Hello, Zimbabwe! Isn’t It Time for Reflection?

Xuefeng

May 15, 2023

Hello, Zimbabwe!

I lived on your land for sixteen years, once dreaming of spending my entire life in your embrace. You are a land I deeply love, yet also where my dreams were shattered.

Today, you have become one of the poorest countries in the world. Have you ever asked yourself why?

You had the potential to be one of the richest nations on earth. You are blessed with one of the world’s most livable climates—neither scorching summers nor harsh winters, just year-round greenery and blooming flowers. You were once celebrated as the "Breadbasket of Africa" and the "Little Paris of Africa." Tourist destinations like Hwange National Park and Victoria Falls are among the world’s most breathtaking. I have traveled across your mountains and rivers, and wherever I went, there was only one word to describe it: “Beautiful!”

The Shona, your predominant ethnic group, are kind-hearted, peaceful, and broad-minded. After sixteen years of close interactions with both the Shona and the Ndebele, I grew to love them deeply. With such excellent environmental, climatic, and cultural conditions, why have you become one of the world's poorest and most underdeveloped nations? Is it not time for some serious reflection?

Your gravest mistake was the violent land reform, which expropriated thousands of white-owned farms. Those farms were the lifeblood of your economy. It was as if you severed your own lifeline. How could you not fall into poverty?

By cutting off the main artery, you deprived all capillaries of energy input, leading to the country’s overall decline. The economy collapsed, the currency became worthless, talent fled, capital withdrew, and foreign reserves disappeared. As a result, power supply became unreliable, roads fell into disrepair, food became scarce, and goods grew increasingly limited. Factories shut down, unemployment soared, government credibility crumbled, and corruption spread among officials. Theft and crime surged, and in the end, the nation became the poorest in the world.

Land reform was only a surface issue. The deeper problem lies in your hostility toward foreign capital. Your sense of national pride is built on an illusory foundation. You lack technology, capital, and modern governance experience—yet you drove away those who possessed these resources. It’s against the natural order for you not to descend into poverty and backwardness.

One fundamental truth you fail to grasp: the wealthy are seldom patriotic. Or to put it another way, among all citizens, capitalists are the least patriotic. For capitalists, home is wherever they can profit, secure their wealth, and enjoy life. If you offer capitalists safety and freedom, they will treat your country as their own. They won’t send their money back to their hometowns but will instead spend it locally. When you expel capitalists, their funds, technology, and experience leave with them. Companies and factories close, unemployment rises, and your economy deteriorates. Poverty and backwardness become inevitable. Even locally born capitalists will transfer their funds abroad if they feel their money is unsafe in your country. They won’t be foolish enough to keep their wealth in an insecure and unprofitable environment.

In today’s world, the strategy of being a small, isolated nation and shutting foreign investors out is tantamount to locking yourself in a prison. Reflect, Zimbabwe! Rejoin the Commonwealth, restore the farms to their rightful owners, and welcome capital investment. Stop enacting policies that restrict foreign investment. If you do so, Zimbabwe will regain its glory. You will emerge from poverty and backwardness and step into the ranks of civilized and prosperous nations.