Zimfest UK and the Politics of Distraction: When a Nation Majors on the Minor

 

Zimfest UK and the Politics of Distraction: When a Nation Majors on the Minor

By Sipho N Banana

As Zimbabweans lit up social media this past weekend, you’d be forgiven for thinking something monumental had happened on the political front but perhaps a major corruption scandal exposed, a citizens’ victory in court, or a mass mobilization of the diaspora demanding change back home. But no. The firestorm was over outfits, artists, social snubs, and champagne tables at Zimfest UK 2025.

Once again, we witnessed what has become a troubling national pattern, the Zimbabwean tendency to major on minor issues.

It’s not that culture doesn’t matter. Music, fashion, celebration are vital expressions of identity and community. But when these take centre stage at the expense of deeper reflection on Zimbabwe’s ongoing collapse and when they become the only things we argue about it reveals something tragic. A people emotionally exhausted, politically repressed, and subconsciously distracting themselves from the pain of a broken nation.

Zimfest as a Mirror

Zimfest, in its ideal form, should be a space where the diaspora reconnects, networks, and shares not only joy but purpose. Instead, it has increasingly become a stage where classism, celebrity culture, and shallow rivalries take the spotlight and while real issues are ignored.

Few conversations trended about Zimbabwe’s:

91% youth unemployment,

Broken healthcare systems,

2023 rigged elections and a captured judiciary,

Civil servants earning starvation wages,

Ongoing abductions and silencing of dissent.

The irony? Many at Zimfest are directly impacted. They live abroad not just for opportunity, but because Zimbabwe pushed them out through bad governance, economic mismanagement, and state brutality. Yet faced with this reality, some in the diaspora have chosen to escape into performance, clout, and consumerism and safely far from the tear gas, but also far from the truth.

Why We Major on Minor Things

This isn’t unique to Zimfest. It’s a reflection of the broader Zimbabwean condition.

Survival mode has consumed our people for so long that long-term thinking and civic awareness have eroded.

The education system, hijacked by propaganda and patronage, has discouraged critical thinking and produced a generation more fluent in slogans than strategy.

Fear of repression at home and in the diaspora means people avoid hard conversations.

And now, with social media amplifying outrage over substance, many opt for viral distraction over civic engagement.

This isn’t a moral failure of individuals. It is a systemic failure of a nation betrayed. We’ve been taught to laugh so we don’t cry. To fight each other over nothing, rather than fight power over everything.

A Challenge to the Diaspora

The Zimbabwean diaspora is one of the most educated, talented, and resourceful communities in the world. But our impact is blunted when we fall into the same cycle of majoring on the minor.

What if Zimfest became more than just a party?

What if, alongside the music and dance, it created spaces for dialogue?

What if it hosted panels on youth unemployment, corruption, women's rights, land reform, or media freedom?

What if it raised funds not just for event production but for civil society, legal aid, education, or independent journalism?

What if we dressed well and thought deeper?

Conclusion: From Vibes to Vision

Zimfest UK could be a model for a conscious diaspora. One that celebrates our culture while confronting our crisis. One that uses joy not to escape but to energize.

Zimbabwe needs more than DJs and designers. It needs dreamers and doers. And until we, as Zimbabweans, stop majoring on the minor, we risk becoming entertainers at our own funeral.

We can do better. We must.

A Legacy of Sacrifice: Detention at Wha Wha Prison

 

Late former Zimbabwe President Canaan Sodindo Banana.

My late father, Canaan Banana, Zimbabwe’s first President at Independence, was more than just a ceremonial head of state. Before independence, he was detained at Wha Wha Prison (Prison Number 188/78), where he sat alongside many of the country’s most prominent nationalist leaders which is a profound testament to his courage and resilience.

Sharing the Cell with Liberation Icons

Despite its reputation as a camp for colonial repression, Wha Wha Prison became a crucible for the liberation struggle housing many of Zimbabwe’s most revered freedom fighters:

• Robert Gabriel Mugabe, later Zimbabwe’s first post-independence executive President, was detained under prison number 176/64 at Wha Wha before being transferred elsewhere.

• Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo, founder of ZAPU and the revered “Father Zimbabwe,” spent time at Wha Wha before being moved to Gonakudzingwa.

