| Chapter Introduction: | Introduction |
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1965 and declared the Unilateral Declaration of Independence to thwart the independence of blacks, especially given that Malawi and Zambia had become newly independent in 1964. In response, Zimbabweans took up arms against Smith's government in the Second Chimurenga of 1966–1979. Their major grievances were land alienation, bad working conditions, lack of social services, and, more specifically, the desire for nationhood and independence. The key sectors of the colonial economy—mining, agriculture, timber logging, and manufacturing— had depended and thrived on ultracheap African labour to benefit the minority whites. Environmental discourses tended to apportion blame on the Africans, whose demographic overload in the forty communal areas essentially caused deforestation, overgrazing, and soil erosion. The international community reacted to the Smith government by imposing sanctions against colonial Zimbabwe. Independence was achieved in 1980 through civil war combined with the peace talks known as the Lancaster House Agreement in 1979. The two major nationalist parties that fought for independence were the Zimbabwe African National Union–Patriotic Front led by Robert Mugabe and the Zimbabwe African Peoples Union–Patriotic Front under the leadership of Joshua Nkomo. With independence, the top priority of Mugabe's government was the exploration of an amicable method of resolving the longstanding imbalances in land distribution.
Book Outline
Picture four vultures fighting over a game carcass. Vultures one and two want to devour the whole carcass in a matter of days. Although they are family, vultures three and four are less voracious meat eaters and oppose the first two, demanding that the carcass be eaten slowly over a period of years. Other vultures on the scene are of little significance. Initially, vultures one and two, with four reluctantly agreeing, proceed for some time eating away the dead beast. When vulture three's protestations become hysterical and four shifts its full support to three, the tempo and momentum in eating is slowed down. The Zambezi teak woodland is like the