Mugabe managed to create an education revolution
I could forgive Silvio Berlusconi for dozing off; maybe "Papi" (as his lady friends call him) had been up all night. Muammar Gaddafi may have had a lot on his mind; things are not going his way with his plan for the United States of Africa. But Mugabe should have his eyes open at all times.
But, then again, who could put the blame solely on Uncle Bob for napping at the World Summit on Food Security? All that pasta, the heavenly tiramisu, the berry aftertaste of merlot from Tuscany and those melt-in-your-mouth pastries prepared by a small catering business run by toothless Sicilian widows are bound to take their toll on anyone. Listening to talk about poverty and hunger after indulging in the finest of Italian cuisine is almost impossible.
And Mugabe has never been one to sleep on an empty stomach. His glistening face - and soft, well-moisturised hand resting on his temple, splashed on many newspapers from Rome to Redcliff - was that of man so satisfied with himself, he wouldn't let a little thing like the food summit come between him and his after-lunch nap. How else do you think he keeps those wrinkles at bay?
I'm sure that on seeing the photograph, Queen Elizabeth II cursed the day she was inspired to knight Uncle Bob and wondered why it took her so long to strip him of the title.
Oh, how the once mighty have fallen! No one could have predicted this turn of events in Zimbabwe's history on hearing Mugabe's speech on the eve of independence in 1980.
He paved the way for reconciliation - which would inspire other leaders like Nelson Mandela - when he assured the white people of Zimbabwe: "If you were my enemy, you are now my friend. If you hated me, you cannot avoid the love that binds me to you and you to me." He urged all those who had already packed their bags to instead immigrate from "Rhodesia to Zimbabwe".
Zimbabwe was thriving. In 1980, Mugabe promised education for all by the year 2000. He built schools so that every child was close to one. And adults who had not been able to go to school were given a second chance at education.
As Faith Zaba wrote in the Zimbabwe Independent last month, "Mugabe managed to create an education revolution, raising literacy rates to 98% by the late 1990s. The education system in Zimbabwe was named the best in Africa."
Until the late '90s, Zimbabwe offered a first-class education. South Africans who had the means sent their children across the Limpopo to get a good education, away from the tear gas and school boycotts. Zimbabwean men were among the most eligible bachelors on the continent; they were the beneficiaries of a fine education, residents of the "Bread Basket of Africa" and provided a nearby refuge from oppressive South Africa.
Clearly, Uncle Bob was doing something right in the '80s and '90s.
So, why did our leaders not look across the Limpopo to deal with our education woes?
Why is Outcome Based Education, which has had a mixed record in Britain, Australia and New Zealand, especially in poorer schools, been forced upon our even poorer schools? Why are our leaders not looking at what made the Zimbabwean education system the best in Africa for two decades?
Maybe it's time for our officials to have a cup of tea with Mugabe and talk education. It would be worthwhile for both countries to reflect on the past, present and future of our education systems.
If we could just get Mugabe to wake up.
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