By Princess Eugene Majuru, Princess of Harare

The British governmnet is yet to compensate descendants of the Harare Mbari Clan billions of pounds for the genocide that almost wiped out the Mbari clan of Harare, descendants of King Mbari who ruled Harare, Mazoe and Mount Hampden when they brutally murdered the aged, children, women and middle-aged generations in their greedy scramble for Africa.

The genocide took place with the assistance of the Hwata clan who sold out and caused mass destruction in Harare. (They committed Ngozi and have not compensated the Mbari till today). The Hwata also caused the murder of spiritualist Mbuya Nehanda whose skull is among the skulls being sought by Zimbabwe from the British.

It was in the Harare Mazoe area that the most fierce battle in the history of colonisation of Zimbabwe was fought. When the colonialists arrived in Harare it was Makombe who was King after having taken over from his brother King Mbari who was now concentrating on helping people who sought for his assistance from far and wide. King Mbari was a powerful healer, King and his power and abilities made him one of the strongest Kings in Zimbabwe, spiritually and physically.

It took the British a long time to defeat the Mbari, King Makombe was almost captured three times but it was very difficult for them to lay hands on him, his knowledge of the terrain made it difficult as he would escape before being captured. In fighting the Mbari clan the British had to ask for reinforcements from the British South African police as they were no match for the Mbari who fought back without guns but mainly relied on their intelligence.

When the British finally took over the city they mounted their union jack flag at the Chihoka hill now named Kopje.

Tens of thousands killed by the British as they were hiding in caves around Harare and Mazoe, they hid in underground tunnels under the Kopje and surrounding areas. It’s very sad to note that till today the remains of those killed during the genocide are still in the caves, they deserve a desceent burial which should be funded by the British.

The British government and Buckingham Palace have already received communication from the Mbari Clan for compensation of the land and minerals looted as well as treasures from Mbaris court, a lot of items were looted. All the land in Harare was commercialised as they set up the capital city which they named Salisbury, Mazoe area which was rich with fertile land was made commercial farming city.

Till today the clan has not received compensation for all the land in Mbari’s territory. When the surving Mbari clan members left the area they ran away to far away lands and changed their identities so they could never be identified. It was the wish of the British to completely destroy the Mbari clan as they were feared for being strong and intelligent. They killed everyone in sight. Most members of the Mbari clan are still living as destitutes in lands of other chiefs till today. It’s sad and of great concern to see how the Zimbabwean government have still not rescuscitated the Mbari Chieftaincy. At the moment Harare is the only city which does not have a Chief, this is a problem Zimbabwe inherited from the British.


In response to claims for compensation for the genocide in Harare area the British have said they already send aid to Zimbabwe and somehow the Mbari will get some of the aid. The Mbari are preparing to take on the British government as they continue the claim for compensation and return of all stolen artifacts, loss of lives, and loss of minerals. The British acquired their wealth from looting and enslaving people during colonialism. They enjoy wealth from blood money.

At the same time Zimbabwe is pursuing the remains if the First Chimurenga war heroes including Mbuya Nehanda, sekuru Kaguvi and others. They were brutally murdered and heads were taken to London as war trophies. Till today the British are holding onto more than 20 000 skulls stolen from countries they colonised. They are also holding onto artifacts and sound recordings and photographs stolen during colonialism. Africans around the globe are demandibg for the return of all stolen property as can be seen from many groups and organisations which have been formed and have been working on repatriation and reparations.

Yuichi Imai looks at photos of the handover ceremony he received from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, in Minamiuonuma, Niigata Prefecture, on April 23, 2021. In the foreground of a photo, the word "Asante" can be seen written with shoes. Photo Yukio Itahana

MINAMIUONUMA, Niigata -- On April 16, a handover ceremony to give 135 pairs of shoes to young athletes in Tanzania who can't afford running footwear was completed in Dar es Salaam, in what marked the culmination of the charitable efforts of an athletics association vice president in this central Japan city.

Yuichi Imai, 67, a resident of Minamiuonuma in Niigata Prefecture, had been working to send running shoes to junior track and field athletes in Tanzania. In 1994, he met Juma Ikangaa, a Tanzanian athlete who was a guest runner at a marathon held in the then town of Muikamachi, now part of Minamiuonuma.

Their friendship deepened over the years, and Imai heard an earnest plea from Ikangaa, who told him about athletes in Tanzania who run barefoot because they cannot afford running shoes. He also told him how they get injured during practice and therefore can't do their best in competitions. Starting in 2020, Imai began calling for donations of used shoes and other items.

