History History

The first inhabitants of southern Africa had nothing to do with the plump "dollies" and lanky men we see there today. Small, with prominent cheekbones, brownish skin and very wrinkled, the Bushmen and the Hottentots, ancestors of the Zimbabweans, were rather characterized by their Mongoloid physique. Anthropologists prefer the names San and Khoe, which mean respectively "those who gather" and "men of men". These are more a matter of cultural than biological differentiation: they were the work of the Cape Dutch, who thus distinguished the tribes that raised livestock and had a semblance of social organization (Hottentot) from those living in small groups and practicing gathering and hunting (San). These divisions, like any attempt at racial categorization, are often sketchy, and subsequent research has shown that some Bushmen groups kept livestock and practiced agriculture. In any case, the San and Khoe were the first peoples to occupy the southern lands and to leave pictorial traces of their passage on the reddish hills. If we have relatively little information concerning the origins of these two tribes, we know on the other hand that they occupied this part of the world since the Stone Age, as attested by some of the rock paintings still in a good state of preservation. Very old tools were also found and testify of the long occupation of these remote lands.

The Bantu-speaking peoples probably appeared about 100,000 years ago. Their emergence occurs in the tropical forests of equatorial Africa where certain large groups progressively develop darker skin pigmentation and acquire new physical characteristics, probably due to the environment. Those who came to settle in southern Africa originated from Cameroon and began large migratory movements 3,000 years before our time. Probably fleeing parasitic infections from the tsetse fly in equatorial Africa, some groups settled in the Great Lakes region of East Africa, before continuing their journey to the south of the continent; others went there more directly, but chose to go west and follow the Atlantic coast. After several centuries of gradual and extremely slow advance, Bantu-speaking peoples reached present-day Zimbabwe and South Africa. They brought with them a certain form of political organization, agricultural methods and metallurgical technology, which led to significant changes throughout southern Africa.

Today's Zimbabwe owes its name to a civilization that has now disappeared and whose glory days were from the 11th to the 15th century. If the last vestiges are mainly concentrated a few kilometers from Masvingo, this commercial empire controlled a much larger region than present-day Zimbabwe, bounded to the north by the Zambezi, to the south by the Limpopo River, to the west by the Kalahari Desert and to the east by the Mozambican coast. Living from the trade of gold, copper, ivory, cotton and cattle, the city of Great Zimbabwe was home to up to 20,000 people at its peak. Its social organization was particularly well structured with a king, a ruling caste, subjects and an army. Although there is evidence of the development and expansion of this empire, the reasons for its sudden decline in the 15th century remain a mystery. Indeed, the influence of this dynasty ceased almost overnight, although some social groups continued to live there for some time. The Great Zimbabwe was a witness to a sophisticated African civilization that predated the arrival of Europeans and was the object of all political stakes. Indeed, when it was "discovered" by the white settlers in 1867, it seemed inconceivable to them to attribute any African paternity to it! Thus, many theories, each more far-fetched than the last, obscured the truth for some time. Some colonialist pseudo-scientists saw traces of the Portuguese colonial empire or of the presence of the Phoenicians. They even claimed that the remains were those of the biblical city of the Queen of Sheba! This controversy has taken such proportions that this site has become a true cultural symbol for the African people. In 1980, at the time of the declaration of independence, Great Zimbabwe naturally gave its name to the country. The term Zimbabwe comes from zimba ramabwe, which means "the great stone house" in the Shona language.

Around 1420, when the empire of Great Zimbabwe began to crack, some of its members moved to areas further north. There they founded an independent state, Mutapa, which prospered for nearly a century. At the same time, another dynasty, the Torwa, established itself in the southwestern part of present-day Zimbabwe, at Khami. In the late eighteenth century, as the Rozwi, a Shona group, overthrew and absorbed the Torwa dynasty, the Mutapa state gradually weakened. Torn by internal quarrels, it had more and more difficulty in repelling the Portuguese colonists' desire to conquer. Forced to withdraw to the Zambezi Valley, it was definitively wiped off the map by the Portuguese and the English at the end of the 19th century. In present-day South Africa, the 19th century was marked by the supremacy of the Zulu dynasty and, in particular, by the reign of King Shaka from 1818 to 1828. Famous for his warrior qualities, he did not suffer any rivalry and many generals were forced to flee. Some parts of southern Africa were shaped by these successive exiles. Mzilikazi, the future king of Ndebele and founder of Matabeleland, was one of these generals banished by Shaka.

Mzilikazi, chief of a Zulu clan subordinate to Shaka, decides in the early ^19th century to challenge the supreme authority of the Zulu king. After having contained a first attack of Shaka's army, he and his men are defeated during a second assault and forced to flee. Moving progressively northwards, they annexed the different provinces they had crossed. Little by little, Mzilikazi's reputation grew and many warriors joined the Ndebele army, "those who disappear under their long shields".

