| Republic of Zimbabwe | |||||
| |||||
| Motto: Unity, Freedom, Work | |||||
| Anthem: Simudzai Mureza Wedu weZimbabwe (Shona) or Kalibusiswe Ilizwe leZimbabwe (Ndebele) ("Blessed be the land of Zimbabwe") | |||||
 | |||||
| Capital | Harare | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largest city | Harare | ||||
| Official language | English | ||||
| Government | Republic | ||||
| - President | Robert Mugabe | ||||
| Independence | |||||
| - Rhodesia | November 11, 1965 | ||||
| - Zimbabwe | April 18, 1980 | ||||
History
Precolonial era
Iron Age Bantu-speaking peoples began migrating into the area about 2,000 years ago, including the ancestors of the Shona, who account for roughly four fifths of the country's population today. By the middle ages, there was a Bantu civilization in the region, as evidenced by ruins at Great Zimbabwe, a Shona-speaking state. Around the early 10th century, trade developed with Muslim merchants on the Indian Ocean coast, helping to develop Great Zimbabwe in the 11th century. The state traded gold, ivory, and copper for cloth and glass. It ceased to be the leading Shona state in the mid-15th century.
In 1837 the Shona were conquered by the Ndebele, who forced them to pay tribute. Later in the 19th century British and Boer traders, missionaries, and hunters stated encroaching on the area.
Colonialization
In 1888 British imperialist Cecil Rhodes extracted mining rights from King Lobengula of the Ndebele. In 1889 Rhodes obtained a charter for the British South Africa Company, which conquered the Ndebele and their territory and promoted the colonization of the region's land, labor, and precious metal and mineral resources. In 1895, the territory was named "Rhodesia" after Cecil Rhodes. Both the Ndebele and the Shona staged unsuccessful revolts against the encroachment on their native lands in 1896 and 1897.
In 1911 the territory was divided into Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) and Southern Rhodesia, the latter becoming a self-governing British colony in 1922. In 1953 the two parts of Rhodesia were reunited together with Nyasaland in the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, but this dissolved in 1963. Southern Rhodesia was renamed to Rhodesia.
White minority rule and civil war
As African majority governments assumed control in neighboring Northern Rhodesia and in Nyasaland, the white-minority government led by Ian Smith declared unilateral independence on November 11, 1965. The United Kingdom this an act of rebellion, but did not reestablish control by force. When negotiations in 1966 and 1968 proved fruitless, the UK requested UN economic sanctions against Rhodesia. The white-minority regime declared itself a republic in 1970. It was not recognized by the UK or any other state, other than white minority led South Africa under apartheid.
Guerrilla fighting against white minority rule intensified, and the Smith regime opened negotiations with the leaders of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), led by Robert Mugabe after the assassination of Herbert Chitepo in Zambia in 1975, and the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU), led by Joshua Nkomo. With his regime near the brink of collapse, Smith in March 1978 signed a desperate accord with three black leaders, led by Bishop Abel Muzorewa, who offered safeguards for whites.
Muzorewa, who had the support not only of Smith but also of the white minority regime in South Africa, lacked credibility among significant parts of the African population, and his government soon faltered. In 1979, the British Government asked all parties to come to Lancaster House in an attempt to negotiate a settlement in the civil war.
Independence
Following the conference, held in London (1979-80), Britain's Lord Soames was appointed governor to oversee the disarming of revolutionary guerrillas, the holding of elections, and the granting of independence to an uneasy coalition government with Joshua Nkomo, head of ZAPU. In the free elections of February 1980, Mugabe and his ZANU won a landslide victory. Mugabe has won reelection ever since.
In 1982, Nkomo was ousted from his cabinet, sparking fighting between ZAPU supports in the Ndebele-speaking region of the country and the ruling ZANU. A peace accord was negotiated in 1987, resulting in ZAPU's merger (1988) into the ZANU-PF.
The drought in southern Africa, perhaps the worst of the century, affected Zimbabwe so severely that a national disaster was declared in 1992. The drought confounded the country's debt crisis.
Land redistribution reemerged as the vital issue beginning in 1999. Despite majority-rule, whites made up less than 1% of the population but held 70% of the country's commercially viable arable land. Mugabe began to redistribute land to blacks in 2000 with a compulsory land redistribution. But its chaotic implementation lead to a sharp decline in agricultural exports, traditionally the country's leading export producing sector. As a result, Zimbabwe is currently experiencing a severe hard currency shortage, which has led to hyperinflation and chronic shortages in imported fuel and consumer goods. In 2002 Zimbabwe was suspended from the Commonwealth of Nations on charges of human rights abuses during the land redistribution and of election tampering [2].
