The power of convergence

In this article, I argue for the location of points of convergence from our historical, everyday socio-political and cultural experiences which shape our perceptions and worldviews as Zimbabweans, however minute they may be, as a panacea to the myriad of problems our great nation is confronted with and has suffered from in the year of our Lord 2012.

I draw my motivation from the attaining scenarios in various parts of the world in which conflicts, inevitable as they are, are resolved basing on points of convergence rather than divergence.

A case in point is President Obama and his Republican antagonists who represent sharply tangent political opinions. Nevertheless, Americans from all walks of life sincerely expect the pair to find a point of convergence to solve the potentially catastrophic fiscal cliff.

Nearer home, there is no doubt that South Africans in their diversity find the iconic Madiba their point of convergence [May he be blessed with a speedy recovery and enjoy better health in 2013]. Finding a point of convergence therefore in a nation with shattered emotions has far reaching therapeutic benefits.

A quick reference to historical facts would give testimony to how the principle of convergence has helped build bridges between parties which hitherto had rabid rivalry.

Those who are familiar with the history of our beloved country would recall how the Ndebele and the Shona conglomerate tribes cast their ethnicity aside in confronting the white settlers in the First Chimurenga/Umvukela Wakuqala.  Although their efforts were not ethnically coordinated, this effort presents a clear example of the ready-to- harness energy of convergence.  

The most memorable immediate past draws our attention to the anti-colonial resistance movements in the mould of political parties and their guiding ideologies which too, thrived on convergence, consequently conjoining the ethnically diverse indigenous Zimbabweans into a sturdy fighting unit.

You would not need to boggle your mind to take in the role of convergence in bringing about the Unity Accord of 1987. Contemporarily, even doomsday pessimists would agree that although largely a failure, the GPA which culminated in the existing governing structure had to be founded on definitive areas of convergence and I opine that it did bring about [albeit] a semblance of stability.

Hereunder I present some areas of convergence that I fancy could be opportunities for building a formidable nation out of the rubble of deception and emotional rupture. The most salient of these is ubuntu/unhu which by nature ought to transcend socio, geopolitical and ethic boundaries.

Whether we practice it or not, we all acknowledge the cohesive power of ubuntu/unhu and how it demands each one of us, regardless of ethnicity or social status, to recognise how valuable we all are in the spaces that destiny has made us share.  

Ubuntu/unhu is the pivot of our very survival and perpetuity as a nation. It subjects us to certain standards of behaviour that is kept in check by our diverse religions, traditional and modern jurisprudence, body politics, and not least of all our genealogical rootedness. We all subscribe to this venerated philosophy, whether we practice its principles or not.

Ubuntu/unhu therefore gives us dignity as a people and distinguishes us from all and sundry. I therefore find it as the foremost important point of convergence that could help us define or redefine ourselves as Zimbabweans in the New Year and years to come.

Quite often people talk about being 'mwana webvu' 'umntwana womhlabathi'.  This also is a formidable point of convergence that should rally Zimbabweans together in the New Year.

We belong, I belong and you belong. We perceive ourselves as sons and daughters of the Zimbabwean soil in a collective fashion, which is tantamount to a claim, and justifiably so, on the geo political, social and genealogical spaces therein available in Zimbabwe.

It is space that we could share, surely, without poking each other's eyes. Added to this is the historical point of convergence in which we fought and celebrated together in the past and surely such memories could spur us to a greater future.

Our history has shaped our sensibilities and if we could figure out those sensibilities we still commonly share today and nurture them, then we could be in for a better, healing year awash with hope and smiles. Yet if we continue fronting those areas of divergence, we are as well assured of another bitter and poisonous string of 363 days.

In that vein, focus on those values, ethics, fears, hopes, imaginations that we share and hold dearly could bring us more positives than negatives. I hate to exaggerate, but you could excuse me for generalising that as Zimbabweans we enjoy convergence on cultural [traditional, popular or global] as we largely do on religious realm.

There is no doubt that these two complementary disciplines could shape a commendable outlook for the New Year and future if given their rightful places in the decision making corners of our minds. We would probably think more rational, put things into perspective, accept to share spaces and see each other as linked together by destiny. The desire to be pessimistic is now hard-wired into our nature but I greatly believe that if we try the above, that scepticism might be misplaced after all.  

As we peep into the New Year, all things equal, we could benefit from finding and utilising for our good those areas of convergence and many more that lay unexposed in our collective and individual experiences. Clearly, it is partly through this great effort that the metastasizing tumour of hate with its potentially annihilative outcome can be nipped in the bud.  

The overarching lesson from history  as we have all experienced and as I have tried to illustrate in my introduction, is that finding areas of convergence- be it at family, village, ethnic or national level - is a virgin opportunity that waits to be exploited by those of us who are peace loving and optimistic. I am not being naïve but I realise that there always has to be a starting point.

We are genuinely Zimbabwean. We are not replicas. We are a proud people and we can shape our destiny. A happy new year to all!

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