After a stopover in Botswana, at Kuruma, during which Mzilikazi befriended the missionary Robert Moffat, he set out again in a northerly direction, crossing the Limpopo River, beyond which he decided to settle. Upon arrival, he nicknamed the surrounding hills (the famous Matopos Hills, located southwest of Bulawayo) Amatobo, which in IsiNdebele means "bald heads. He subjugated the local tribes and placed his trusted men in the four corners of his new empire, Matabeleland, and imposed the Zulu way of life. His authority is absolute and he does not accept any questioning of his power. Thus, he did not hesitate to execute any subject suspected, rightly or wrongly, of disobedience or conspiracy against him.

Discovery of the Victoria Falls by the British explorer, David Livingstone. Called Mosi Oa Tunya, they are renamed after its queen.

Death of Mzilikazi. His second son, Lobengula, took over the reins of power, but not without having to dismiss some long-toothed pretenders. Faithful to his father, he continued to give a warm welcome to the various hunters and missionaries who crossed his kingdom.

Coronation of Lobengula. The beginning of his reign was marked by the influence of European culture, whose way of life he adopted. He even commissioned one of his friends to build him a Flemish-style house!

European explorers, Frederick Selous and Thomas Baines, entered the Shona and Ndebele territories. In 1877, King Lobengula abandoned his European clothes to return to his original culture. From then on, the situation began to deteriorate.

King Lobengula was deceived by Cecil Rhodes and his British advisors. Indeed, believing to sign a simple right of movement in Matabeleland, he signs, in fact, his abdication and an annexation of his kingdom! With this stratagem, Cecil Rhodes created the British South Africa Company (BSCA).

Queen Victoria contributed to the planned downfall of King Ndebele by ratifying the company's charter.

Rhodes set up an army of 700 mercenaries and launched it to conquer Matabeleland and Mashonaland, the territory between Matabeleland and the Mozambican border.

War was declared between the British and the Ndebeles. The Ndebeles were defeated and their leader was exiled. He died in 1894.

A new administration was set up by the BSAC (British South Africa Company) of the new territory named "Rhodesia" in reference to Cecil Rhodes. Controlled by the BSAC and presented by Rhodes as the new Eldorado of the end of the century, the former kingdom of Lobengula attracted many European settlers, eager to settle as farmers or dreaming of discovering a gold mine. The annexation of Matabeleland and Mashonaland could not be achieved without the use of local labor, so the Shonas and Ndebeles were forcibly enlisted in the newly established farms. Moreover, in order to completely enslave these "savages", a residence tax (hut tax) was introduced!

Too proud to accept being enslaved, the Shonas and Ndebeles each took up arms and launched the first war of independence, or chimurenga. During the first months of 1896, fighting raged. The resistance of the Ndebeles and political pressure forced Rhodes to negotiate an armistice. After sending a conciliator, Rhodes himself travelled to Matobo Hills on 21 August 1896 to discuss with the Ndebeles chiefs. In the treaty signed two months later, Rhodes made many concessions: he returned some of their land to the Ndebeles and granted them a degree of autonomy.

At the age of 48, Cecil Rhodes died in Cape Town after a long and painful illness. His remains were transported by rail from Cape Town to Bulawayo, and then brought to the site he had chosen as his burial place: the summit of the Matopos Mountains, nicknamed "the view of the world.

Despite the introduction of taxes, the exploitation of the local population and the requisition of land, the BSAC did not manage to make any substantial profit from the former kingdom of Lobengula. In 1923, 24 years after its annexation by Rhodes, Southern Rhodesia became a colony of the British crown.

As white settlers took power and new immigrants poured in from South Africa and Europe, the living and working conditions of the black population deteriorated. Gradually, black political movements emerged. Demanding more social justice and respect for human rights, they organized the first national strike.

Nevertheless, colonial rule resisted and when the new parliament was constituted in Salisbury (now Harare), only six of the 36 seats to be filled were allocated to the African majority. A federation of Northern Rhodesia, Nyasaland and Southern Rhodesia was proclaimed on August¹, 1953.

The Southern Rhodesian National Congress was formed, with Joshua Nkomo as its president. Six years later, this black opposition organization split into two rival parties: the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) and the Zimbabwe African People Union (ZAPU).

On November 11, 1965, following the example set by neighboring Nyasaland and Northern Rhodesia, which had been granted independence (they are now called Malawi and Zambia, respectively), Southern Rhodesia, led by Ian Smith, issued the Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) and severed all ties with the British Empire! Surprised and eager to avoid any armed conflict with a "former" British colony, the British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, was slow to react and thus supported Ian Smith's self-proclamation of independence.

The Republic of Rhodesia was proclaimed. The only consequences of this senseless act are some economic sanctions by England and the countries attached to the UN, which have no real impact. Advocating apartheid, the new government accelerated the cleavage.

As acts of rebellion became more numerous, the black population gradually prepared for a second chimurenga. Supported by the rural population and backed by armed reinforcements based in Mozambique, the guerrillas intensified and gradually moved closer to the cities. Many white settlers were forced to leave the country. In order to cut the revolutionaries off from their popular support, Smith's government decided to gather the African population in "protected villages," veritable concentration camps.

