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Chigumbu Warikandwa Correspondent
South Africa has Oliver Tambo International Airport. It has Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. Mandela’s face was printed on South African bank notes during his lifetime, so is the Queen of England’s face on British pound notes.

Zambia has Levy Mwanawasa Stadium and Hospital. Kenya has Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Malawi has Kamuzu International Airport. Bulawayo has its own Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport. Need I remind the reader that America has the JF Kennedy?

Harare is full of places named after settler heroes’ names.

President Mugabe celebrated his 93rd birthday at a school named after Cecil John Rhodes, a man who once claimed Zimbabwe as his giant estate despite paying no cent for it.

His cronies are still here, so are some of his properties. His remains are lying peacefully in Matobo; 37 years after his little boys were removed from undeserved power by the rightful owners of the land. Gweru has failed dismally to name its suburbs after deserving heroes and instead has honoured Chief Mkoba alone from number one to number 22.

If the trend of naming their suburbs continues in this manner, there will be a Mkoba 50 one day.

My respect goes to the City of Bulawayo, where local names, some belonging to their heroes, have been honoured.

Mzilikazi, Lobengula and his son Nkulumane have all been honoured through naming suburbs or some noteworthy infrastructure.

Mzilikazi high density suburb is home to the Mzilikazi Arts Centre. Bulawayo has a suburb and a CBD road named after Lobengula. Bulawayo has gone several strides ahead of Harare in naming suburbs in local languages. Among the names are Luveve, Entumbane, Magwegwe, Eminyela, Nketa, Khumalo, Tshabalala, Mahatshula, Ilanda, Emganwini, Pumula and Pelandaba. These names portray a true picture of the people’s identities.

Bishop Gaul, Borrowdale, Avondale, Suffork, Lord Malvern, George Stark, Beatrice and Prince Edward are British heroes whose names are stuck as the identities of noteworthy national institutions in the capital city.

While it is true that it takes effort and resources to effect such name changes, doing so would be a step in the right direction. We appreciate such names as Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals.

Former Minister of Education Aeneas Chigwedere came under sharp criticism from people who have uninspiring self worth during his tenure as minister. Current minister Lazarus Dokora is facing similar resistance for the same African renaissance drive. Chigwedere had proposed name changes of national institutions to remove colonial identities. One of his targets was Prince Edward High school. Such critics forget that such names as Mashonganyika, Mukwati, Kaguvi and Munhumutapa Buildings were not installed by Ian Smith. The white settler honours his own.

As people with an identity, we ought to emulate the colonisers who left a footprint wherever they went. A quick snap survey within Zimbabwe will show that most names resemble British identities.

One will be mistaken to think we are in London. Sunningdale, Eastlea, Avonlea, Mabelreign, Ashdown Park, Marlborough, Windsor, Avondale, Cecil Avenue and Thames Road are all names that are synonymous with Britain. There are tens of thousands other such names across the country.

Calls have come for the naming of the University of Zimbabwe and the Harare International Airport after President Robert Mugabe. Malawi, South Africa, Kenya and the USA have done that already, I need not repeat myself on this subject.

Putting names of our heroes who changed the course of history leaves an indelible mark in national consciousness.

Oliver Tambo played a pivotal role in the liberation of South Africa. If the new government of independent South Africa had chosen not to honour him as such, he could be long forgotten now.

The airport will never die, so shall his legacy. Enterprising individuals have grouped into cooperatives and started housing schemes named after our local heroes. The names of these heroes have become the names of those suburbs, some of them quite organised and worth emulating.

Britain will never put us under sanctions for installing names consistent with our identities. Neo-colonialism does not happen in industry and commerce alone. It also manifests itself in social avenues too. To date, the British flag still flies in certain countries that claim to have liberated themselves from the British. America, the biggest British colony, has a flag in blue and white stripes.

Many former British colonies have similar flags either in colour and or shape. Neo-colonial tentacles manifest even in the most subtle of ways but with everlasting impressions.

Who doesn’t revel in the idea of staying in Borrowdale? How about Matsheumhlope? The difference is the same; the only complicating thing is a brainwashed mindset that sees everything British as better.

Who wants Prince Edward renamed Murenga Boys High School? Please raise your hands. How many of you know who Prince Edward was? Please also raise your hands. And who knows Borrowdale? Ask the Pioneer Column.