ABSTRACT
The article interrogates power within founding values of an institution through a historical-cultural-material approach. Power and appeal, since time immemorial, rested within the people through economic, political, social and religious principles born and ingrained within the autochthonous community functionaries. Social engagement is the hallmark of a successful leadership emulated by the masses. It is from this premise that the article deals with how one attains power through ascribing and invoking the founding values of one’s society or community. The founding values (economic, social, political and religious) are central to the social stability and economic emancipation of the nation. Empowering the masses is empowering self and a guarantee of power. The eighth-century Israelite religious functionaries were a darling to the underclasses while an enemy to the elite. There was unprecedented crisis in eighth-century ancient Israel, which culminated in a great contestation between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’. This article is based on the historical-cultural-materialist approach to eighth-century Israel, where the prophets extended their tentacles of power through invoking Israelite founding values as enshrined within Yahwism, with special reference to Zimbabwe’s governance system from 2000 to date. Zimbabwe’s template of power is what is interrogated, specifically whether it was for the upliftment of the people or self-aggrandizement by the top echelons of the nation. Above all, where does Zimbabwe get its power from?
