There is an old Guatemalan saying, “Granito de arena” which means “I alone cant change things” Change is a collective effort. Each person must put in their grain of sand in order to bring about transformation. No one can do it alone. A progressive revolution takes many forms and no one is more important than the other. For in the body, the ear can not say to the neck, “I am more important!” nor can the legs say to the hands, “I am more important!” All members of the body are equal and each one contributes to the functioning of the whole body.
In Zimbabwe's quest for a democratic and peaceful future, no single person or political movement is more important than the other. The idea that only certain politicians can bring about change is flawed. There are no political messiahs when it comes to inculcating progressive change. In this regard, I wish to say to all the people of Zimbabwe that we should all chip in with our grain of sand to build a better future.
I am a writer and activist and my task is to write in order to document, to inspire, to be critical where need be and to applaud where need be. My job is to write our story as I see it. But this does not make me more important than a Zimbabwean heading goats in the countryside. For we need goat headers too, to ensure our livestock is taken care of, so the nation can feed itself.
Morgan Tsvangirai or Robert Mugabe are not more important that the goat header or me and you. They are all part of the same body of Zimbabwe. So it is not progressive when we fight each other. We need not kill each other and mistreat one another. We are family. Yes, even families fight each other, they disagree, but things can and should be resolved within the family tree.
Every tree is a life cycle. The old leaves must be replaced by new ones. Old branches must fall off and be replaced by new one's. The dead leaves and branches will become a compost to fuel the continued growth of the tree. That is why in our ancient culture we had the concept of ancestors and one God, Musikavanhu. Our forefathers believed that death is not the end, but a route to the spiritual world of Vadzimu. Even in Christianity and other religions there is the concept of life after death.
Why am I saying this?
You see, each person is important but there comes a time when each one must retire. When the old leaves refuse to die, they simply impede the whole progress of the tree. For the old must retire and be replaced by the new and so on. That is the cycle of life. In Zimbabwe, this cycle has been disturbed for too long.
How can we heal our nation so that the tree of Zimbabwe can continue to grow bountifully? I think it is time we all stood together in solidarity as one family. We should forget who belongs to which party or which tribe. The bottom line is that we are one family and we need to work together. Each one must put in their grain of sand. Things are the way they are now because we constantly fight each other. Let us put down our weapons. Let us bury the hatchets and reach out to one another. Let us not do it half way, least we end up back where we started.
Some of you will call me idealistic. But this is my grain of sand. I truly believe that nature must be allowed to take its course. The old branches and leaves must not prevent the new from forming. Don't you know that If we prevent or kill the young, the whole tree will die? The young are not a threat to the old. The young are simply there to continue the lifecycle of the tree. They too will pass when their time comes and that is the way of the tree.
There are many challenges for the tree. There are deadly diseases and locusts threatening to kill the tree. But how can the tree survive and stand if its members are busy fighting themselves? We need to all come together as Zimbabweans. It is not too late for the old branches and leaves to start leading by a good example, so the young can emulate. We all have the same roots and the same trunk and its called Zimbabwe.
I believe the destiny of our country is in its children. They should now take their place. When their time is done, their children should take over and so on. This is the way of the tree. Let us learn from it. This is my grain of sand and I shall continue with it. I don't have all the answers, but I will do my part. I will refuse to be silenced, for when I do so I will have failed the tree. I applaud those who are putting their grain of sand in their different functions. I urge those who have been silenced to start speaking. I urge those who have been disheartened to stand up once again and start putting their grain of sand. It can be done. We can achieve our dream if we all stand together.
Let us look to our old philosophy of Ubuntu and learn from it. We are therefore I am. Let us inspire each other to build a sustainable and bountiful society. Let us put individualism aside and embrace our communal philosophy of the past. Some day, I will die out too like the old leaves. I should not refuse it when it comes. In fact I should celebrate it for I would have done my part. That is the nature of the tree and its members. There is nothing wrong in passing on, but there is everything wrong with obstructing the new hope from coming up.
Let us stand together, and rejuvenate our tree. Each one with their grain of sand and the future will be bright.
Peace and Love
