5- ‘Increasing my value proposition to the struggle’: Arthur Mutambara and student politics in Zimbabwe
Corresponding Author(s) : Leo Zeilig
African Sociological Review,
Vol. 10 No. 2 (2006): African Sociological Review
Abstract
Arthur Mutambara made a dramatic return to Zimbabwean politics in 2005, to lead one of the factions of the split opposition, the Movement for Democratic Change. He was a prominent student activist in Zimbabwe in the late 1980s, and his reputation rests on this legacy. Mutambara led the Student Representative Council (SRC) as General Secretary and then as President at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) from 1988-1990. This period has been eulogised by the students, civil society activists and trade unionists in Zimbabwe ever since. Students still refer affectionately to the period as the ‘AGO era’ – as he used to sign himself in the 1980s. Many have argued that the student movement became the seed bed for an emergent civil society. By 1990 Zimbabwe was permanently changed and ZANU-PF became the sullied party of liberation. Students helped to pierce the regime’s invulnerability, and other groups emerged to voice their own grievances. This paper uses the re-entry of Mutambara into Zimbabwean politics to examine the trajectory of the student movement, a subject that has received no attention in recent discussion of Zimbabwe’s political history.
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- Alexander, P., 2000, ‘Zimbabwean Workers, the MDC and the 2000 Election’, Review of African Political Economy, Vol. 27, No. 85.
- Astrow, A., 1983, Zimbabwe: A Revolution that lost its way?, London: Zed Books.
- Bathily, A., Diouf, M. and Mbodj M., 1995, ‘The Senegalese Student Movement from its Inception to 1989’, in Mamdani, M. and Wamba-dia-Wamba, E., eds., African studies in social movements and democracy, Dakar: CODESRIA.
- Bianchini, P., 2004, Ecole et politique en Afrique noire. Sociologie des crises et des réformes du système d’enseignement au Sénégal et au Burkina Faso (1960-2000), Paris: Karthala.
- Bond, P. and Manyanya, M., 2002, Zimbabwe’s Plunge: Exhausted Nationalism, Neo-liberalism and the Search for Social Justice, London: Merlin Press.
- Cabral, A., 1969, Revolution in Guinea: An African people’s struggle, London: Stage 1.
- Cefkin, J. L., 1975, ‘Rhodesian University Students in National Politics’, in Hanna, W. J., and J. L Hanna, eds., University students and African politics, New York-London: Africana Publishing Company.
- Draper, H., 1965, Berkeley: The New Student Revolt, New York: Grove Press.
- Gelfand, M., 1978, A non-racial island of learning: A history of the University College of Rhodesia from its inception to 1966, Gwelo: Mambo Press.
- Gwisai, M., 2002, Revolutionaries, Resistance and Crisis in Zimbabwe: Anti-Neo-liberal Struggles in Periphery Capitalism, Harare, I.S.O. Pamphlet.
- Mandaza, I., 1986, Zimbabwe: A Political Economy of Transition 1980-86, Dakar: CODESRIA.
- Mandaza, I. and Sachikonye, L., 1991, The one-party state and democracy: The Zimbabwe debate, Harare: SAPES.
- Moore, D. B., 1991, ‘The Ideological Foundation of the Zimbabwean Ruling Class’,Journal of Southern African Studies, 17, (3), pp. 472-495.
- Mungazi, D. A., 1992, Colonial Policy and Conflict in Zimbabwe: A Study of Cultures in Collision, 1890-1979, New York: Taylor and Francis.
- Mutambara, A., 1992, ‘National service programs and proposals: Zimbabwe’, in Eberly, D. J., ed., National Youth Service: A Global Perspective, http://www.utas.edu.au/docs/ahugo/NCYS/first/Introduction.html
- Mutape, B., 1999, ‘The Dawn of Reason: an investigation and anaylsis of the student movements’, (Unpublished manuscript), Harare: University of Zimbabwe.
- Parliamentary Debates, 1997, Harare: Government Printing and Stationery. Saunders, R., 2000, Never the Same Again: Zimbabwe’s Growth Towards Democracy 1980-2000, Harare: Edwina Spicer.
- Student Representative Council, 1990, 2 May, Flyer ‘Disruption of Student Partici- pation on May Day’, Harare: University of Zimbabwe.
- Student Representative Council, 1997, April, Harare: University of Zimbabwe. Tengende, N., 1994, Workers, Students and the Struggles for Democracy: State-Civil Society Relations in Zimbabwe, Ph.D. dissertation, Roskilde University, Denmark.
