Zimbabwe boats of the
highest literacy rate in Africa with a record 96 %. This is a great achievement
that gives any patriotic Zimbabwean something to smile about, regardless of the
economic hardships that the country is facing.
The more educated a
country’s population is, the more civilised it becomes and the less violent it
is expected to behave.
However, it is unfortunate
that we still have a four percent that it is illiterate. Having attended so
many matches at across the country particularly at Barbour Fields, I am
perplexed by the hooliganism and tribal hatred exhibited by some of our
brothers.
I have been forced to think that perhaps the
government or football administrators need to re-introduce adult education for
the sake of our brothers who are still illiterate for a reason that I am yet to
establish.
It is a shameful to see
that in this 21st century, with Zimbabwe bragging of a 96% literacy rate,
we still have some sections in society that are still living in the medieval period,
perhaps in the stone age period or that period of hunters and gatherers when
tribal wars were fought for entertainment.
From the behaviours
that I have witnessed among some of our bothers it’s a pity that tribalism
still exists at our stadium and social networks which is now our platform for
discussing spots news.
Perhaps you could
forgive them if you only assume that they are part and parcel of the
unfortunate 4% that happen to be illiterate.
For where in this
world, in this 21st century, in this global village would you find a
normal human being with common sense holding a belief that Dynamos is a
football club for Shonas or that Highlander is a football club for Ndebeles?
For where in this
modern world would you find fans insulting each other on tribal basis when football is known to be the best
unifying sport across the word?
That Highlanders and
Dynamos are simply Zimbabwean football clubs to which any Zimbabwean with his
talent can showcase it through the teams is not known to them.
So confused is this
section of fans that they don’t even know what it means to be Zimbabwean.
So backward are they
that even from the player composition of the clubs they purport to support,
which is a true testimony and reflection of unity in Zimbabwe, they still don’t
see it and find themselves wrapped in the Stone Age era of throwing stones.
That a players like Bheki
Ncube crossed from Highlanders to Dynamos and back to Highlanders at free will,
that Masimba Mambare came from Motor Action to pay for Highlanders and a whole
bunch of players you can think of who are from diverse backgrounds and plays
for any team of their choice, is still a riddle wrapped in a mystery to them.
We can afford to forgive
them, if we remind ourselves that we still have four percent illiterate population
in our country. We can afford to
forgive them if we assume that this is the section that is causing mayhem at
our in our football matches.
Even Jesus himself
called for forgiveness of such people who are in darkness when he said, “forgive
them for they don’t know what they are doing.”
For this reason, it is
high time that football club owners, administrators and any stake holders
involved should embark on supporter-education, the way voter education s
conducted may be.
Tribalism in our sports
must end, and t must end now, f you see yourself treating soccer in tribal
manner, tell yourself that you are not yet
living in the 21 fist century.
