Book Review : Mugabe by Martin Meredith

 

One of the best books I ever read on the former president of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe is the work of Martin Meredith called Mugabe : Power, Plunder and the Struggle for Zimbabwe. It is easy to read because Martin Meredith is a natural writer. It feels like you are having a conversation with a friend. The book is a must read for anyone interested in the history of Zimbabwe.

My thoughts on the book

Mugabe does come across as a bit biased. Yes, Mugabe was a tyrant. He has been described by his numerous enemies as the 'apostle of Satan' and a 'bloodthirsty Marxist'. Mugabe is a man who had the blood of innocent people on his hands. He is a man who didn't die a hero but lived long enough to become the villain. Mugabe oversaw the Ndebele genocide known as Gukurahundi in the early 80s. He was the architect of the disastrous land grabs that saw white farmers driven off their farms thus causing the downfall of the Zimbabwean economy. Hunger and poverty would be the result, sending millions of Zimbabweans into exile, becoming a thorn in the side of South African citizens. Mugabe is the man who did not hesitate to kill and imprison his political opponents. His one and only goal was a one party state with him as president for life. 

With that being said, Mugabe was to some people a freedom fighter, a revolutionary and a hero. That side of Mugabe is not talked about in Martin Meredith's book. To his disciples, Mugabe was a man who gave freedom, education and land to his people. He was a bulwark against imperialism and its running dogs. He was an eloquent speaker and orator. He was an educated man with multiple degrees. He was a teacher before becoming a politician. 

Most political careers end in failure and Mugabe is no exception. In the end he was an old tyrant betrayed by his protege in Mnangagwa. He is a man who spent his last days sulking and brooding about the coup that evicted him from office after 37 years of unbridled power. He died in a foreign country in luxury whilst his people starved. At the end of it all Mugabe won the world and yet lost his own soul.

Lessons from the book

1. Black leaders should write their own biographies

Though he portrayed himself as an intellectual, Mugabe did not pen his memoirs or write his own story. Unlike Mandela and Ian Smith we never got his side of the story. He died without telling us his secrets, his thoughts and his motivations. Thus, it is imperative that black people write their own stories or else white people and foreigners will set their narrative. Mugabe's name will be forever besmirched by his detractors. If he had written his own life story the future generations would get his side of the story. Perhaps behind the suits, degrees and fluent English Mugabe was just a political gangster, unruly, uncouth and uncultured. He was no different from the Idi Amins, Bokassas and Mobutus of the world. He was just your typical African dictator who can't let go of power. Mugabe proved Ian Smith right and affirmed the racist belief that no matter how educated black people are, they are culturally and biologically incapable of building and maintaining advanced civilisation

2. Great speakers don't always make great leaders

Democracy is a system that favours sweet talkers and politicians that can tell lies and make promises they can't keep. Demagogues like Hitler and Mussolini proved that being a good orator does not mean one will be a good leader. Gone are the days when a ruler had to prove himself on the battlefield to show he was a leader. In the pre-modern era, men and women had to personally lead troops into war to show their mettle. The Alexanders and Julius Caesars of the world were men of action and not smooth speaking politicians. Mugabe is one such a leader who gained popularity by his silver tongue. He did not hold a gun and fight on the front lines against Rhodesians. He was a speaker and orator, first as a teacher and as a politician. Mugabe had the power to dazzle audiences with his perfect English and humour. But at the end of the day, he was a terrible leader and all his speeches could not save the Zimbabwean economy or his political career.

3. Power is an illusion

In the series Game of Thrones Varys asks Tyrion a riddle about a sellsword in a room with a king, a priest and a rich man. Each great man bids the mercenary slay the other two. Who lives and who dies? Varys then says that power is a trick and it resides where men believe it resides. Thus a small man can cast a very large shadow. In the case of Mugabe this is true as well. For 37 years he cast a very large shadow. Through guile, threats and violence he was able to hold a grip on power. Via media and propaganda Mugabe was able to brainwash a whole country into following him. But at the end of his life, that trick could not fool the people any longer. Even his party comrades were tired of him and ushered him out. 

But what I take from the Varys quote is that power ultimately resides with the sellsword or mercenary. It is the soldier and the armed man that has power. Without the men of arms a rich man, king and priest are powerless. Such is the case with Mugabe. Without the support of the army he was no great man to be feared. Without his soldiers he was nothing more than an old senile man. And this is the case in every country all over the world. Power resides in weapons and the men who know how to wield them. Like Mao famously said, 'Political power comes out of the barrel of a gun.'

Final thoughts

It seems to me it was destiny for Mugabe to rule. I am not a man of faith but it does seem Mugabe survived death too many times that one could believe he was ordained to be president. Why didn't Ian Smith kill him when Chitepo and Leopold Takawira were assassinated? When Mugabe drove out white farmers and openly mocked USA and Europe, why was he not taken out like what happened to Gaddafi, Saddam, Lumumba and Sankara? Perhaps like they say, the good die young. And Mugabe being an evil yet intelligent man, was fated to live a long life that brought misery to many.