In Search of the Elusive Zimbabwean Dream, An Autobiography of Thought Leadership – Volume III is the latest book series written by Professor Arthur G.O. Mutambara.
The new book is a continuation of a series that traces the leadership thoughts and philosophical disposition of Professor Mutambara over 40 years (1983 to 2023), as his generation sought to become the transformation it wished to see in Zimbabwe.
Well, it has been one national tragedy after another.
The Mnangagwa regime – whose foundation is anchored and legitimised by the 2017 coup d’état – continued in power after the fraudulent 2018 presidential polls.
Clothed and wrapped in the garb of illegitimacy, it has proven to be shamelessly incompetent, corrupt, authoritarian and patently directionless – kleptocracy par excellence.
The situation has degenerated further in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
It is compounded by insecurity and divisions within the securocratic state, brazen ethnonationalism, clansmanship, unprecedented looting of national resources and violent repression of citizens.
This has resulted in the shrinking of the democratic space, pervasive and unrelenting poverty, destruction of livelihoods, a collapsed healthcare system and avoidable loss of lives.
It is catastrophic.
On the horizon in 2023, another problematic, fraudulent and illegitimate election is loading.
Clearly, its outcome will most likely be contested.
Once again, the vision of a peaceful, democratic and wealthy nation characterised by inclusive economic growth and shared prosperity – the ‘Zimbabwean Dream’ – continues to be a mirage.
These aspirations have also been hard to achieve in many African countries. In fact, the dream has been elusive in most parts of the Global South.
Hence, Mutambara’s work is effectively ‘In Search of the African Dream – the Global South Ambition’.
The trilogy constitutes a fascinating intellectual and political journey by the man who emerged as Deputy Prime Minister of Zimbabwe at the age of 42.
It is a collection of grounded reflections weaved together with selected autobiographical material.
The three books are products of rigorous and peer-reviewed research and analysis.
They constitute a significant contribution to the epistemology of thought leadership.
This volume – Ideas & Solutions: Deputy Prime Minister and Beyond – covers Mutambara’s efforts during Zimbabwe’s Government of National Unity (GNU) and his reflections on many endeavours thereafter.
It seeks to offer an alternative shared national vision linked to a compelling and efficacious strategy in pursuit of Zimbabwe’s redemption.
Emphasis is placed on implementation planning, execution, monitoring and evaluation. All these stages are anchored by shared national values and a competitive national brand.
This domestic agenda is then aligned with Pan-Africanism in search of a united and integrated African continent.
The discourse is appraised within the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution while addressing the challenges of climate change, the global energy crisis, nuclear weapons, autonomous warfare, geopolitics and deglobalisation.
Given Mutambara’s unique access to the late President Robert Mugabe, the book also presents priceless, ground-breaking and never-before-published insights about the liberation struggle.
Indeed, Mugabe speaks from the grave.
The book is organised into four sections:
Section One – A Rocky Start to the GNU (2009);
Section Two – Grappling with the National Agenda (2009–2013);
Section Three – Mugabe and the Liberation Struggle: New Nuggets of Insight;
and Section Four – The GNU Endgame and Beyond (2013–2023).
*Professor Arthur G.O. Mutambara is the Director and Full Professor of the Institute for the Future of Knowledge at the University of Johannesburg.
He is a world-renowned academic, roboticist, Pan-Africanist and technology strategist.
Mutambara has been a Visiting Professor and a Research Scientist at MIT and NASA in the United States.
He was a Management Consultant with McKinsey & Company in Chicago.
Mutambara is the Former Deputy Prime Minister of Zimbabwe.
Working with President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, he was one of the three GPA Principals who created and led the GNU (2009–2013).
Mutambara has written three electrical engineering books.
He is a Chartered Engineer, a Professional Engineer, a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, the Zimbabwe Institution of Engineers and the Zimbabwe Academy of Sciences.