- The Herald, 1988, ‘478 Students Held in Violent Demos’, 30 September.
- The Herald, 1995, ‘Riot Police Clash with Stone-Throwing UZ Students’, 29 June.
- The Herald, 1996, ‘Mugabe Tells UZ Students: Shame On You!’, 25 April. University of Zimbabwe Annual Report, 1982, Harare, University of Zimbabwe. University of Zimbabwe Annual Report, 1983, Harare, University of Zimbabwe. Press. Veit-Wild, F., 1994, Scrapiron Blues, Harare: Baobab Books.
- Zvobgo, R. J., 1994, Colonialism and Education in Zimbabwe,Harare: SAPES Books.
References
Alexander, P., 2000, ‘Zimbabwean Workers, the MDC and the 2000 Election’, Review of African Political Economy, Vol. 27, No. 85.
Astrow, A., 1983, Zimbabwe: A Revolution that lost its way?, London: Zed Books.
Bathily, A., Diouf, M. and Mbodj M., 1995, ‘The Senegalese Student Movement from its Inception to 1989’, in Mamdani, M. and Wamba-dia-Wamba, E., eds., African studies in social movements and democracy, Dakar: CODESRIA.
Bianchini, P., 2004, Ecole et politique en Afrique noire. Sociologie des crises et des réformes du système d’enseignement au Sénégal et au Burkina Faso (1960-2000), Paris: Karthala.
Bond, P. and Manyanya, M., 2002, Zimbabwe’s Plunge: Exhausted Nationalism, Neo-liberalism and the Search for Social Justice, London: Merlin Press.
Cabral, A., 1969, Revolution in Guinea: An African people’s struggle, London: Stage 1.
Cefkin, J. L., 1975, ‘Rhodesian University Students in National Politics’, in Hanna, W. J., and J. L Hanna, eds., University students and African politics, New York-London: Africana Publishing Company.
Draper, H., 1965, Berkeley: The New Student Revolt, New York: Grove Press.
Gelfand, M., 1978, A non-racial island of learning: A history of the University College of Rhodesia from its inception to 1966, Gwelo: Mambo Press.
Gwisai, M., 2002, Revolutionaries, Resistance and Crisis in Zimbabwe: Anti-Neo-liberal Struggles in Periphery Capitalism, Harare, I.S.O. Pamphlet.
Mandaza, I., 1986, Zimbabwe: A Political Economy of Transition 1980-86, Dakar: CODESRIA.
Mandaza, I. and Sachikonye, L., 1991, The one-party state and democracy: The Zimbabwe debate, Harare: SAPES.
Moore, D. B., 1991, ‘The Ideological Foundation of the Zimbabwean Ruling Class’,Journal of Southern African Studies, 17, (3), pp. 472-495.
Mungazi, D. A., 1992, Colonial Policy and Conflict in Zimbabwe: A Study of Cultures in Collision, 1890-1979, New York: Taylor and Francis.
Mutambara, A., 1992, ‘National service programs and proposals: Zimbabwe’, in Eberly, D. J., ed., National Youth Service: A Global Perspective, http://www.utas.edu.au/docs/ahugo/NCYS/first/Introduction.html
Mutape, B., 1999, ‘The Dawn of Reason: an investigation and anaylsis of the student movements’, (Unpublished manuscript), Harare: University of Zimbabwe.
Parliamentary Debates, 1997, Harare: Government Printing and Stationery. Saunders, R., 2000, Never the Same Again: Zimbabwe’s Growth Towards Democracy 1980-2000, Harare: Edwina Spicer.
Student Representative Council, 1990, 2 May, Flyer ‘Disruption of Student Partici- pation on May Day’, Harare: University of Zimbabwe.
Student Representative Council, 1997, April, Harare: University of Zimbabwe. Tengende, N., 1994, Workers, Students and the Struggles for Democracy: State-Civil Society Relations in Zimbabwe, Ph.D. dissertation, Roskilde University, Denmark.
The Herald, 1988, ‘478 Students Held in Violent Demos’, 30 September.
The Herald, 1995, ‘Riot Police Clash with Stone-Throwing UZ Students’, 29 June.
The Herald, 1996, ‘Mugabe Tells UZ Students: Shame On You!’, 25 April. University of Zimbabwe Annual Report, 1982, Harare, University of Zimbabwe. University of Zimbabwe Annual Report, 1983, Harare, University of Zimbabwe. Press. Veit-Wild, F., 1994, Scrapiron Blues, Harare: Baobab Books.
Zvobgo, R. J., 1994, Colonialism and Education in Zimbabwe,Harare: SAPES Books.