Abstract:
This theoretical article analyses the impact of gender imbalances in land redistribution in
Zimbabwe’s Third Chimurenga. The article argues that if land is a womb, why is that women
who are the mothers are sidelined and undermined in land redistribution in postcolonial
Zimbabwe. The article also highlights the importance of land which led to a group of 90
women scaling the highest mountain in protest of land imbalances on the basis of gender.
History has it that many people were displaced, uprooted and some even killed because of
land issues. In this struggle for land, there is always a section of society which is undermined
and pushed to the periphery when it comes to the use and ownership of this valuable
resource. Land is the centre of reproduction and production in Zimbabwe. It gives people
their sense of belonging and identity. Women in the Third Chimurenga sang, danced and
gave moral support but the land tenure systems prohibit them to own land outside male or
patriarchal dominance. In this article, I demonstrated the impact of gender imbalances on
land redistribution in the Third Chimurenga by highlighting the power of a group of women
who scaled the highest mountain in Zimbabwe, Mount Nyangani, to challenge the land
tenure systems that oppress women so far as land ownership is concerned. The article
engages the black liberation theological paradigm to show the irruption of women into the
sacred space dominated by the male.
INTRADISCIPLINARY AND/OR INTERDISCIPLINARY IMPLICATIONS : This article is interdisciplinary in the
sense that it cuts across disciplines as it addresses issues of land, gender, patriarchy and a
liberation theology which reflect the need for human emancipation, especially the oppressed
groups.
