Zimbabwean women's voices and the struggle for liberation: an analysis of selected texts

Abstract

The article explores Zimbabwean women’s voices about women’s participation in Zimbabwe’s struggle for independence and their welfare in the aftermath of independence as portrayed in Mothers of the Revolution (1990) and Women of Resilience: The Voices of Women Ex-combatants (2000). Here the authors unravel part of the tapestry of Zimbabwe’s social history that had up to 2000 remained inaudible and veiled by carefully woven official accounts. In some parts this article draws some parallels between wartime promises for total emancipation for every Zimbabwean and the harsh post-independence experiences the women have had to confront. Whilst the voices in these two books under discussion raise genuine personal concerns, the article argues that the voices appear sometimes to have a narrow vision of the global limitations Zimbabwe faces in her efforts to truly liberate all the marginalised people of her society. The largely disgruntled voices, however, could be viewed as a challenge for Zimbabwe to focus on her past mistakes for complete therapy as she forges into the future.