By Aaron Gono
Was compelled to write this topic whilst l was listening to Oliver Mtukudzi’s song “Kushiringinya.”
 The song goes as follows “Ndatadza kushiringinya, ndiri pamakumbo paamai, kushaya mufaro, ndakatsika rukuvhute, rwa sekuru vangu.
Ndingaita ripi zano? Mwana asingacheme, anofira mumbereko”, literally translated as “I fail to find pleasure whilst sitting on my mother’s lap, and also fail to enjoy the sweat of my grandfather’s suffering. What shall l do? A child who doesn’t cry, will die on her mother’s back.”
And I thought about how the United States of America froze all aid to the world. The coming of the 45 th President of the United States, Donald Trump was skeptically received the world over.
Some accuse him of being in a vengeance state against his erstwhile enemies in the Democratic Party, in the media and judiciary. But it seems Trump holds no such grudges. He intends to make America great again, by cutting excessive and wasteful expenditures which make third world countries’ economies stagnant.
And to “Make America Great Again”, Donald Trump Trump must make sure he is always ahead in computer technology and arms race in this world . So he needs all the resources which previous American governments had been carelessly spending.
All donor funding especially in Africa had been frozen, including critical ones like in the health sector. But thankfully after some few days he gave a waiver to anything that saves lives like the critical anti-retroviral drugs.
That brought a big sigh of relief to HIV+ people who rely on the drugs for healthy lifestyles in Africa.
That simply displays the human side of Trump. The guy is not artificial, he is real. He is a replicate of the former late president of the United States of America, Richard Milhous Nixon.
Despite his Watergate Scandal, Nixon remains a big figure in American politics. Like Trump he relied in what he thought was right. He was also a Republican candidate. Both share the same commonality with life and very brilliant. Underestimate them at your own expense. The Democratic Party did that to Trump and suffered a humiliating defeat that simply exposed itself as an extension of the Ku Klux Klan gangsters (white supremacists).
The world might accuse Trump of protectionism and unfair trade practices but he is very right about both. I am looking at Zimbabwe as a case study. We attained our independence in April, 18, 1980.
Our economy was very, very efficient and all government departments were efficiently run. The laissez faire economy was a big bonus for competing companies in the country. Our Zimbabwean dollar was a currency to be proud of.
And what really destroyed the economy of Zimbabwe despite sanctions, was the import of cheap products in the country under the disguise of a free economy model; which was mainly a Western idea of getting into other countries without much fuss. It was called a global village. Imports of cheap sugar from Brazil and other destinations gave Hippo Valley Estates and Triangle Limited some setbacks. Yes we have to import in order to fill a gap a local company cannot fulfill. And not as a ‘ get rich quickly ‘ project by the politically connected.
Imports of cheap metals caused the demise of Ziscosteel. Some say asset stripping by the politically correct can be attributed to it but also look at cheap imports coming into the country. Cone Textiles and David Whitehead in Chegutu were destroyed by second hand bales of clothings.
A jean trousers at Edgars Stores costs 30 to 40 US$. You will get the same trousers for US$3 at the informal market. That’s where Trump , tariffs imports to his country. It is not protectionism at all.
And the other fact that destroyed Zimbabwe’s economy and its industrious citizens is that AID, which Trump says must be streamlined. He is not completely cutting it but must be distributed where there is need like the weather climate disasters, like fires, floods and droughts. For example how many millions of US aid had America gave third world countries to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights? How many it gave to prop up militias in Africa or unsitting so called dictators like Kadaffi, Hussein, Mobutu Sese Seko, Robert Mugabe , Thomas Sankara, Patrice Lumumba, Sellasie, Kwame Nkrumah etc. That is what Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE ) says ” must stop. Let’s give precedence to important matters first.” Misunderstand them at your own peril.
African leaders must not rely on western aid as a panacea for their shortcomings. If you have failed to live up to your promises of uplifting lives of people you have liberated. Who do you think must take that responsibility? Nearly 70 years of European aid coming to Africa has reduced the continent to a basket case. We no longer have one African president who means business. Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso is trying very hard to reshape the African mindset to the factory settings of the early 1960’s; when Africa was a promising continent. I am sure if they don’t do him the ‘ Che Guevara ‘ way, he is a shining beacon. Long live to him.
I am not wishing other African leaders ” bad karma” but please copy and paste the Chinese Communist Party which enrols best minds and dedicated cadres in its ranks. People who have vision for their country. Kakistocracy is one major reason African leaders are failing us. You must be loyal to your Chef only and a good slogan chanter and a yes man. Those were bush warfare ideologies, we need Africa to rely on meritocracy. People with efficient knowledge in economics, commerce, computers etc manning their offices, not some hammerheads leading the pack. We must not find courage in hunting in packs like rats. Do your job singly and efficiently like Musk, Gates, Zuckerberg, the late Steve Jobs of Apple, Masiyiwa, Dangote, and Motsepe. If you are not one of them, re-introspect yourself and stop saying you gotta Abraham as your father.
There is no other way Africa should still continue to cry for crumbs from the richman’s world. We had enough share of aid for many years. Only Paul Kagame managed to uplift the life of Rwandans from that aid. Some might accuse him of stealing cobalt, diamonds, tantalite etc from the DRC. But Kigali has something to show for its larceny. Its thievery is paying off. Kigali is the smartest city in the world and well run. I am not disparaging other African leaders but please up the ante. Because we have lost our opportunity, ‘ Imwe Chanzi Ichabvepi?
South Korea has Samsung, Taiwan has the best micro- chip industry in the world, Japan has the sharpest computer technology in the world, both China and America collaboratively have all, Britain is not a dying horse it also has some big advantage as it welcomes all sharp brains in the country. France only depended on minerals from its former colonies from Africa, now Traore and company have changed the game. On Africa, lemme keep quiet, as l will be accused of being a fundamentalist (munhu anodarika mwero).
Chill Out!
