By Brightface Mutema
Zimbabwe will overcome the illegal US sanctions imposed in the same manner they were imposed on Cuba for more than 50 years. The United States imposed financial, commercial and economic sanctions on Cuba in 1960. Most generations came and passed while Cuba was reeling under the sanctions, but it survived.
Due to the illegal sanctions, Cuba lost billions of dollars and Zimbabwe is just suffering in the same manner. One painstaking truth about these sanctions, especially in the case of Zimbabwe is that an ordinary man in the street is suffering. They are not even harming the targeted individuals who continue to lead an opulent lifestyle. But it is out of a lemon that we can make lemonade. True to this, Zimbabwe can turn into a jewel under the sanctions and obviously without America.
A British writer, Simon Calder in 2014 once wrote an article, “How Cuba learnt to forget America and survive the blockade.” For obvious reasons, his writing was and still is of fundamental lesson to Zimbabwe on how it is now imperative to ignore America and soldier on. This does not imply that, everything being equal, we do not want America, but we hate her attitude towards us.
The economic embargo that began in Cuba in around 1960 was exploited equally enthusiastically by the Cuban administration. One thing that the administration was quick to realise was that Cuba was a self- contained country that could harness resources at its disposal to their advantage and prosperity. It was like between the devil and the deep sea, a rise up or perish situation reminiscent to what is transpiring to Zimbabwe.
Quick to my story, as Calder puts it, the Castro regime had long been propped up by a sugar-for-oil swap that was skewed to Cuba’s advantage. However, low the world price of the island’s staple crop fell, tankers full of Soviet oil continued to sail into Havana’s magnificent harbour. The surplus could be sold on to third countries for hard currency that was promptly pumped into maintaining the Cuban state.
In addition, Castro concluded that the only way to preserve the gains of the Cuban revolution was to harness Cuba’s immense potential as a holiday destination.
Cuba ignored America, and instead looked to the rest of the world for support. Castro appealed to Mexicans, South Americans, Canadians and Europeans amongst others. Tourism kick-started the economy, enriched the country and preserved the power base of Fidel Castro.
Likewise, Zimbabweans bluntly put it across that they are not going to lose sleep over what America has done to Zimbabwe. Motivated by Castro, we are forced to ignore and move on and call for our regional brothers, the BRICS, European Union and Asia amongst others to come and partner us in any way possible.
Cuba managed to survive under the embargo for decades, why not Zimbabwe? Zimbabwe is a country endowed with a smorgasbord of minerals and rich agricultural soils, not to forget a highly educated and competent population can surely rise up from the dust.
By pursuing our agrarian side of the economy, Zimbabwe has already hit unprecedented tobacco and cotton production. Tobacco sales floors are expected to bring in millions of dollars and we are so sure, unlike before, the monies will be channelled towards meaningful turn- around of the economy. Not even at the peak of white commercial farming did the country produce the white gold and tobacco in these volumes. The writing is clear on the wall America!
Zimbabwe is a peaceful country with attractive tourism package including one of the best world wonders, the majestic Victoria Falls. It does not end with only these but put in précis, Zimbabwe has what it takes to sustain its revival efforts and still become a middle income economy without America by 2030 in line with the President’s vision.
Following the mantra Zimbabwe is open for Business, we welcome all those progressive nations to seize the opportunity while America holds on to its draconic foreign policy on us and see if we are not going to emerge even stronger.
One day America will have another President in the Obama mould, one who will realise like Obama that, “It does not serve America’s interests, or the Cuban people’s, to try to push Cuba toward collapse.” In the same vein, it might be now or later, another Obama will come out of America and remark that “It does not serve America’s interests, or the Zimbabwean people’s, to try to push Zimbabwe toward collapse.”
