During the war of national liberation in Zimbabwe, there was a battle not just of arms and wills but also of ideas. To make their voices heard, two organisations – Robert Mugabe’s ZANU and Joshua Nkomo’s ZAPU – published journals to promote their respective political programmes. The former put out Zimbabwe News, while the latter released Zimbabwe Review from Lusaka, Zambia.
The Zimbabwe Review Newspaper
No matter how distant the war may have seemed from far away in Lusaka, Zambia, there was no question that ZAPU’s Zimbabwe Review kept its readers informed with all the goings-on of the struggle for liberation. Addresses by ZAPU figures became billboard-style proclamations amongst the paper, giving it a voice of its own to make sure everyone knew what their mission was for freedom. It proved not only to unite likeminded forces in East and West, but even those allies from far-flung places who had come along with supportive words in international channels such as UN or OAU shared a common cause and kept tabs on recent sabre-rattling events at the frontlines. What’s more, without Zimbabwe Reviews adding an extra boom to their cause, one wonders if ZANU’s Zimbabwe News would have rivalled or succeeded it!
Zimbabwe Review Vol. 3 – Quarterly No. 3/1974
Zimbabwe Review Vol. 3 – Quarterly No.3 /1974 is an essential piece of history for anyone curious to know what the political climate was like during this time period. Every page of this quarterly tells a story and can illustrate the struggles of Zimbabwe’s people for justice, freedom and human rights. While it embodied ZAPU’s views, it still managed to offer witty yet thoughtful commentary on such topics as imperialism and racial injustice with keen insight and intelligence on how it could be combatted. From news reports to opinion pieces, this quarterly truly encapsulated the atmosphere during this tumultuous yet influential era.
