By David A. Chikwaza
In contemporary Zimbabwe, especially among Generation Z, prevailing notions of success are largely shaped not by indigenous culture, heritage, or identity, but by lingering colonial value systems. Recognizing and challenging this reality is essential for mental emancipation, empowerment, and the restoration of agency, key ingredients for reversing the country’s chronic underdevelopment.
Today, success is too often equated with speaking fluent English, emigrating to the West, owning luxury vehicles, boarding international flights, and living in palatial homes, all hallmarks of Western capitalist aspirations. While material comfort is not inherently problematic, the uncritical adoption of foreign standards undermines Zimbabwe’s cultural integrity and national development.
No nation has achieved sustainable progress without first defining success on its own terms. The so-called “Asian Tigers”, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore, illustrate this principle. While several factors contributed to their economic rise, one undeniable constant was the emphasis on locally anchored development models and success metrics.
This context raises three fundamental questions:
- Why do many Zimbabweans continue to esteem foreign values over their own?
- What are the consequences of this for national development?
- What practical steps can be taken to reverse this trend?
The Colonial Legacy and Mental Displacement
To understand the first issue, we must acknowledge a systemic failure, both historical and contemporary. Past and present Zimbabwean administrations have not meaningfully invested in programs that cultivate national pride, cultural literacy, and indigenous knowledge systems.
Colonialism, while politically dismantled, remains deeply embedded in the mental landscapes of the formerly colonized. It delegitimizes indigenous knowledge and replaces it with Eurocentric worldviews, often portrayed as universal. In the age of globalization, digital media, and mass communication, this cultural imperialism continues unchallenged. Most Zimbabweans remain unaware of the ideological poverty and internal contradictions within the Western model they emulate.
The liberation movements of the 20th century, though politically significant, largely failed to achieve mental decolonization. Figures such as Robert Mugabe and Kwame Nkrumah made bold anti-colonial proclamations, yet the post-colonial reality for many Africans, Zimbabweans included, still reflects a psychological dependency on Western validation. As Indian thinker Ashis Nandy aptly stated, colonialism persists as “an intimate enemy”, quietly shaping minds, desires, and identities.
The High Cost of Imported Success
This brings us to the second question: the socio-economic impact of this mental colonization. By chasing foreign ideals, Zimbabwe’s youth risk forsaking their role in local development. Brain drain is perhaps the clearest symptom. In the year ending June 2023, over 20,000 Zimbabweans migrated to the United Kingdom under the health and care worker visa alone, according to government data.
This exodus not only reflects a national crisis but perpetuates one. Emigrants often find themselves grappling with subtle and overt racism, cultural dislocation, and mental health struggles, experiences rarely reflected in curated social media narratives. The idea that happiness and success reside abroad is an illusion, one that obscures the power of self-definition and internal transformation.
The goal is not to discourage emigration but to equip those who leave, and those who stay, with a clearer understanding: Western lifestyles are not inherently superior, nor are they universally fulfilling. True success begins in the mind, shaped by one’s values, context, and vision.
A Path Forward: Indigenous Standards, Youth Leadership
To address the final question, what is to be done, we must start by asserting the need for a civic movement led by Zimbabwean youth to define and pursue homegrown success standards rooted in indigenous values. The youth, who make up over 62% of the population (UNFPA), are not only the future but also the present stewards of national identity.
Kenya offers a recent example of how youth-led solidarity and energy can spark national transformation. Zimbabwean youth must follow suit, boldly challenging outdated systems while affirming their cultural identity and potential.
Second, Zimbabwe must invest in systemic reform, beginning with education. A decolonized curriculum that centers Zimbabwean worldviews, complemented, not dominated, by other civilizations—is critical. Education must prepare young people not just to work in Western economies but to build African societies rooted in justice, sustainability, and dignity.
This paradigm shift must also extend across sectors: health, industry, governance, and finance. These systems should reflect local values and priorities, not mimic foreign templates. Zimbabwe must consciously redefine what it means to be successful, intelligent, beautiful, and dignified, on its own terms.
As scholar Sabelo Ndlovu-Gatsheni reminds us, colonialism was not just about the theft of land or labor, but the destruction of epistemologies, languages, and cultures. Reversing that damage requires more than policy, it demands a decolonial turn, an intentional re-centering of indigenous ways of knowing and being.
Conclusion: The Urgency of Now
Zimbabwe’s youth face undeniable challenges: economic mismanagement, political instability, and limited opportunity. Yet, even amid these constraints, they possess the power to redefine their future. They are the majority stakeholders in a country with untapped potential.
To seek first the “kingdom” of homegrown success standards is not to retreat into the past, but to boldly craft a future rooted in authenticity, resilience, and pride. It is only through this process that Zimbabwe can escape the grip of inherited inferiority and take its place, confidently and uniquely, on the global stage.
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.