Following elections in 2005, the government initiated "Operation Murambatsvina", a supposed effort to crack down on illegal markets and homes that had seen slums unfit for human habitation emerge in towns and cities. This action has been widely condemned by opposition and international figures, who charge that it has left a large section of the urban poor homeless. The Zimbabwe government has described the operation as an attempt to provide decent housing to the population although they have yet to deliver any new housing for the forcefully removed people. [3]
Zimbabwe's current economic and food crisis, described by some observers as the country's worst humanitarian crisis since independence, has been attributed, in varying degrees, to a drought affecting the entire region, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and the government's price controls and land reforms.[4]
Politics
Zimbabwe is a republic, with an executive president and a bicameral Parliament. Under constitutional changes in 2005, an upper chamber, the Senate, was reinstated. The House of Assembly is the lower chamber of Parliament.
Zanu PF Robert Mugabe, elected Prime Minister in 1980, revised the constitution in 1987 to make himself President. President Mugabe's affiliated party has won every election since independence on April 18 1980. In some quarters corruption and rigging of elections have been alleged. In particular, the elections of 1990 were nationally and internationally condemned as being rigged, with the second-placed party, Edgar Tekere's Zimbabwe Unity Movement, winning only 20% of the vote. Presidential elections were last held in 2002 amid allegations of vote-rigging, intimidation, and fraud. [5] The next Presidential elections are to be held in 2008, although Mugabe is currently trying to amend the constitution in an attempt to stay in power until 2010 [6].
The major opposition party at the moment is the Movement for Democratic Change, or MDC, led by Morgan Tsvangirai. The MDC is currently split into two factions. One faction, led by Professor Mutambara is contesting the elections to the Senate, while the other led by Morgan Tsvangirai is opposed to contesting the elections, stating that participation in a rigged election is tantamount to endorsing Mugabe's claim that elections in Zimbabwe are completely free and fair. The two MDC camps had their congresses in 2005 with Morgan Tsvangirai being elected to lead the main splinter group which has become more popular than the other group. Professor Arthur G.O Mutambara a Robotics Professor and former NASA robotics specialist has replaced Welshman Ncube who was the interim leader after the split. Morgan Tsvangirai did not participate in the Senate elections, while the Mutambara faction participated and won some seats in the senate. The Mutambara faction has however been weakened by defections from MPs and individuals who are disillusioned by their manifesto. To date the Tsvangirai led MDC has become the most popular with crowds as large as 20,000 attending their rallies as compared to between 500–5,000 for the other splinter group. There is wide disagreement in Zimbabwe and neigboring states as to whether a divided MDC can win presidential elections against a disciplined ruling party. The opposition continues to be weak in rural areas, where 70% of the population of Zimbabwe resides.
The 2005 Zimbabwe parliamentary elections were held on March 31. While the African Union reported no major irregularities, opposition figures such as Archbishop Pius Ncube have made charges of vote rigging. [7]
Education
Zimbabwe had a literacy rate of 95.2% in 2000, the highest in Africa. Zimbabweans generally value and pursue academic achievement, for example, Robert Mugabe, the president, has four non-honorary degrees and the cabinet has several graduates at PhD level or higher. For males, the country's adult literacy rate (the percentage of persons aged 15 and over who can read and write) is 97%. Comparison with other SADC countries in 2004 is as follows: South Africa, 86%, Zambia, 79.9%, Swaziland, 80.9%, Namibia, 83.3%, Lesotho, 81.4%, Botswana, 78.9%, Tanzania, 77.1%, Malawi, 61.8%, Mozambique, 46.5%. [8] [9] [10].
Universities
- University of Zimbabwe - the first, largest and most complete
- National University of Science and Technology - Zimbabwe (NUST) - the second state university
- Africa University, in Mutare
- Midlands State University
- Bindura University of Science Education
- Chinhoyi University of Technology
- Masvingo State University
- Catholic University in Zimbabwe
- Zimbabwe Open University
- Women's University in Africa
- Solusi University
- Lupane State University
- University Without Walls
- Africa University
- Theological College of Zimbabwe (TCZ)
The highest professional board for accountants is the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Zimbabwe, (ICAZ) with direct relationships with similar bodies in South Africa, Canada, UK and Australia meaning if you are a qualified Chartered Accountant from Zimbabwe, you are also a member of similar bodies in these countries after writing a conversion paper which is normally easier than the normal qualifying examination papers. In addition, Zimbabwean trained Doctors only reguire one year of residence to be fully licensed doctors in the USA
Administrative divisions
Main article: Provinces of Zimbabwe, Districts of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is divided into eight provinces and two cities with provincial status. The provinces are subdivided into 59 districts and 1,200 municipalities.
