FAILING ECONOMY HURTS CHILDREN

Picture : Online

Growing up in Zimbabwe during the 80’s and 90’s was like a stroll through wonderland where children had endless fantasies, but, becoming a vendor was never one of them.

I met a group of primary school children in Bulawayo’s city centre on the last day of school, earlier this month, who were all jubilant showing a satisfaction that the school term was over and they had already switched to play mode.

As I watched them cross the street at a robot controlled intersection, I could not help but feel a nostalgic tug as I yearned for those carefree days when my fantasies gave me exciting experiences daily -  from being a pilot, transforming into Peter Ndlovu then to ‘Bret the hit man Hart’. The hypnotic state of euphoria I was experiencing while watching these children was bliss and I could feel myself smile with contentment.

While I enjoyed this view, the bubbly pupils edged closer to me but, when I heard what they were saying and I was jolted back to the reality of present day Zimbabwe, my heart sank.

“Screen guard yese dollar...dollar” shouted one, while another countered with “Umuthi wama gundwane lama wuwu dollar..... dollar,” sending the whole pack into stitches.

At that point, I remembered that children craft fantasies from observed experience and I understood that a failing national economy was failing the future.

Fantasies cultivate determination and motivation such that if a child dreams about being a doctor, accountant or journalist, they have a strong personal will to work towards that goal. They aim for the sky and even if they fail to reach the sky, their fall is broken by tree tops.

With a 90% unemployment rate, our children are inundated with various modes of informal employment like vendors, touts and thieves. This however does not mean they lose their creative impressionable talent and as such, they idolise those who best practise their informal trade.

 Gone are the days when children would want to be a teacher, nurse or policeman because these public officers no-longer command respect and trust which degenerates to awe in young minds. Now their very sensitive feelers sense resentment in adults when they see yet another roadblock and record every slouched move of their teachers as they wait to dismiss the class.

Children observe their way into resenting civil service because it depicts discontent from everyone including the servants themselves. What then do we expect when our children see vendors shouting their lungs out, cracking jokes and laughing to attract the next dollar?

Education has always been praised as the only treasure safe from thieves and robbers but has Zimbabwe not become the ultimate con artist by stealing even this personal jewel?

 Graduation time is upon the country once again bringing with it more questions.

Is there any pride in celebrating that degree or diploma and waking up the following morning disillusioned by the reality that the only open road is to the streets where that certificate on your living room wall becomes no better than the one you got at birth?

Maybe it is time parents taught their children to revere politics and work towards becoming the next government official whose work includes lies, more lies, pomp and funfare. Once they master political acumen, they could then buy half the country and own its citizens but are they not civil SERVANTS?

 Children of this generation watch their siblings, parents and even grandparents toil with lethargy to put food on the table – white collar or not - the struggle is the same.

Today we hear the elderly complain of moral decadence, lack of vision and many other vices in the young generation but on this day I realised the elders are to blame. - Society 24