He began receiving shoes from all over Japan. But he was hindered by the high customs charges to send the collected shoes to Tanzania. To solve it, he applied for and was selected to be part of the Japan International Cooperation Agency's "Smile for All in the World" program; the shoes were sent out in February and arrived safely in a delivery via the National Sports Council of Tanzania.

At the April 16 handover ceremony in Dar es Salaam, the athletes who received the shoes expressed their gratitude to Imai by arranging the footwear to make the word "Asante," meaning thank you in Swahili.

Imai received a joyful phone call from Ikangaa, who thanked him for the many shoes that came mainly from Minamiuonuma and also across Japan. Ikangaa told him they had helped remove obstacles, and given those young athletes a means to live with confidence, courage and hope.

Receiving the good news, Imai said, "The shoes have finally reached the young Tanzanian athletes and that they no longer have to run barefoot. I want to thank all the people who helped (this program)." - Mainichi Japan (Japanese original by Yukio Itahana)

Rwandan President Paul Kagame says France's recent acknowledgement over its role in the 1994 genocide in his country is "a big step" -- even if it didn't come with an apology.

His counterpart Emmanuel Macron, during a historic visit to the east African nation this week, recognised France's role in the killing of 800,000 mostly Tutsi Rwandans and said only the survivors could grant "the gift of forgiveness".

Stopping short of an apology -- and stressing France "was not complicit" in the actual violence -- Macron went further than his predecessors in acknowledging that Paris backed the genocidal regime and ignored warnings of looming massacres.

Some survivors had been hoping for a formal atonement, and were left disappointed.

But Kagame, who lead the Tutsi rebellion that ended the genocide, has regularly accused France of complicity in the crimes.

He applauded Macron for "speaking the truth" and said his words were "more valuable than an apology".

Expanding on his remarks in an interview with AFP and France Inter, the veteran Rwandan leader expressed doubt about ever "getting an entirely satisfactory answer".

"But I think it is a big step. We need to admit it, take it and work towards other steps, whenever and wherever they come," Kagame said late Friday in Kigali.

"Somebody can come and say 'I am sorry, I apologise'. Still, I think some people will remain and say 'that is not enough'. And they have the right to think so or to say so. In this case, I don't see a silver bullet, something that will come and settle everything.

"Does it answer everything, every question that everyone has to raise? I don't think so. Do survivors have the right to question a number of things? They have the right."

Justice

Macron's visit, the first by a French leader since 2010, sought to turn a new page on a tortured quarter century of acrimony between France and Rwanda over the unresolved questions of the genocide.

Ahead of his symbolic trip, Macron had commissioned historians to pore over archives to re-examine France's involvement not just in the brutality of 1994 but the crucial years leading up to it.

France provided political and military support to Kigali during a civil war preceding the genocide, and long stood accused of turning a blind eye to the dangers posed by Hutu extremists in a country scarred by large scale massacres in its past.

The Duclert Commission report, handed directly to Macron, accused Paris of being "blind" to preparations for the genocide, and said it bore "serious and overwhelming" responsibility.

A Rwanda-commissioned report into the same events, released just weeks later, said the French government "bears significant responsibility" for enabling the genocide in Rwanda, yet refused to acknowledge its true role in the horror.

Kagame said the two commissions "say almost the same things, but in different ways".

He asked that Macron honour a commitment made during his visit that anybody accused of genocide crimes in France face justice -- but did not insist on their extradition.

"If justice happened in France against these people, I am happy. I don't have to say 'it will only be justice if you bring, give them to me and we trial them in our courts'. Justice is justice. If France wants to trial them, that’s what they should do," he said.

"I am not particular about the form. I am particular about saying these are people that have serious crime against them, they should be held accountable one way or the other. It is not for me to decide who, what, where."

He declined to comment on the Paris prosecutor's request this month to drop a case accusing French troops of complicity in crimes against humanity over their inaction in a massacre.

"It is not for me to decide," he said.

Better relationship?

Kagame said the recent rapprochement, though not perfect, lays the foundation for "a better and maybe deeper relationship between Rwanda and France".

But critics accused Macron of remaining silent on Rwanda's murky record on rights and freedoms in the pursuit of reconciliation with Kagame, who has kept a tight control on the country since the genocide.

Kagame said the accusations levelled against his government were largely baseless and stirred up by outsiders.

"When it is here, our problems must be addressed by the outside. Or actually created now by the outside," he said.

"Everyday we are being fired at. A lot of lies, hundreds," he added.

Taking power in the aftermath of 1994, and the presidency in 2000, Kagame had the constitution amended in 2015 to allow him, at least in theory, to remain in power until 2034.

The next election in 2024 is still too far away to consider, he said.

"I don't think about it much, I don't worry about it," he said. - Africanews/AFP