MSUIR Collection:
https://cris.library.msu.ac.zw//handle/11408/44
2024-03-28T20:17:06ZTake us back to the graves of our ancestors! Land as a source and site of conflict in the Gutu District of Zimbabwe, 2000-2016.: Paper presented at Midlands State University International Research Conference held at Zvishavane Campus, 29-30 September 2017
https://cris.library.msu.ac.zw//handle/11408/2900
Title: Take us back to the graves of our ancestors! Land as a source and site of conflict in the Gutu District of Zimbabwe, 2000-2016.: Paper presented at Midlands State University International Research Conference held at Zvishavane Campus, 29-30 September 2017
Authors: Tarugarira, Gilbert
Abstract: Land is a primary and fundamental, highly symbolic resource for the vast majority of African people. It is a core element in the complex social relations of production and reproduction. Being a valuable and immovable resource of limited quantity, its ownership and usage invoke emotional responses which spill into questions of autochthony and identity politics. As this paper demonstrates; how land should be used, owned and controlled and by whom has revealed a highly contested and conflictual terrain in Gutu. The volatile dynamics of conflict have not always conformed to the conventions of logic. Claims over ancestral land in Gutu have also had an impact on people’s identity and their feelings of connectedness with the social and cultural environment in its entirety. However ignoring these complexities has led to tenure reforms which have aggravated land-based conflict. In this paper, I argue that while conflict has been a symptom of persistent inequalities, it has provided an opportunity for the elite to consolidate their holdings of land and valuable resources. The reluctance by the District Administrator’s office to recognize and resolve lingering disputes born of the land and agrarian reform programmes has triggered extended protests and violence, prompting local-level institutions to make fragile and ill-conceived decisions on land ownership. With economic, symbolic and emotional aspects at stake, the Gutu experience is studied to show that while land has been a source of conflict, it remains an essential element in peace building in post-conflict situations.2017-01-01T00:00:00ZTarugarira, GilbertThe dilemma of teachers’ unfavorable working conditions and political ideology on the teaching history in Zimbabwe: selected cases
https://cris.library.msu.ac.zw//handle/11408/1475
Title: The dilemma of teachers’ unfavorable working conditions and political ideology on the teaching history in Zimbabwe: selected cases
Authors: Chakawa, Joshua
Abstract: Zimbabwean secondary school history teachers have taken their political inclinations and dire economic situation into the classroom. There is a deliberate attempt by ZANU-PF opponents to infuse their political ideologies to learners as they go about their teaching business. Equally the same, those supportive of the government and the ruling party sometimes take their line of thinking into the classroom. Further, certain topics in ‘O’ Level History Paper 1 and ‘A’ Level Paper 5 meant to be taught and in the syllabus are skipped and war veterans may not be welcome as resource persons. In addition, there is some kind of reluctance by instructors to openly discuss certain topics which are deemed sensitive because the teachers themselves are suspicious of each other. In addition, the meager salaries received by teachers have increased their potential of carrying their frustrations into the classroom. The research was a product of a survey that was carried out in some Zimbabwean schools with a bias towards Midlands Province. It sought to establish how poverty and political affiliation has affected the teaching of history and how that has ultimately impacted on the student. Use was made of chosen topics that teachers find sensitive when teaching. There was also an attempt to interview the bulk of ‘O’ Level and ‘A’ history teachers. The paper is crucial because it unpacks how the silent war in schools impact on concerned stakeholders inclusive of parents. It also unveils how the Zimbabwean government has used history to bolster its support. From 1980 to 2002, history was optional in schools and then made compulsory from 2003 with some papers thought to be aligned to the West being scrapped from the syllabus.2015-01-01T00:00:00ZChakawa, Joshua