Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo of Zimbabwe: Politics, Power, and Memory (African Histories and Modernities)

This book is a pioneering study of Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo, a Zimbabwean nationalist whose crucial role in the country’s anti-colonial struggle has largely gone unrecognized. These essays trace his early influence on Zimbabwean nationalism in the late 1950s and his leadership in the armed liberation movement and postcolonial national-building processes, as well as his denigration by the winners of the 1980 elections, Mugabe’s Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front. The Nkomo that emerges is complex and contested, the embodiment of Zimbabwe’s tortured trajectory from colony to independent postcolonial state. This is an essential corrective to the standard history of twentieth-century Zimbabwe, and an invaluable resource for scholars of African nationalist liberation movements and nation-building. Front Matter ....Pages i-xxi Introduction: Writing Joshua Nkomo into History and Narration of the Nation (Sabelo J. Ndlovu-Gatsheni)....Pages 1-45 Front Matter ....Pages 47-47 The Contributions of Joshua Nkomo to the Liberation of Zimbabwe (Eliakim M. Sibanda)....Pages 49-71 Joshua Nkomo and the Internationalization of Zimbabwe’s Struggle for Liberation (Martin Rupiya)....Pages 73-90 Joshua Nkomo and the Quest for Unity and Peace in Zimbabwe (Kenneth Tafira)....Pages 91-113 The Entrapment of Joshua Nkomo Within Global Imperial Snares (Gorden Moyo)....Pages 115-147 Lancaster House Talks: Timing, Cold War and Joshua Nkomo (Pathisa Nyathi)....Pages 149-170 Front Matter ....Pages 171-171 Joshua Nkomo: Nationalist Diplomat, ‘Father of the Nation’ or ‘Enemy of the State’ (Timothy Scarnecchia)....Pages 173-192 Joshua Nkomo: The Trial of a Philosopher of Liberation (William Jethro Mpofu)....Pages 193-211 Unearthing the Legacy of ‘Father Zimbabwe’: A Decolonial Imaginary (Blessed Ngwenya)....Pages 213-235 Making Sense of Joshua Nkomo’s Political Behaviour: A Sociogenic Approach (Morgan Ndlovu)....Pages 237-251 Joshua Nkomo on Land: Exploring His Vision for Land Reform and Land Use in Zimbabwe (Rudo Gaidzanwa)....Pages 253-277 Joshua Nkomo on Transitional Justice in Zimbabwe (Everisto Benyera)....Pages 279-295 Front Matter ....Pages 297-297 Joshua Nkomo and Nelson Mandela: Ideas of Nation and Liberation (Sabelo J. Ndlovu-Gatsheni, Busani Mpofu)....Pages 299-322 Reconstructing the Self: Hauntology and Spectrality in Nkomo’s Autobiography (Josiah Nyanda)....Pages 323-340 Self-Writing and Subjection: Frederick Douglas and Joshua Nkomo (Tendayi Sithole)....Pages 341-372 Father Zimbabwe: Media, Memory and Joshua Nkomo (Sylvester Dombo)....Pages 373-387 The Immortalisation of Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo (Henry Chiwaura)....Pages 389-403 Whose Nkomo Is It Anyway? Joshua Nkomo’s Statue and Commemorative Landscape (Thabisani Ndlovu)....Pages 405-439 Back Matter ....Pages 441-454 Sabelo J. Ndlovu-gatsheni, Editor. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.