Aluta Continua...but, maybe not every day.
The Balance in Striving for Personal Change and Social Justice Without Losing Yourself
Because of my relentless search for answers and solutions to my young adult predicaments, questions like how to self-actualise in a foreign land, how to navigate relationships(romantic or otherwise, how to guarantee my family back home a richer life, how I can aid the fight against poverty at home and in the broader Zimbabwean and African context, I have found that my perspective on life, has become more cynical and judgemental particularly towards wealth and wealthier people in the upper echelons of western society.
In a pathetic sense, I feel like those people who say in the comments when, when financial or fitness gurus or motivational speakers are being interviewed that:
“Well, it’s easy for you to say, you don’t work 60 hours a week.”
“If only you had kids to drive to school and work two jobs.”
“You sound like someone speaking from privilege because if you grew up in Africa you would know it’s not that easy.”
True, in many ways, those grievances are legitimate, however, they don’t give at least half the gurus the benefit of the doubt; to disagree with them in the context of what and from where they’re saying whatever they may be articulating, sometimes, that involves constructing context and putting nuance for ourselves around and into that which we’re consuming. Frankly, it is our lived experiences that dictate how we view the world and the counsel we get about it.
In my perpetual search for answers, discovering that there are strong structures set in place to hinder the prosperity of African nations, systems inherent in American politics to keep the general historically marginalized populace excluded from the wealth of the nation, and systems embedded in the veins of Zimbabwean politics anchored by the strong iron arm of the army to keep a few elite wealthy and the masses suffering, my outlook on life has grown cynical. And the more I read, the more I listen for a deeper perspective, likewise, my resentment of unjust establishments and the evil elite grows.
Maybe this is the weariness that King Solomon cautioned against, in the book of Ecclesiastes 12:12 in the Bible saying, “...of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.”
With a friend during the week, we were lamenting that because of growing up in Zimbabwe, we can still recite some passages of what transpired during the First and Second World Wars. Names like Georges Clemenceau, Franz Ferdinand, Mussolini, and Mao Tse Tung, are more branded in our memory than those of the Ndebele and Shona Kings. We know about the Great Depression and the Prohibition Act more than we do the Zimbabwean constitution. At school, we were told that it was easier to learn and pass Western history than our indigenous history. We hardly learnt about our first president Canaan Banana and his ascent to power yet we know about Woodrow Wilson, Hitler, Abraham Lincoln and Cecil John Rhodes. The glitches in this reality are endless.
Having spoken about the balance between acknowledging and being grateful for what I have while working to attain more, this time it goes deeper into trying to find the balance between what I can fight for or against without leaving the self tattered and how to play the status quo. The balance is accepting that at times, even with conflicting beliefs and reservations about what is from what should be, at the end of it all, the game must be played.
But what is the game?
Back home, buying a ‘cold drink’ is the modus operandi of doing business. If you want faster services like, say at the passport office, or getting your driving license it is common to leave ‘imali yedrink, drink money’. Even with the police, it can sometimes( with a ninety-percent chance) get you out of trouble. Your values can be against such normalized deviances in society but, in a setup like Zimbabwe, resistance or reluctance can mean a delay in services that are due to you but deliberately withheld to create a facade that the only solution is buying that cold drink. That is the game; acknowledging that some fights are not won at an individual level, maybe not always, and personal peace in such cases, must also be protected.
In essence, the game is about finding a sustainable way to live and make a difference, balancing activism with self-care, with the hope that the efforts put towards what we stand for lead to tangible improvements for the self, the communities and the ideals we care about. With this approach, I believe, we can navigate our dual identities and aspirations, contributing to a broader fight against systemic injustices while simultaneously finding fulfillment and peace.
When asked why he has bodyguards if he’s not afraid to die, Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters, a political party in South Africa, responded saying, “Not being scared to die should not be confused for suicide.”
I echo the same sentiments; that not agreeing with the nature of oppressive systems should not mean engaging recklessly in that conversation or acquisition of knowledge. It means, that while I may not agree with the way the US economy is structured or the way the Zimbabwean government is set up, I don’t need to take a stoic approach to my finances or my existence. I must learn the game of money as it is played in the broken system. I must learn the legal ways of acquiring it and keeping it. The same applies to all other ideologies unpalatable to me, and maybe to you too.
This has been my journey to self-actualization in a foreign land.
So, Aluta Continua- the struggle continues, but maybe not every day.
Follow my Substack and what we’re doing with Ubuntu International. Our film director is from Zimbabwe and that’s where I learned that sanctions are still going on over there. I get it, people aren’t aware of the politics and if you don’t play nice with the West they will hold all sorts of things hostage.
Wonderful. Would there be other distributions outside cinema screenings.
Collaboration would be great, When my piece is ready I’ll try to link and maybe could be a guest post and also reviews on the documentary, which I’m looking forward to seeing