“International Awards: The Case of Zimbabwe” by Lance Muteyo

It’s honourable for every good work to be recognized. In the last 100 years awards have become more systemic. Greatly documented awards are given by Western countries, governments and organisations. Usually they are tagged as “global” or “international.”  Surprisingly, if anything originates from the U.S. or Europe it automatically becomes international.

In the areas of human rights, development, social and political activism, Zimbabwean individuals and organisations managed to get a fair share of “international awards.” Awards are usually in the eyes of the beholder. There is no way a British organisation can award a Zimbabwean who is against British imperialism. Zimbabwean recipients of most Western-sponsored awards are based on serving the former colonial masters’ interests.

Queen Elizabeth II awarding Robert Mugabe the Grand Knight Cross.

The late Robert Mugabe former President of Zimbabwe who ruthlessly ruled for 37 years was knighted by the Queen of England in 1994. Elizabeth II awarded Mugabe a Grand Knight Cross in the Order of the Bath for his role in the development of Zimbabwe/UK relations.  This award was subsequently revoked in 2008. In the early 1980s Mugabe’s 5^th Military Brigade committed genocide by killing 20,000 Ndebele people. By 1994 Mugabe’s secret service units had been killing hundreds of political opponents. Yet for all this he was knighted by the Queen. He was their darling. They had helped him to win the 1980 elections, consolidate his army in exchange for British neo-colonialism. For that he was the British hero but never a people’s hero. That hero whom they knighted unexpectedly became a “monster.” In 2008 his knighthood was revoked because he had taken farms from the white farmers in Zimbabwe. Also he cut deals with the Chinese and publicly scorned the British.

Shockingly in 2015 Mugabe was awarded China’s Nobel Peace Prize AKA Confucius Award. It was a joke for a leader who was accused of using torture and abductions to maintain grip on power. Auspiciously Mugabe did not accept the award. The greatest tale came in 2017 when World Health Organisation nominated Mugabe as a goodwill ambassador for non-communicable diseases. Luckily after an international outcry this was revoked. Zimbabwe has one of the worst health systems in Africa.

In 2012 Movement for Democratic Change (largest opposition political party in Zimbabwe) President the late Morgan Tsvangirai received the French Legion of Honour, the highest French decoration. It was founded by Napoleon over 200 years ago to acknowledge the exceptional merits of French citizens in the military as well as civil society. It later recognized foreigners. Strange enough, what Tsvangirai did as a political leader and a champion of democracy had no direct relationship with this French award. Unfortunately, we aren’t bold enough to deny these funny “tokens.” Assumedly the French where thinking of their “share” once Tsvangirai becomes the President of the country.

Zimbabwean Bishop Abel Muzorewa

We have several people who won the Amnesty International Human Rights Awards, Robert J Kennedy Human Rights Award, US Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award, and United Nations Prize in the field of Human Rights. These are Zimbabweans in the fields of media, social justice, human rights, and politics. All of them are and/or were men and women who have exemplified exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for human rights, women equality, and social progress at greater risks. For example late Bishop Abel Muzorewa; a United Methodist Church pastor and President of African National Congress was awarded the United Nations Prize in the field of Human Rights. He deserved it, but Mugabe and his government rubbished this award.

The greatest challenge today is that “international awards” are only given to those who are against anything that the sitting Government organizes. Rarely do you see an activist who is pro-Government program receiving any recognition. Decades of internalised external oppression led our people to hunger and thirst for awards to such an extent that they created conspiracy theories to get Western recognition. Others risk themselves to be thrown in prison so that they can be branded human rights defenders. Yet others listen to gossip under the guise of investigative journalism so that they get “funny” scholarships to write stories to international media outlets. Most of our young intellectuals have swarmed social media with fake anti-Government tirades just to get *appreciation” from Western embassies.

It is a fact that our Government is corrupt and greedy. It inherited a failed system which it is oiling and polishing. Unfortunately naming and shaming, exposing, condemning and reporting to the West for awards does not solve anything but further promotes Western imperial agendas. The solution lies in locally brewed non-violent engagements, non-cooperation with evil systems, and non-violent direct action.

We need to not create heroes who desire awards but rather movements that outlive leaders.

Lance Muteyo (For more about Lance Muteyo:  Click here.)