*WE WERE THE WATER ”: RECLAIMING ZIMBABWE’S LIBERATION HERITAGE FOR GENERATIONS* Join our community for more updates. https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vai0FQJ11ulJHRRO3r0l *Introduction* In the silent valleys and dusty paths of Dzimbabwe, echoes of a fierce and determined people still whisper through the trees. These are the sounds of sacrifice, of resolve, of pain and of triumph — the living heritage of Zimbabwe’s liberation. Yet much of it remains unwritten, unheard, unacknowledged. Now is the time to retell. Now is the time to listen. Now is the time to learn. Now is the time to remember. Now is the time to evaluate. Now is the time to revisit. Now is the time to resonate. Now is the time to reciprocate. Now is the time to relate. Now is the time to honor. Now is the time to crown ALL the heroes. *The People Were the Water, the Fighters Were the Fish* In the Chi-Murenga battles that raged across the country, an often-repeated mantra emerged: the people are the water and the fighters are the fish. This was not mere poetry — it was survival. Mujibhas and chimbwidos, the unnamed heroes and heroines in villages and schools, elders and children alike, provided cover, intelligence, food, shelter, and hope. Without them, there would have been no war to fight — and no freedom to win. These were not merely bystanders but active participants in a living network of resistance. In the darkest of times, they sang forbidden songs under their breath, passed coded messages through bread deliveries, and dug shallow graves for comrades fallen in ambush. Yet how many of these stories have been captured, recorded, honoured? *Legacy in the Land* Zimbabwe’s liberation heritage lives in the places often forgotten on the map — unmarked battlefields where fire once rained and courage stood firm. These are not only sites of conflict but sacred grounds of unity and sacrifice. From the valleys of Honde to the escarpments of Hurungwe, each hill has a story. We must walk these lands with the elders who still remember where the comrades fell, where the enemy passed, and where victory first whispered its arrival. The project to document untold liberation stories from survivors and witnesses is not just an act of remembrance — *it is a national duty.* We aim to collect these narratives from mujibhas, vanachimbwido, villagers, teachers, war veterans, and those who bore the brunt of war in silence. Their voices matter. *Rewriting the Curriculum of the Heart* Schools in operational zones bore the weight of war. Pupils learned to duck gunfire before they learned to spell. Teachers became lookouts and informers. The blackboard and the gun stood side by side. These stories of bravery, trauma, and resilience must be integrated into our national consciousness. Let our children learn not just from books but from the lived experience of their elders. We must teach through the five pillars of cultural nationalism, which are expounded as follows: - *1) Agriculture* Where food security became a weapon in supporting the course of the war and survival. *- 2) Economics* Where communities sustained freedom fighters and suffered economic reprisals. *- 3) Education* Where resistance was taught beneath trees, during the night and in code. *- 4) Spirituality* Where ancestral prayers and or veneration guided ambushes and gave strength to the weary. *- 5) Governance* Where villagers held their own tribunals and councils in the absence of state structures. *National Healing, Not Denial* Not all who wore uniforms of the security organizations were enemies at heart. There are those among us who were forced to cooperate with colonial forces — through fear, coercion, or survival. Our heritage demands recognition of these complexities. True unity is not built on silence but on understanding. By documenting all stories — not only the victorious but also the conflicted — we strengthen the integrity of our national memory. *Towards a Living Archive* The goal is clear: to create a vibrant, living archive of first-hand liberation stories — audio, video, written, remembered. These will feed into schools, libraries, community centers, museums, and podcasts. They will spark intergenerational dialogue. They will allow the youth to claim their rightful inheritance: not just a flag, but a flame. This is not nostalgia. This is a nation’s unfinished work. *Our Call to Action* _*To the war veterans:-*_ Come forward, your stories are needed. _*To the mujibhas and chimbwidos:-*_ Your truth *must* be known and celebrated throughout the entire nation. _*To the elders:-*_ Guide us to the unmarked graves and sacred hills where crucial memorials now lay forgotten, ignored and or unknown to the concerned. _*To the youth:-*_ Listen, record, and carry the fire forward so as to effectively fully establish the positive, progressive, pragmatic, perfect and disruptive gains of the Liberation Struggle. _*To the teachers:-*_ Teach beyond the textbook — teach through the abundant diverse memory which is intricatingly rich. _*To the nation:-*_ Let us unite not just in pride and arrogance, but in truth, honesty, grace, faith, trust and love as was also exhibited during the Liberation Struggle. *LET US ALL REMEMBER:-* The history not told is history erased. A people that forgets its path risks losing its purpose, values, creed and identity. In the bones of Dzimbahwe, lie the roots of our unity. Let us water them with memory. *Compiled By - Tigere Mubayiwa 🦓* Contact information:- *[email protected]* #artsandculture *NB:— Let us tell, retell, learn, teach and revisit our 2nd Chi-Murenga story with confidence and pride collectively. If we don't do it now, no one will ever do it for us* Follow us on:- *FACEBOOK* *@Zimbabwe Intangible Cultural Heritage* https://www.facebook.com/share/17zXZ2WNmG/?mibextid=wwXIfr *INSTAGRAM* @ *ZICH TV MEDIA* https://www.instagram.com/zichtvmedia/profilecard/?igsh=d3N3ZmlkbTZ4a3E= *TIKTOK* *@ zichtvmedia* https://www.tiktok.com/@zichtvmedia?_t=ZG-8srTiO9lFYH&_r=1 *YOUTUBE* *@ ZICH TV* https://youtube.com/@zichtvmedia?feature=shared 🔄🔄🔄Share our Articles and documentaries with Family and friends