on indigenous ideals. The recent developments in Kenya have demonstrated the quality, quantity of energy, and collective solidarity amongst the youth essential for long-lasting or meaningful change. 

Second, efforts must be intensified to discuss and highlight the weaknesses, falsehoods, double standards, and poverty of Western culture, which involves unlearning and rethinking deeply ingrained beliefs. Zimbabwe needs an education curriculum that primarily draws on Zimbabwe’s frames of reference not European or North American. Other civilizations must only come to complement and fill the gaps.

Systemic interventions like this across sectors in education, health, industry, politics, and finance must be prioritized and thoroughly executed. The primary aim is to awaken Zimbabweans to the reality that emigrating to Western countries and acquiring a European-like accent, and lifestyle does not constitute success. 

Even in a globalized world, Zimbabwe needs distinct success standards. All great powers today possess these qualities, and if Zimbabwe desires its measure of greatness, it must cultivate its own.

Zimbabweans must understand that they are excellent humans, with full human dignity and worth. Their indigenous standards of success, philosophies, and ideals are legitimate. As the historian and decolonial theorist Ndlovu-Gatsheni noted, colonialists committed heinous crimes such as genocides, linguisticides, culturecides, and epistemicides against other civilizations and there is need for a decolonial turn. A decolonial turn in this context would mean developing homegrown success standards that primarily draw on indigenous values.

Certainly, Zimbabwean youth are suffering from a corrupt and incompetent dictatorship, unemployment, and limited access to socioeconomic opportunities. However, it is crucial to recognize that the lesser is included in the greater. The youth must prioritize leading a civic process that generates homegrown success standards. Particularly the youth because apart from being both today and future leaders, it is their future at stake, and they are the majority stakeholder.  According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Zimbabwe is an extremely young country, with 62% of the population below the age of 25 years.

The country must build on indigenous standards of being human, beautiful, intelligent, and successful. Zimbabweans at all levels must have their standards for living, eating, and coexisting harmoniously with one another and nature.

Seek ye first the kingdom of homegrown success standards, and all other things shall be added unto you. 

David A. Chikwaza is a political scientist and sustainable development researcher. He is currently a PhD candidate in the School of History and Geography at Dublin City University, Ireland. He was a United Nations Graduate Study Program Fellow, in 2023.