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Although Government may be averse and in some cases hostile to social media, the modest reality is social media platforms will only pervade and not implode, thus it is imperative to embrace the phenomenon and manage it

Nick Mangwana View from the Diaspora
THERE are many Zimbabweans dispersed around the world. A lot of them have made it in the countries of their sojourn and in some cases, their countries of adoption. These people including this columnist call themselves Zimbabweans because they were born in Zimbabwe, grew up in Zimbabwe and experienced life in Zimbabwe and in many a case enjoyed life in Zimbabwe. The only nation they can call home is Zimbabwe because it is the only country that defines their being.

Some have naturalised and now have different kinds of travel documents which bear different nationalities. Regardless, they remain Zimbabwean at heart, Zimbabwean emotionally and Zimbabwean sentimentally and of course just Zimbabwean.

So the other passport they may have is just a travel convenience. But the question which bothers these first generation Zimbabwean emigrants is; in another 100 years how many of their own progeny would consider themselves Zimbabweans?

The answer to that question is that there will probably be a few if not none. Is the Government of Zimbabwe not bothered? There is a tendency not to be bothered by things that would happen when one is gone. Legacy doesn’t seem to matter to some people. Otherwise they would have changed their ways long time ago. But the Indian Diaspora has been there for over two generations now. It is the third Diaspora generation that is turning India into a First World country in many respects. Zimbabwe should take note.

When an institution such as the World Bank says the Diaspora brings tangible benefits to all countries including countries like Scotland and Wales, governments should not ignore it. The African Union says Africa has six regions namely North Africa, West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, Southern Africa and the Diaspora. We can only disregard Africa’s sixth region if we have self-defeating tendencies. In the same vein, the Zimbabwean Diaspora is saying that Zimbabwe has 11 provinces with the 11th one being the Diaspora (dubbed PXi) let both party and Government policymakers take note, engage and change.

Strong enduring relationships between the home country and its Diaspora are only built when the bilateral relations are mutually beneficial. At least this is a province where the constituency are not asking for much. When have you ever seen a resource crying out to be harnessed?

The Zimbabwean Diaspora is the only such resource which does that. Zimbabwe should leverage this resource and there will be very high returns for generations. Not doing so will be another opportunity missed by the establishment. And there is a serious tendency to miss them. The penchant of closing the stable doors when the horse has already bolted is becoming a habit. We establishment should be pro-active.

When the powers that be are asked to institutionally organise the Diaspora we are always told that that will happen at a later stage when the “Crisis” is gone. It doesn’t work like that. It is not the Diaspora’s problem that they are fragmented. Each grouping is serving its purpose. The Diaspora lawyers, doctors, nurses, accountants and engineer’s associations are serving the interests of their own constituents. The Zimbabwean churches and political parties are also addressing the affinity interests of their members. It is the State of Zimbabwe that has a responsibility of institutionalising all these small groups into one entity that they can work with.

Not to pick one from this lot. It is also the role of political parties to breathe life into their external chapters by giving them a higher institutional significance in their constitutions. In this regard the recent suggestions by Dr Walter Mzembi is the minimum that can be expected.

Diaspora value is continuously underestimated. For example, the flights from most major cities to Harare are carrying more Diasporans than foreign tourists. These Diasporans are carrying a lot of cash in their wallets for they know of the cash challenges at home. On their way out they will be carrying no cash having injected that cash into the Zimbabwe economy. This is not a remittance. It is never accounted for as such.

This is what can be termed as the Diaspora Industry. Just creating a feel good factor about home will make the Diaspora want to take their families and their friends visit home. With them they will also be carrying a lot of buying power. But you cannot create that feel good factor if you don’t incentivise it by institutionalising it. In a couple of weeks’ time about 20 members of Zanu-PF will travel to Zimbabwe from the UK for the Conference in Masvingo. On average they will be carrying $3 000 each. That is $60 000 injected into the economy in a period of five days. Now imagine those planes landing every day.

The Diaspora has other immeasurable roles like raising Zimbabwe’s international profile among the foreign citizens they work with or come in contact with. This columnist knows a good number of Zimbabweans who speak highly of their country which has resulted in their workmates taking holidays to Zimbabwe.

Of course there are a lot more who speak disparagingly of their country. Part of the reason is that they feel disfranchised by own country and its institutions. So much money is expended on foreign trips trying to convince a foreigner to visit Zimbabwe or come to invest. But the transnational Zimbabweans who are a very low hanging fruit are ignored, disregarded or disparaged. Just convert these into informal ambassadors for the country. We surely have a long way to go and so much more to learn.

Sometimes we take too long to embrace contemporary ways. The permanent secretary for the Ministry of Macro-Economic Planning and Investment Promotion is a progressive thinking man. He is quite engaging and the Diaspora Directorate comes under his purview. But he probably has missed a trick or two.

The Diaspora resident relies on social media for both networking and keeping in touch with the goings on at home. Why in God’s name don’t we have a Diaspora Directorate Twitter Account and or/Facebook page? How do we expect to learn and interact with this group if we don’t embrace their platforms of choice?

It is clear the Government is averse and in cases hostile to social media. But here is a modesty reality; social media will only pervade and not implode. It is time to embrace it and manage it. This is not going anywhere. Instead of fighting it, leverage it. That word again!

We want our grandchildren born in foreign countries to consider themselves Zimbabwean or at least of Zimbabwean heritage. In Australia, US and other countries you will find people who have been there for many generations who still call themselves Irish, Scottish or Welsh. Israel is one such country where its Diaspora has been out there for over two thousand years but still consider themselves Jews. In Zimbabwe we have the Sam Levy’s family which still considers itself Jewish (because they are) despite being a few generations in Zimbabwe. Compare that to many Zimbabweans out there who have decided to not only naturalise but also let themselves be neutralised.

Some are even playing football in the English Premier League but no longer answer to the name Zimbabwean. Sometimes this is not lack of sentimentality on their part. There is just nothing in it for them to be called a Zimbabwean. This is what the establishment has to put in place otherwise in a few decades our grandchildren would only say “my grandparent came from some country called Zimbabwe” instead of, “I was born in England but I am Zimbabwean”. This they will hand over to their own progeny.

But how can this happen when they cannot even get a birth certificate or National ID in the country of their residence. They have to fly to Zimbabwe to just get a $10 plastic ID. National identity should be won with pride as badge of honour. The only way this can be achieved is for the county to have Diaspora Institutions of heightened profile in its politics and government structures. This should begin with political parties all the way to the corporations.

Instead of having companies committing corporate incest why is the Diaspora pool not used to recruit some directors? After all, Diasporans like Lance Mambondiani (Steward Bank CEO) have already shown how international exposure can come in hand.

No builder would just come and start building an edifice unless empowered by those controlling the site. The Diaspora needs to be empowered by the establishment for it to help build the country. Part of that empowerment is serious institutionalisation with a clear vision of what’s in it for them.

While patriotism would awaken the national spirit of what’s in it for their country, but abuse of national resources have led some to be cynical. It is time to engage them with something beyond a call for patriotic altruism. At times it is something as simple as having their ideas noted and engaged with.

A recognition that they are legitimate stakeholders and a constituency to be taken seriously will unlock and leverage their value for the benefit for the country.