The provinces include:
- Bulawayo (city)
- Harare (city)
- Manicaland
- Mashonaland Central
- Mashonaland East
- Mashonaland West
- Masvingo
- Matabeleland North
- Matabeleland South
- Midlands
Districts: see Districts of Zimbabwe
Municipalities: see Municipalities of Zimbabwe
Geography
Main article: Geography of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country, surrounded by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the west, Zambia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east and northeast. The northwestern border is defined by the Zambezi River. Victoria Falls is a popular tourist destination on the Zambezi. To the south, Zimbabwe is separated from South Africa by the Limpopo River. Zimbabwe also shares a narrow border with Namibia to the west via a narrow land corridor.
Economy
The government of Zimbabwe faces a wide variety of difficult economic problems after having abandoned earlier efforts in developing a market-oriented economy. Current problems include a shortage of foreign exchange, soaring inflation, and supply shortages. Its 1998–2002 involvement in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, drained hundreds of millions of dollars from the economy. The downward spiral of the economy has been attributed mainly to mismanagement, corruption and Zimbabwe's inability to feed itself after evicting more than 3500 farmers in the controversial farm invasions of 2000. [11] Robert Mugabe has repeatedly blamed economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the UK and the USA [12]. He has also blamed these countries for a shortage of foreign currency.
According to official figures, inflation rose from an annual rate of 32% in 1998 to a high of 1281.1% in December 2006, a state of hyperinflation. The exchange rate fell from 24 Zimbabwean dollars per US dollar to 250(000) Zimbabwean dollars per US Dollar (official rate) and 3,000(000) Zimbabwean dollars per US Dollar (parallel rate), in the same period.
As of January 10, 2007, hyperinflation in Zimbabwe surpassed 1281%, according to the BBC.
Demographics & Ethnicity
Main article: Demographics of Zimbabwe
According to the United Nations World Health Organization, the life expectancy for men is 37 years and the life expectancy for women is 34 years of age, the lowest in the world in 2006.[13] An association of doctors in Zimbabwe have made calls for President Mugabe to make moves to assist the ailing health service.[14]
Zimbabwe has a very high HIV infection rate. In 2001, it was measured at its highest level ever of 33.7% for people aged 15–49. Subsequent figures from the Zimbabwean government show an apparent decrease, down to about 20%, and these are the figures reported by UNAIDS; however, the reliability of the Mugabe government's figures on HIV is highly debatable.
Zimbabwe on 3 October 2006 launched the world's first official HIV/AIDS Toolkit, which forms the basis for a global AIDS prevention, treatment and support plan. The country was chosen to test it because of its excellence in initiating different strategies on home based care. It has managed to reduce its HIV/AIDS prevalence rate from 20.1 percent 2005 to 18.1 percent 2006. The figure was as high as 26 percent a few years ago.[15] by rocio Ethnic groups (2005 Est.):
- (The black ethnic groups total 98% of the popualation.)
- Shona 80-84%. The ruling party is linked to the Shona ethnic group, although there is also considerable opposition support among the Shona.
- Ndebele 8-10%. Up to 1 million Ndebele may have left the country, mainly for South Africa, over the last five years. The Ndebele are descended from Zulu migrations in the nineteenth century and the other tribes with which they mixed. Support for the opposition is particularly strong among the Ndebele.
- Bantus of other ethnicity 8-10%.
- White Zimbabweans Less than 1%. These are mostly of British origin, but some are of Afrikaner, Portuguese or Dutch origin. The white population dropped from a peak of 275,000 in 1970 to possibly 120,000 in 1999, and was estimated at no more than 60,000 in 2006, possibly many less. Much emigration has been to the UK, South Africa, Zambia and Australia.
- Mixed Race 0.5%.
- Asian ethnic groups (various) 0.5%. Mostly Indian and Chinese
Culture
Main article: Culture of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe has many different cultures which may include beliefs and ceremonies, one of them being Shona. The Shona people have many sculptures and carvings of gods.
Football is the most popular sport in Zimbabwe, although rugby and cricket also have a following, traditionally among the white minority.
Zimbabwe celebrates its national holiday on April 18.
