EVERY February 21, Zimbabwe marks National Youth Day, a holiday meant to celebrate and empower young people.
Introduced in 2017, the day was intended to highlight the role of youth in shaping the nation’s future. However, for many young Zimbabweans, particularly those in rural areas, it remains nothing more than a symbolic gesture with no real impact on their lives.
In marginalised communities such as Maphisa, Kezi, Tsholotsho, and Plumtree, National Youth Day is widely recognised in name, but it carries little meaning beyond being a public holiday.
For the majority of young women in these areas, the day does not bring any attention to the challenges they face. Issues such as poverty, lack of employment opportunities, and rampant child marriages persist, yet the day passes without discussions, awareness programmes, or initiatives aimed at addressing these struggles.
Many simply see it as a day off, with no connection to their lived realities. One young woman from Maphisa put it bluntly: "In our communities, National Youth Day is just another day off. There are no programmes, no discussions, and no efforts to listen to what we, as young women, need. It is not about us; it is just a date on the calendar”.
As part of this article, I conducted a poll on WhatsApp groups with young women from urban, rural, and marginalised communities to gauge their views on National Youth Day.
Despite the day being widely recognised, engagement is low. Nearly 90% of respondents knew about National Youth Day, but only 10% actively participated in any related activities.
This lack of engagement is not due to apathy but rather a lack of meaningful programming. Young people primarily hear about it through social media (45%) or from friends and family (35%), while 15% reported never having heard of it before.
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Tellingly, none of the respondents cited newspapers as a source, highlighting the gap between official messaging and the realities on the ground.
The lack of government-driven efforts to engage young people — particularly in rural communities — means that National Youth Day remains a missed opportunity.
Another concern among young people is the uncertainty of the future. Many are questioning how courses and training programmes are tailored to make them relevant in an ever-changing job market.
Their fears are justified, according to research done by the British Council in 2020. It notes that while Zimbabwe's education system has a strong reputation, there is a mismatch between the skills provided and labour market demands, exacerbating unemployment and driving migration.
The report calls for systematic reforms to align education with economic opportunities. Without significant changes in the way young people are educated and trained, National Youth Day will continue to feel like an empty celebration rather than an opportunity for meaningful development.
Compounding the issue is the association of National Youth Day with the late former President Robert Mugabe. For some, Mugabe's legacy includes advocating for youth involvement in governance, but for many others, he is remembered for brutality, repression, and economic collapse.
His rule saw the deployment of youth militias, such as those referred to as Green Bombers, who were used to intimidate and assault mainly opposition supporters.
Many young people were forcibly recruited into these groups, and those who refused often faced violence, imprisonment, or worse. The trauma of such policies lingers, making the celebration of a youth-focused holiday in his name a painful irony for many.
Mugabe’s brutal policies extended beyond political repression. The Gukurahundi massacres of the 1980s, which left thousands dead in the Matabeleland and Midlands provinces, remain a deep wound for many Zimbabweans.
Young women in these regions grew up with the stories of their families being torn apart, of fathers and brothers disappearing, and of communities living in fear.
To them, a day meant to uplift youth but tied to Mugabe’s legacy is a contradiction. One respondent from Plumtree remarked, “Mugabe destroyed our future. Many of us grew up without job opportunities because of the economic policies he implemented. Now, we have a holiday in his name, but what are we really celebrating?”
Interestingly, a young woman from Plumtree, who had initially expressed interest in sharing her views, later changed her mind, saying she had a lot to say about the day and its connection to the former president, but her mother had barred her from speaking.
This highlights the lingering trauma that the older generation still experiences from Mugabe’s rule.
Responses regarding Mugabe’s influence on National Youth Day reflect this divide. While 20% viewed his association with the day as a positive, another 20% saw it as a painful reminder of oppression.
The remaining 60% preferred not to comment — perhaps an indication of the lingering fear and controversy surrounding discussions of his rule.
For many young women in rural areas, the connection to Mugabe overshadows any potential the day might have had to highlight youth struggles.
Political analyst and policy expert Effie Ncube argues that National Youth Day should be separated from party politics and refocused on young people as a whole.
“The other thing that is extremely important is to decouple and delink the day from active party political activities and make it a day for everyone, regardless of the language they speak, the region where they come from, their ethnicity, their race, and so forth,” Ncube said.
“It should be a day about the young people, regardless of their political affiliation, regardless of the language they speak.
“It should be a day in which we reflect as a nation, on what we have done for young people, on what opportunities we have availed for young people, on what resources are in place for young people and what open doors are there for young people.
“It should be a day of changing the way we approach young people," she added.
Ncube further emphasised that the day should not just be a celebration but a call to action: "On that day, we should be opening a new calendar that goes on for 12 months”.
She further stated that: “Investing in young people, not in a day, just celebrating and then moving on. Linking the day to former President Mugabe is a disservice because he is not a uniting figure.
“He is not a person who can be said to bring people together. You know the history of the way he governed. So, it's important that we make it a day for everyone, not a day that is linked to a particular political figure, particularly a polarizing political figure like former President Mugabe.”
Another young woman from Bulawayo summed up the frustration of many: “I think the Robert Mugabe Day is a rest day for those that are employed. For those that are unemployed, it's a normal day.
“You continue with your hustle because the person that we are getting a day off for contributed to the demise of employment and the turmoil of the economic structure in Zimbabwe — corruption, looting of resources, state resources, things like that.
“So, I don't think it brings any significant changes within the community that I represent, the disability community because we are among the poor, if not the poorest.”
If National Youth Day is to hold any real significance, it must evolve beyond its current form. Young people in rural communities have called for initiatives that go beyond symbolic recognition.
Instead of urban-centred celebrations, efforts should focus on grassroots engagement, with direct involvement from young people in policy discussions and development programs. There should be tangible opportunities for youth empowerment, including funding for youth-led projects, mentorship programmes, and practical steps to combat the pressing issues of unemployment and child marriage.
As Ncube stresses: “The future begins now. If we are not investing in young people, we are not investing in the future of this country.
“We need to give them the necessary skills, upskill them using various platforms such as universities, technical and vocational education, and ensure that they participate politically, economically, and socially.
“We must remove every impediment to their participation. That is what you call youth development. That is what this day should be about. It should be about budgets, about resources, about meaningful participation across the board."
Until such changes take place, National Youth Day will remain an event that acknowledges Zimbabwean youth in name but fails to uplift them in reality.
Gama is a passionate advocate for education, gender equality and youth empowerment. She drives programmes at The Girls Table, creating opportunities for marginalised communities and amplifying unheard voices. She holds a Master's degree in Development Studies and is currently studying towards a Master's degree in Climate Change and Sustainable Development.