• Leopold Takawira, ZAPU’s External Secretary and later ZANU Vice-President, was detained and tortured in Wha Wha and other camps; he later died from injuries sustained in detention.

• Josiah Mushore Chinamano and his wife Ruth Chinamano, both prominent ZAPU leaders, were imprisoned at Wha Wha until 1970 before suffering travel restrictions upon release.

• Jane Lungile Ngwenya, a stalwart of the struggle and later ZAPU women’s leader, was detained at Wha Wha from 1964 to 1970 and became part of an internal detainee governance system focused on education and political strategy.

• Others who shared this crucible included Enos Nkala, Sydney Malunga, Fletcher Dulini Ncube, Mark Nziramasanga, Robert Mubayiwa Marere, Rido Mpofu, Chenjerai Hunzvi, and Naison Khutshwekhaya Ndlovu and all detainees whose stories of defiance varied but who shared the same spirit of resistance.

Why This Matters

When detractors describe my father’s role as purely ceremonial, they ignore the reality of sacrifice, strategic thought, and sacrifice behind those cell bars. Being labeled “ceremonial” cannot obscure the fact that he and the men and women detained with him risked their freedom, families, and lives for Zimbabwe’s liberation.

The struggle wasn’t just fought in the bush; it was fought in places like Wha Wha where political prisoners transformed detention into a political university. There, they educated one another, developed governance frameworks, and preserved unity across party lines even in the most adverse conditions.

The Courage Behind the History

My father shared space with leaders who went on to shape the nation, not as ceremonial heads, but as visionary actors of change. Many of them paid a high personal price. Yet today, more than 40 years after independence, some of those same systems and laws he opposed are still being wielded to oppress citizens.

That history is not something to romanticize uncritically, but neither should it be dismissed. It’s upon that legacy of real sacrifice and conviction that we assess our present, and chart a better future.

Conclusively

That said, we can no longer afford to romanticize the past. 

Over 40 years after independence, many of the struggles we now face are not the remnants of colonialism, but the result of poor leadership from some of the very liberators who once promised us freedom. The painful truth is they have become the gatekeepers of the same oppressive systems they fought against.

And after all this time, it’s now clear we cannot expect ZANU PF to reform. The party has mutated into a system of governance that closely resembles an organized criminal enterprise and one that maintains power through fear, repression, and manipulation. It uses inherited colonial laws not to liberate, but to silence and punish its own people.

As his son, I wish I could follow in my father’s political footsteps with pride. However I can’t do so blindly, because this is no longer the party that gave birth to Zimbabwe. What exists today is a far cry from the vision of inclusive liberation.

For me real patriotism today means choosing truth over nostalgia, and justice over loyalty to broken systems. Such unkind truths often come with reprisals.However despite the risks, I still hold onto hope that freedom of speech has a place in our beloved Zimbabwe regardless of the harsh socioeconomic and political conditions we face.

Without space for truth, there can be no healing. Without dialogue, no real progress.

"Freedom of Speech, But Not Freedom After Speech: The Cost of Truth in Zimbabwe"

 

 "Zimbabwe’s crisis has evolved beyond stolen votes to stolen livelihoods where poverty is no longer a byproduct of bad governance, but a deliberate tool wielded by a privileged few to choke dissent, starve democracy, and turn economic survival into political submission."

To be honest, for many people, economic and political justice in Zimbabwe feels less like a dream deferred and more like a dream deliberately denied. Decades of broken promises, rigged elections, rampant corruption, and economic collapse have hollowed out hope. When the cost of living rises daily while leaders enrich themselves, and when elections become rituals without accountability, it’s easy to feel that justice is reserved for the powerful, not the people.

But is it impossible? No, not if people continue to organize, speak out, and refuse to accept the status quo as permanent. Across history, systems that seemed untouchable eventually shifted because ordinary people didn’t give up. It may feel slow, painful, and costly and yes, the path is uncertain but the dream only becomes impossible when people stop believing in it and stop acting on it.

Justice in Zimbabwe might not come from the top down but it will likely be built from the ground up: in communities, through solidarity, through civic education, strategic pressure, and unified resistance. It requires a long view, but also bold and present action.