- Arts
Traditional arts in Zimbabwe include pottery, basketry, textiles, jewelry, and carving. Among the distinctive qualities are symmetrically patterned woven baskets and stools carved out of a single piece of wood. Shona sculpture in essence has been a fusion of African folklore with European influences. Also, a recurring theme in Zimbabwean art is the metamorphosis of man into beast.
- Religion
There are various forms of spiritual practice in Zimbabwe. Forty to fifty percent of Zimbabweans attend Christian churches. However like most former European colonies, Christianity is often mixed with enduring traditional beliefs. Besides Christianity, Ancestral worship is the most practiced non-Christian religion which involves ancestor worship and spiritual intercession; the Mbira Dza Vadzimu, which means "Voice of the Ancestors", an instrument related to many lamellaphones ubiquitous throughout Africa, is central to many ceremonial proceedings. Mwari simply means God the creator, musika vanhu. 1% of the population is Muslim.
Abner Chauke is the current bishop of Zimbabwe's Free Methodist Church.
- Language
English is the official language of Zimbabwe, though only 2% consider it their native language, mainly the white and Coloured (mixed race) minorities. The rest of the population speak Bantu languages like Shona (76%) and Ndebele (18%). Shona has a rich oral tradition, which was incorporated into the first Shona novel, Feso by Solomon Mutswairo, published in 1957. English is spoken primarily in the cities, but less so in rural areas.
- Cuisine
Like in many African countries, a majority of Zimbabweans depend on staple foods. Mealie meal or cornmeal as it is known in other parts of the world is used to prepare 'bota', a porridge made by mixing the cornmeal with water, to produce a thick paste. This is usually flavored with peanut butter, milk, butter, and sometimes even jam. Bota is usually eaten for breakfast. Cornmeal is also used to make sadza, which is usually eaten for dinner, and by many for lunch too. The process of making sadza is similar to bota, however after the paste has been cooking for several minutes, more cornmeal is added to thicken the paste until it is hard. This meal is usually served with greens, (spinach, collard greens) etc, beans and meat that is stewed, grilled or roasted. Sadza is also commonly eaten with curdled milk commonly known as lacto (mukaka wakakora), or a small dried fish called kapenta. On special occasions rice and chicken with cabbage salad is often served as the main meal. Graduations, weddings and any other family gatherings will usually be celebrated with the killing of a goat or cow, which will be braaied (the Africans word for a barbecue) for the family.
For the Afrikaners, a white minority group, meat is especially important, though often expensive and rare in Zimbabwe. Biltong, a type of jerky, is a popular snack. It is prepared by hanging bits of raw meat to dry in the sun. Boerewors (pronounced burr-uh-voars) is served alongside sadza. It is a long sausage, often well-spiced, composed of various meats, and barbecued. Afrikaners - possibly borrowing from the Britons' fancy for tomatoes - like to serve their sadza with a tomato and onion sauce.
List of Zimbabweans
- List of Zimbabweans
Miscellaneous topics
- Doing Business in Zimbabwe The World Bank's Guide to Conducting Businesses in Zimbabwe and Other Countries Across the Globe.
- Communications in Zimbabwe
Fixed land lines are operated by Tel-One, a government parastatal. There are 3 Mobile network (cell phone) providers: Econet Wireless, Net*One and Telecel.
- Constitution of Zimbabwe
- Politics of Zimbabwe
- Elias Fund Nonprofit created to help children in Zimbabwe
- Foreign relations of Zimbabwe
- Gay rights in Zimbabwe
- Islam in Zimbabwe
- Land reform in Zimbabwe
- List of cities and towns in Zimbabwe 7 Cities in Zimbabwe
- Bulawayo second largest city
- Harare Capital City
- Masvingo
- Mutare
- Gweru
- Kwekwe
- Kadoma
- Military of Zimbabwe
- Place names in Zimbabwe
- Reporters without borders' worldwide press freedom index (2004): Rank 155 out of 167 countries
- The Interpreter, a 2005 film featuring a fictional African head of state, apparently based on Robert Mugabe, seeking to avoid being sent to the International Criminal Court by the UN Security Council for crimes against humanity.
