Zimbabwe
Primarily of the Bantu group of south and central Africa, the black
Zimbabweans are divided into two major language groups, which are
subdivided into several ethnic groups. The Mashona (Shona speakers),
who constitute about 75% of the population, have lived in the area
the longest and are the majority language group. The Matabele (Sindebele
speakers), representing about 20% of the population and centered in
the southwest around Bulawayo, arrived within the last 150 years. An
offshoot of the South African Zulu group, they maintained control
over the Mashona until the white occupation of Rhodesia in 1890.
More than half of white Zimbabweans, primarily of English origin,
arrived in Zimbabwe after World War II. Afrikaners from South Africa
and other European minorities, including Portuguese from Mozambique,
also are present. Until the mid-1970s, there were about 1,000 white
immigrants per year, but from 1976 to 1985 a steady emigration
resulted in a loss of more than 150,000, leaving about 100,000 in
1992. Renewed white emigration in the late 1990s and early 2000s
reduced the white population to less than 50,000. English, the
official language, is spoken by the white population and understood,
if not always used, by more than half of the black population.
Zimbabwe boasts one of Africa's highest literacy rates. Primary and
secondary schools were segregated until 1979. In the first decade
after independence in 1980, the educational system was
systematically enlarged by the Zimbabwean Government, which was
committed to providing free public education to all citizens on an
equal basis. Though in the late 1970s only 50% of the black children
(5-19 years old) were listed officially as attending rural schools,
today most children attend primary school despite the fact that
school fees are now charged for all schools at all levels. Primary
through post-secondary enrollment has expanded from 1 million to
about 2.9 million since independence. There is an impressive network
of independent private schools and church-run mission schools that
have significantly more resources and thus significantly higher
school fees than government-run schools. Higher education is offered
at seven state-run universities, the most prominent being the
University of Zimbabwe in Harare and the National University of
Science and Technology in Bulawayo, and three private church-run
universities, Africa University (Methodist), Catholic University,
and Solusi University (Seventh Day Adventist). There is also a large
network of teacher-training, nursing, and polytechnic colleges. |
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Archaeologists have found Stone-Age implements and pebble tools in
several areas of Zimbabwe, a suggestion of human habitation for many
centuries, and the ruins of stone buildings provide evidence of
early civilization. The most impressive of these sites is the "Great
Zimbabwe" ruins, after which the country is named, located near
Masvingo. Evidence suggests that these stone structures were built
between the 9th and 13th centuries A.D. by indigenous Africans who
had established trading contacts with commercial centers on Africa's
southeastern coast.
In the 16th century, the Portuguese were the first Europeans to
attempt colonization of south-central Africa, but the hinterland lay
virtually untouched by Europeans until the arrival of explorers,
missionaries, ivory hunters, and traders some 300 years later.
Meanwhile, mass migrations of indigenous peoples took place.
Successive waves of more highly developed Bantu peoples from
equatorial regions supplanted the original inhabitants and are the
ancestors of the region's Africans today.
British Settlement and Administration
In 1888, Cecil Rhodes obtained a concession for mineral rights from
local chiefs. Later that year, the area that became Southern and
Northern Rhodesia was proclaimed a British sphere of influence. The
British South Africa Company was chartered in 1889, and the
settlement of Salisbury (now Harare, the capital) was established in
1890. In 1895, the territory was formally named Rhodesia after Cecil
Rhodes under the British South Africa Company's administration.
Following the abrogation of the company's charter in 1923, Southern
Rhodesia's white settlements were given the choice of being
incorporated into the Union of South Africa or becoming a separate
entity within the British Empire. The settlers rejected
incorporation, and Southern Rhodesia was formally annexed by the
United Kingdom that year. Until 1980, Rhodesia was an internally
self-governing colony with its own legislature, civil service, armed
forces, and police. Although Rhodesia was never administered
directly from London, the United Kingdom always retained the right
to intervene in the affairs of the colony, particularly in matters
affecting Africans.
After 1923, European immigrants concentrated on developing
Rhodesia's rich mineral resources and agricultural potential. The
settlers' demand for more land led in 1934 to the passage of the
first of a series of land apportionment acts that reserved certain
areas for Europeans.
In September 1953, Southern Rhodesia was joined in a multiracial
Central African Federation with the British protectorate of Northern
Rhodesia and Nyasaland in an effort to pool resources and markets.
Although the federation flourished economically, the African
population, who feared they would not be able to achieve
self-government with the federal structure dominated by White
Southern Rhodesians, opposed it. The federation was dissolved at the
end of 1963 after much crisis and turmoil, and Northern Rhodesia and
Nyasaland became the independent states of Zambia and Malawi in
1964.
Unilateral Declaration Of Independence (UDI)
The European electorate in Rhodesia, however, showed little
willingness to accede to African demands for increased political
participation and progressively replaced more moderate party
leaders. In April 1964, Prime Minister Winston Field, accused of not
moving rapidly enough to obtain independence from the United
Kingdom, was replaced by his deputy, Ian Smith. Prime Minster Smith
led his Rhodesian Front Party to an overwhelming victory in the 1965
elections, winning all 50 of the first roll seats and demoralizing
the more moderate European opposition.
Although prepared to grant independence to Rhodesia, the United
Kingdom insisted that the authorities at Salisbury first demonstrate
their intention to move toward eventual majority rule. Desiring to
keep their dominant position, the white Rhodesians refused to give
such assurances. On November 11, 1965, after lengthy and
unsuccessful negotiations with the British Government, Prime
Minister Smith issued a Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI)
from the United Kingdom. |
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