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On December 22nd, 2013, the government of Zimbabwe unveiled a statue of Joshua Nkomo, widely regarded as the Father of Zimbabwean nationalism, in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second-largest city and the capital of the Matabeleland region. Bulawayo is known as a hub of opposition politics and resistance. The unveiling took place on a national holiday commemorating peace, marking the end of the 1983–1987 genocide, during which Nkomo’s political party endured a government-sponsored military siege. This historical context profoundly shapes how the people of Matabeleland position themselves in relation to a monument intended to celebrate and immortalise the leader of the country’s liberation struggle. Drawing on archival research, including material from online spaces, newspaper libraries, and in-depth interviews, this chapter examines the ambivalent ways in which the people of Bulawayo engage with the statue as a monument. While some of the citizens perceive the statue as an attempt by the ZANU-PF government to assert control over Matabeleland and its history, others have embraced it and repurposed its symbolism to serve their own political agendas.

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Perplexity and Ambivalence: Making Sense of the People’s “Relationship” to the Joshua Nkomo Statue in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

  • 章节

  • 发表日期：

    2025年

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  • Khanyile Mlotshwa

摘要

On December 22nd, 2013, the government of Zimbabwe unveiled a statue of Joshua Nkomo, widely regarded as the Father of Zimbabwean nationalism, in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second-largest city and the capital of the Matabeleland region. Bulawayo is known as a hub of opposition politics and resistance. The unveiling took place on a national holiday commemorating peace, marking the end of the 1983–1987 genocide, during which Nkomo’s political party endured a government-sponsored military siege. This historical context profoundly shapes how the people of Matabeleland position themselves in relation to a monument intended to celebrate and immortalise the leader of the country’s liberation struggle. Drawing on archival research, including material from online spaces, newspaper libraries, and in-depth interviews, this chapter examines the ambivalent ways in which the people of Bulawayo engage with the statue as a monument. While some of the citizens perceive the statue as an attempt by the ZANU-PF government to assert control over Matabeleland and its history, others have embraced it and repurposed its symbolism to serve their own political agendas.