So no, it’s not impossible. But it’s also not automatic. It will demand more than just outrage it will take strategy, unity, sacrifice, and deep vision.

It takes immense courage to speak the truth in Zimbabwe. Yes, the Constitution may promise freedom of expression but in reality, that freedom often ends the moment you exercise it. The powerful still control the levers of state, and they can silence, punish, or destroy lives with impunity. So while speech may be "free," freedom after speech is never guaranteed.

This is the harsh reality faced by many Zimbabweans today. 

Still, we must be honest: this struggle is not safe. Those who challenge authority risk losing everything. Jobs can disappear. Reputations can be destroyed. Lives can be made unbearable. How can one feel truly free in an environment where repressive measures can be applied so casually, so mercilessly?

The answer is complex, but it starts with naming the fear and refusing to let it rule us. Above all, it will take the courage to speak, even when the cost is high.Because the dream of justice only dies when we stop believing in it and stop fighting for it.

Is ZANU PF Destroying the Old to Build the New? A Critical Look at Zimbabwe’s Governance Trajectory

 

Is ZANU PF Destroying the Old to Build the New? A Critical Look at Zimbabwe’s Governance Trajectory

In the evolving landscape of Zimbabwean politics, a concerning pattern has emerged. One that suggests the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU PF) may be pursuing a strategy of dismantling old systems under the pretext of building something new.

While this strategy is not codified in any official policy, the practical evidence points to a calculated transformation of Zimbabwe’s political and institutional architecture. What we are witnessing may not simply be change but upheaval.

The Dismantling of Institutional Foundations

Over the past several years, ZANU PF has overseen the systematic erosion of key institutional pillars:

Land Tenure Systems: 

The recalibration of land ownership, including the controversial issuance of new title deeds, has raised alarm. Critics view this as an attempt to reassert control over land allocation and usage and a move that benefits political loyalty over justice and equity.

Local Government Autonomy: 

Longstanding frameworks that granted local authorities a degree of independence are being weakened. Centralized control is reasserted through opaque appointment mechanisms, budgetary constraints, and political interference.

Civil Service Neutrality: 

Once envisioned as an apolitical organ of the state, the civil service is increasingly viewed as a politicized extension of the ruling party, where appointments and promotions are often aligned with political allegiance rather than merit or professional competence.

These changes are rarely framed as erosions of democratic norms. Instead, they are marketed as steps toward national renewal under catchy slogans like “Vision 2030,” the “Second Republic,” or “economic empowerment.”

Reform or Reinvention of Control?

At first glance, these initiatives might suggest progressive reform. However, beneath the rhetoric lies a troubling trend: 

• Consolidation of power and deepening political patronage.
• Transparency has declined, with decision-making processes increasingly shrouded in secrecy.
• Elite enrichment has accelerated, as access to resources and opportunities becomes concentrated among those within or aligned with the ruling elite.
• Democratic processes, including elections and public consultations, are sidelined or manipulated to give a veneer of legitimacy to what critics describe as authoritarian maneuvers.

This is not reform in the democratic sense. Rather, it appears to be a strategic demolition of previous checks and balances clearing the way not for people-centered governance, but for regime entrenchment.

The Pattern Is Unmistakable

What makes this moment especially consequential is the intentionality of these shifts. Whether by design or consequence, ZANU PF’s governance has resulted in:

• The dismantling of old, decentralized, and independent systems;
• The creation of new, centralized structures of control;
• The reframing of authoritarian practices as visionary progress.

This approach echoes the adage: “Destroy the old so that the new may be born.” But the critical question becomes "what kind of “new” is being born?".

A Call for National Introspection

Zimbabwe stands at a crossroads. The promise of a renewed republic is weighed down by the growing reality of captured institutions and diminished democratic space. The question facing every citizen is no longer simply about party loyalty or political ideology. It is about the soul of the nation.

Are we witnessing a genuine national rebirth, or a descent into deeper authoritarianism? Are these structural changes laying the foundation for an inclusive, equitable future or entrenching a legacy of elite control? Only an informed, active, and courageous citizenry can answer that and act accordingly.

Join the conversation. Stay informed. Speak out. Zimbabwe’s future depends not only on those who govern, but on those who dare to hold power accountable.