Grace Kwinjeh | Over the past years national events such as independence celebrations have been politicised, a preserve for the ruling Zanu PF party only and shunned by the country’s opposition.

This time round it is going to be different as MDC President Nelson Chamisa breaks with the past of deeply polarised politics, announcing today that the MDC will attend all national events, including independence celebrations on April 18. Zimbabwe attained independence in April 1980, an event that has been used to foist upon the nation liberations values, which have often gone against the spirit upon which the war was fought, such as the ideal of one man one vote vote.

Here is what Adv. Chamisa says about the MDC and future independence celebrations: “

Redefining the narrative—April is Independence month

Indeed, we are a proud pan-African political formation whose broad mandate is to complete the unfinished business of the liberation of struggle.

It is in line with our character as a proud-African movement and pan-liberation movement that we have declared April the independence month.

For us, as a day is not enough to accord the befitting veneration to our liberation struggle in which so many of our patriotic sons and daughters paid the ultimate price.

April is therefore an independence month in which we will take part in many activities to celebrate our liberation struggle; the bloody and intractable struggle in which we shed blood to rid the country of oppression, subjugation and racism.

It is in line with that redefinition and rebranding that as a party, we will seek to play a prominent role in all national events including the country’s national Independence Day activities.

National days must be inclusive and must not continue to be arrogated or dominated by a single political party. It is demeaning of our independence to ascribe it to the sole efforts of a political party. It was a struggle by all Zimbabweans that must be celebrated by all.

As I have already said, under our leadership, we will set aside the whole month of April—and not just a single day—to the celebration of our uhuru.
April will indeed be an Independence month.