- Transportation in Zimbabwe
- The Boy Scouts Association of Zimbabwe
References
- ↑ http://www.history.und.ac.za/ebe1mhm/zimbabwe.htm Zimbabwe at History Department of UKZN] www.history.und.ac.za (accessed 03 April 2006)
- ↑ [http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/media/2003_alerts/1208.htm Zimbabwe Suspended Indefinitely from Commonwealth (8 December 2003)] www.humanrightsfirst.org
- ↑ Zimbabwe: Housing policy built on foundation of failures and lies (9 August 2006) news.amnesty.org
- ↑ Crisis profile: Zimbabwe's humanitarian situation(26 July 2005) Reuters Foundation AlertNet
- ↑ Zimbabwe: Election Fraud Report (18 April 2005) www.africa.upenn.edu
- ↑ Mugabe could stay on until 2010 (21 January 2007) www.mg.co.za
- ↑ Robert Mugabe is poised to rig a general election once again (23 March 2005) www.economist.com (accessed 03 April 2006)
- ↑ UNICEF Statistics www.unicef.org (accessed 03 April 2006)
- ↑ BOTSWANA LITERACY SURVEY: 2003 www.cso.gov.bw (accessed 03 April 2006)
- ↑ Zimbabwe Country Assistance Evaluation (Document of the World Bank) PDF, (accessed 03 April 2006)
- ↑ Brazilian Economist Urges Zimbabweans to Pressure Mugabe (17 October 2006) www.zimobserver.com
- ↑ Mugabe says he's not to blame (21 September 2006) news.scotsman.com
- ↑ The World Health Organization. “Annex Table 1 - Basic indicators for all Member States”, The World Health Report 2006.
- ↑ Peta Thornycroft. "In Zimbabwe, life ends before 40", Sydney Morning Herald, 2006-04-10. Retrieved on 2006-04-10.
- ↑ Mu Xuequan. "Zimbabwe launches world's first AIDS training package", Xinhua, 2006-10-03. Retrieved on 2006-10-03.
External links
Government
- Parliament of Zimbabwe official government site
- Zimbabwe Government Online official government site and mirror site
News
- TalkZimbabwe UK-based Zimbabwe news website and forums
- The Great Zimbabwe Unbiased Zimbabwe news website and forums
- Zimbabwe destruction: One man's story
- New Zimbabwe UK-Based independent daily newspaper
- AllAfrica.com: Zimbabwe - news headline links
- IFEX - Zimbabwe press freedom violations
- The Sunday Mirror weekly newspaper
- Zimbabwe Independent weekly newspaper
- The Zimbabwean - UK-based independent weekly newspaper
- The Herald - state-owned daily newspaper
- Zimbabwe Situation - a comprehensive collection of news stories concerning Zimbabwe from different sources
- Zim Observer - online news publication
Protest movements
Directories
- Websites.co.zw - directory which ranks Zimbabwe's websites
- Columbia University Libraries - Zimbabwe directory category of the WWW-VL
- Open Directory Project: Zimbabwe *Stanford University - Africa South of the Sahara: Zimbabwe directory category
- Yahoo!: Zimbabwe
Tourism
- Travel Overview of Zimbabwe
- Facts about Zimbabwe
- Zimbabwe International Film Festival- Held every year in August
- Harare International Festival of the Arts- Voted one of the top ten arts festivals in the world. Annually in April.
- Zimbabwe International Book Fair
Other
- A Self-help Assistance Program (ASAP Africa) Detailed information on community development in Zimbabwe
- Amnesty International (Zimbabwe)
- Elias Fund - Nonprofit providing educational scholarships to Zimbabwean youth.
- Onebusiness Zimbabwe- Zimbabwe business news, advice for entrepreneurs and business directory.
- Dariro (Zimbabwe Search Engine)
- Chronology Foundations Of Zimbabwe
- Zimbabwe Background Notes
- itsbho.com Leading Zimbabwean entertainment website
- RSF report on Zimbabwe from 2003
- Writers of Zimbabwe - a website for Zimbabwean Writers
- Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum
- ZIMBABWE Information and Links
- "Dead Capital" in Zimbabwe
- 5 year archive of Zimbabwe news updated daily
- Zimbabwe Crisis - newsletter published during the controversial 2000 parliamentary elections
- ZimFest - annual Zimbabwean Music Festival in North America
- Zimbabweb - Zimbabwe Information Portal
- zwnews - news portal for Zimbabwe
- Economic Development Bulletin - how the loss of property rights caused Zimbabwe's collapse
- Cato Journal - in-depth article on Zimbabwe's collapse
- Center for Global Development - costs and causes of Zimbabwe's crisis
- Voter turnout, Gender quotas, Electoral system design and Political party financing in Zimbabwe
- Zimbabwe: articles
- Solidarity Peace Trust
- History of the Zimbabwe Jewish Community
