Story by Abigirl Tembo
ZIMBABWE is further strengthening relations with Nicaragua after the country was invited to attend the 45th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution set for Friday.
Named after Augusto César Sandino, a Nicaraguan revolutionary who fought against US occupation in the 1920s and 1930s, the Sandinista Revolution is a significant occurrence in Nicaraguan history that began in the 1960s and culminated in the 1979 victory.
It was a popular uprising led by the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), a leftist political organisation, against the authoritarian government of Anastasio Somoza Debayle.
Zimbabwe’s top envoy to Cuba and resident representative to Nicaragua, Ambassador Paul Chikawa disclosed that Vice President General (Rtd) Dr Constantino Chiwenga will represent President Emmerson Mnangagwa at the anniversary set for this Friday.
“The Sandinista revolution that will be celebrated on the 19th actually started in the 1960s. That’s when the Sandinista national liberation was formed but, it was formed to give parallels with Zimbabwe with our Chimurenga. It was formed in recognition of a hero who was born in 1895 and he died in 1934, his name is Augusto Sandino that’s where the name Sandinista comes from. This man fought against American colonialism because America used to occupy this nation not only America but the British and the Spanish also colonised this country before.
“The first lesson which I think is mutual between us is the value to fight for your rights and the value to love your country, to be loyal and the value of resilience. Nicaragua is under sanctions and yet you do not see a broken spirit, you see a people that is willing to fight for their rights, you see a people that is willing to have their placing under the sun so I would say as a Zimbabwean, one thing I would wish us to learn from her is patriotism, loyalty and the fighting spirit to say even when there is external interference which is aimed at bringing about illegal regime change, life should go on and added to that is the value of solidarity.”
Looking ahead, Ambassador Chikawa anticipates the visit will foster economic ties between Zimbabwe and Nicaragua.
“In a month or so we will be taking over as the chairperson of SADC which puts some regional perspective into the relations. Nicaragua is the biggest country in Central America and it is a member to a number of regional bodies. We have an agenda which talks of ‘Zimbabwe is open for business’ and so we expect that the engagement that the Vice President will focus mostly on promoting business between this region,” he said.
Earlier this month, Nicaragua opened its embassy in Harare which saw Zimbabwe becoming one of only six African nations with a resident Nicaraguan embassy.
Zimbabwe became one of the first three African countries to establish diplomatic relations with Nicaragua at independence in 1980.