Faced with the escalating violence, the international community began to be concerned and pressured Smith to ensure that all political movements in the country were represented in the government. A first summit on the future of Southern Rhodesia was held in Geneva in 1976. Following the summit, ZANU and ZAPU announced their merger into a single party, the Patriotic Front, which presented itself as the authentic representative of the Rhodesian people.

Negotiations were held between the white government and the black political movements to form a representative government for the country. In April, the first multiracial elections were held. On June¹, Josiah Zion Gumede became the first black president of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia and Abel Muzorewa was appointed prime minister. Smith remained in government and remained very influential. The new state had little support from the international community, and further negotiations led to the Lancaster Accords, which provided for a ceasefire and the establishment of a parliamentary system.

Elections were held in February. Southern Rhodesia became independent from the United Kingdom on April 18, 1980, and was renamed Zimbabwe, after Great Zimbabwe. Salisbury becomes Harare. Canaan Banana becomes President and Robert Mugabe Prime Minister. The national flag is the new standard of Zimbabwe and is adorned with various colors.

Civil war between the country's two political parties, ZANU (Zimbabwe African National Union) and ZAPU (Zimbabwe African People's Union). The former is made up of Shonas, while the latter is predominantly Ndebeles. Thousands of people were killed. The constitution of the young country was rewritten on December 31, 1987, abolishing, among other things, the position of Prime Minister. Robert Mugabe became President to be head of government and head of state.

The Ndebeles dissidents agreed to lay down their arms and the ZAPU party and Joshua Nkomo were finally integrated into the government.

New presidential and parliamentary elections were held. The main opposition to President Mugabe was led by Edgar Tekere, leader of the newly formed Zimbabwe Unity Movement (ZUM) and a minister in Mugabe's government until he was ousted for launching a campaign against corruption. Nevertheless, Mugabe's party won the election by a wide margin, with 117 of the 120 seats.

The problem of land sharing led to a severe land reform, many white farmers lost their land and went into exile.

Hotly contested elections allow Mugabe to stay in power.

Zimbabwe is no longer a member of the Commonwealth, and is in the midst of a serious socio-economic crisis due to land reform and high unemployment.

Parliamentary elections won by Mugabe's political party. Results strongly contested by the opposition. The country is mired in an agrarian, political and economic crisis with historic hyperinflation.

The presidential and legislative elections were won by the regime in power, while the opposition declared itself the winner and hyperinflation even reached a record high of more than 230 million Zimbabwean dollars!

Tensions are arising in the power-sharing between Mugabe and Tsvangirai. The regime plans to hold elections by the end of 2011. But it seems almost impossible to hold these elections on that date and in good conditions.

The presidential elections are again won by ZANU-PF.

Demonstrations are held across the country against corruption and new economic crisis.

As Robert Mugabe turns 93, the world's oldest leader, his succession is in question. He plans to hand over power to his wife, Grace, who is known for her taste for luxury and her brutality. He is keeping her potential rivals out of the party.

On the 4th, Mugabe announced that he wanted his wife to be his vice-president. The next day, she handed over the presidency and the day after that, Emmerson Mnangagwa, the current vice president, was removed from office. On the 15th, a "soft" coup d'état led by the army overthrew Mugabe, soon causing jubilant scenes in the country. Mugabe and his wife were placed under house arrest. Three days later, Mnangagwa took power and General Constantino Chiwenga became his Prime Minister. While Mugabe still considered himself the sole leader of the nation, he eventually resigned on the 21st. Mnangagwa was appointed interim president until the next elections.

A legislative and presidential election was held. The violence of previous elections was absent, voter turnout was high at 70 percent, and there was general hope. But this hope did not last long: following demonstrations in the center of Harare after the announcement of the results of the legislative elections won by ZANU-PF, soldiers fired into the crowd and six demonstrators were killed. A month later, a new economic crisis hit the country: gas stations, stores and bakeries emptied and the bond dollar lost half its value against the U.S. dollar. Despite positive speeches about the future of agriculture and the economy, the government is struggling to turn the country around, especially since climate change and droughts are drastically reducing agricultural production and threatening the food security of the population.

An economic crisis set in, the country suffered from a significant lack of foreign currency, which caused serious shortages of fuel, medicine and food.

The ever-increasing inflation and the increase in the price of fuel decreed by President Emmerson Mnangagwa (diesel rising from $1.36 to $3.11/liter) led to strikes throughout the country. The demonstrations were violently repressed, with dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries. On Wednesday, January 16, Pastor Evan Mawarire, a leading figure in the protests, was arrested.

The president called for a national dialogue, which was boycotted by the opposition, including Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Nelson Chamisa and National Patriotic Front (NPF) spokesman Jealous Mawarire. They are demanding an end to the crackdown on citizens before any debate.

Former President Robert Mugabe dies in Singapore at the age of 95.