Student activism in a time of crisis - Zimbabwe 2000 - 2010: a tentative exploration
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Date
2013
Authors
Mlambo, A. S.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Faculty of Humantities, University of the Free State
Abstract
The article examines student activism in Zimbabwe between 2000 and 2010 to investigate how
Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown and political challenges influenced the nature and forms of student
responses. While conceding that student activism was not as well-coordinated and as unified as it had
been in earlier periods of Zimbabwean history, it argues that student activism, nevertheless, continued
despite relentless efforts by state agencies to violently stifle student protests and also in spite of the
debilitating economic problems confronting the students. It is argued that the lack of unity among
students can be explained in part by the lack of consensus among students regarding the challenges
facing them and how to resolve them. It can also be seen as a result of the fact that students belonged
to different and, sometimes, antagonistic political parties resulting in a fractured student movement
that could not speak with one voice. Finally, the article contends that despite facing serious economic
hardships, which partly fuelled their discontent, students did not focus only on economic grievances
but married these to wider socio-political issues and regarded their struggles as part and parcel of the
national fight for good governance and democracy.
Description
Keywords
Activism, Crisis, Democracy, Human rights, Education, Governance
Citation
Mlambo, A. S. (2013). Student activism in a time of crisis - Zimbabwe 2000 - 2010: a tentative exploration. Journal for Contemporary History, 38(1), 184-204.