Zimbabwe, from liberation to chaos

After fifteen years of guerrilla warfare in Rhodesia, a British colony, Robert Mugabe succeeded in defeating the white dictator Ian Smith in 1980 to give birth to a new independent nation, Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe, from liberation to chaos is a look back at the two years since 2000 that have plunged Zimbabwe, a symbol of successful, stable and prosperous post-colonialism, into chaos, dictatorship and bankruptcy. Michael Reaburn – a Zimbabwean by birth, who campaigned alongside Robert Mugabe during the War of Independence, and who remains close to the new Zimbabwean government – takes us on a journey to meet the players in his country’s tragedy, in order to understand this tipping point. In the company of former comrades in the struggle, members of the Zimbabwean opposition and those loyal to President Mugabe, this documentary examines the crisis in order to uncover its deeper meaning. Michael Raeburn looks back at the events that have plunged Zimbabwe into social chaos and economic collapse since 2000. Committed to the emancipation of Rhodesia before independence alongside Robert Mugabe, the filmmaker retraces the journey of the man who defeated Britain’s Ian Smith to become president after 15 years of guerrilla warfare. Drawing on the testimonies of his former comrades in struggle, members of the opposition and loyalists of President Mugabe, he unpacks the mechanisms that led to the social crisis that is tearing his native country apart, and confronts his own disillusionment.