Independence, Zimbabwe's own Passover and Easter

The Independence Day for this year coincides with the Christian festivals of Easter and Passover. The significances of these festivals have some similarities. Passover festival used to be commemorated in the Old Testament times as a shadow of what was to come. It was a harbinger to the coming of Jesus Christ for a similar purpose.

The Passover commemorates the liberation from slavery and the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt some 3000 years ago. The chosen race had lived under undignified bondage of Pharaoh. God sent Moses to free the children of Israel. On a bigger picture, the freedom from Egyptian slavery was a shadow of what Jesus was to do to humankind. He died for our sins and saved us from perishing. His death and resurrection is what we commemorate on Easter. Passover and Easter festivals celebrate the liberation of humankind from slavery and sin respectively.

We also celebrate Independence to commemorate our deliverance from degrading slavery, most foul and cruel tyranny. I have heard some sycophants equating Morgan Tsvangirai to the Biblical Moses. This is a grave misnomer as the two are like oil and water. The true parallel can be drawn from Moses and President Robert Mugabe. In the same way that Moses superintended the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, President Mugabe also led the struggle that resulted in the freedom of Zimbabweans from the British bondage.

There were some hic ups during the exodus, which unfortunately led some misguided Israelites to regret ever leaving Egypt. They actually blamed Moses for taking them out of Egypt and demanded that they be returned. Like these Israelites, there are some Zimbabweans who also want to reverse the gains of our independence. These people wish to slide back into the colonial era because of the economic hardships that are bedevilling the country. Such people include Morgan Tsvangirai and the hordes of his followers.

Tsvangirai has collaborated with our erstwhile colonisers to reverse the gains of our independence through the now fading regime change project. He should take a cue from the Israelites' struggle that a God-given independence can never be reversed.

The Israelites lost faith in God's promise of honey and milk in Canaan. In the same vein, Zimbabweans must be rest assured that the sanctioned-induced economic hardships they are facing is a phase that will soon pass. The land of Zimbabwe has milk and honey that we will soon enjoy once again.

According to the Bible, humankind was supposed to perish because of sin. The death of Jesus meant that humankind was freed from the bondage of sin. This freedom involves the shedding of blood on the cross. Our Independence came as a result of a similar sacrifice by the gallant sons and daughters of this country. Like Jesus, they lost their lives to bring about the freedom that we are carelessly enjoying today.

It's unfortunate that some people discount this sacrifice. Some misguided youths who were hoodwinked into supporting the regime change project are on record disdainfully challenging the surviving gallant fighters to return the country where it was before independence and see if they (youths) could fail to liberate it. The world over, veterans of the liberation struggle are treated with supreme veneration. Our youths must show at least a modicum of respect for the sacrificial role that the gallant fighters played in the liberation of this country.

So as we engage in our various endeavours, let's not forget that there are political and religiously heroes who paid for our freedom with their precious blood. The independence of our country must be accorded utmost reverence, lest the Cdes who died for this country turn in their graves.