The burden of debt overwhelms this struggling country

Zimbabwe is a landlocked nation in south central Africa, immediately north of South Africa. It is the location of the spectacular Victoria Falls, and the home of some of the most magnificent wildlife reserves in the world. It is also one of the poorest countries in the world. With a life expectancy at birth of only 37 years, it is also one of the least healthy. As with any country, an understanding of its history sheds considerable light on its present problems.

The impressive acropolis and fortress known as Great Zimbabwe gives testimony to existence of the trading empire of the Shona people that thrived between the 12th and the 15th centuries AD. The Portuguese began exploring the area during the 16th century, and became increasingly influential in the region during the next two centuries. However, from about 1830 to 1880 it was another African group, the Ndebele, who were the greatest threat to the indigenous population. As the Ndebele migrated into the area they enslaved and exploited the peaceful Shona. Significant tension continues to exist between these two people to the present day.

Throughout the later half of the 19th century Europeans, interested in finding gold, began migrating into the area. By 1895 the area was known as Rhodesia, after Cecil John Rhodes, who was one of the most aggressive and influential settlers in the area. He formed the British South Africa Company which received its charter from England in 1889. Initially that was England’s primary governing body in the region. Several political arrangements succeeded one another but essentially from 1889 until 1964 Rhodesia was a colony of England, organized for the whites, and dedicated to building an English society.

In 1964, under the leadership of Ian Smith, Rhodesia announce the Unilateral Declaration of independence, and became in independent country with guaranteed white rule.

Throughout the time that Rhodesia was a colony and during the time it operated as an independent country under white rule, the whites exploited the blacks for cheap labor and organized the affairs of the country for their own benefit. Blacks were blocked from having significant property, were not allowed participation in governmental matters on an equal basis, were poorly educated, and were not provided with adequate health care. As one might expect, this led to periodic rebellions by the blacks. Opposition came from two groups organized along ethnic lines. Nkomo mobilized the Ndebele minority in the Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU) and Mugabe brought the majority together under the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU). By 1980 they were able to negotiate a agreement by which they became a free nation under majority rule. A part of the agreement was that they would guarantee the minority rights. Mugabe was elected president.

From the outset this new nation faced huge obstacles in its efforts to develop a viable, healthy and prosperous environment for its citizens. Droughts repeatedly created serious food shortages for the people. Old rivalries between ethnic groups hampered the smooth running of the government. Lack of capital impeded the creation of the infrastructure needed for development. When it could ill afford to neglect its own problems, the country became involved in a civil war in the Congo. Finally, AIDS reached epidemic proportions toward the end of the last decade. At present about a fourth of the population is HIV positive. The leadership of the country by president Mugube since independence has often been arbitrary and dictatorial in the extreme, and this has undoubtedly exacerbated some of the problems the country faces. However, the lion’s share of the difficulty that Zimbabwe has had coping with its mountain of problems can be traced to the legacy of colonialism. The low level of education of the black community, the poor health of the majority of the population, and the extremely inequitable distribution of land and resources were direct outcomes of colonialism, and white minority rule up until 1980.

Before it had a reasonable chance to recover from the damage caused by over a century of white exploitation, Zimbabwe found itself mired down in an unmanagable international debt. As is happening around the world, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund are using this debt as a lever to force its structural adjustment programs on the country – thus effectively prolonging the de-facto rule of the country by outside forces. In this way colonialism has changed its form but not its substance. If Zimbabwe is to be able to begin to solve its problems, it must be acknowledged by the international community that it is financially bankrupt. It is not ethical to force the country to service its debt when it cannot feed, educate or provide even minimal health care to its people.