TODAY is Heroes’ Day.
It’s a special holiday on the national calendar as we honour both our living and departed icons.
At national level, it’s mainly about honouring outstanding individuals who made their sacrifices for the liberation of Zimbabwe.
Then we also have those who have served our country with distinction in various fields.
Men and women who have changed and saved many lives with their unmatched patriotism.
As such, we can’t afford to forget these men and women for the important role they played.
Some of them are known for preaching the eternal gospel of unity, peace and harmony.
Pretending as if we don’t have heroes/heroines or they never existed is not acceptable.
And, 43 years after independence, these outstanding men and women’s remarkable footprints are hard to ignore.
Ignoring our heroes/heroines is as good as forsaking the pillars holding us firm.
However, it should be mentioned that we have heroes in every field.
Heroes are not only ex-combatants but people who are having a huge impact in our lives.
Honouring our heroes, while they are still alive, should become the norm.
We should never be a people who love and appreciate our heroes only when they are gone.
The other sad reality about life is that we tend to remember our heroes when they are honoured in foreign lands.
For the benefit of future generations, we need to keep records of our heroes/heroines.
Most of these luminaries’ history is often distorted, especially when it is recorded after their deaths.
We should never allow a situation where foreigners are the ones who keep important records about our icons.
We are a nation which prides itself on its success in education and we have capable researchers and historians who can easily do the job for us.
Without taking anything from foreign researchers, our stories should be told by our people.
Our stories appeal more when they are told by the people we easily relate to rather than foreigners.
For a change, we also need heroes/heroines to record and compile their own stories.
They can engage other writers or do the job themselves to ensure that our stories are not distorted.
As we mark Heroes Day, we need to exercise caution on the roads since such holidays are usually marked by fatal accidents.
With such holidays marked with festivities and a lot of alcohol intake, we need to guard against driving under the influence of alcohol, negligence and recklessness.
Such holidays should not leave us in tears but unite us as Zimbabweans as we salute both our living and departed icons in various fields.
Recognising our own is important in our history as a nation.
Heroes should be remembered every day and not only in August.
We have to ensure that our youths also appreciate what these heroes did for this country.
It’s important for every nation to acknowledge and celebrate its heroes.