148 BOOK REVIEWSA Decade of Development: Zimbabwe 1980-1990 By Diana Auret. Gweru,Mambo Press, 1990, vi, 161 pp., ISBN 0-86922-485-9 (pbk), Z$19,50.Diana Auret's book gives a lucid description of how the rural people ofZimbabwe have taken part in the development process in education,health, agriculture, housing, transport and water resources.The author approaches the theme of development from a Shona per-spective, noting particularly that the Shona value the philosophy of'togetherness'. To the Shona, musha does not only mean a 'home' butalso 'the community, who reside in a common geographical area, sharecommon interests, common traditions, a common way of life, and commonvalues' (p. 2). This philosophy sets the agenda for development whichtakes into account the cultural background of the people. Auret makes thepoint clear when she reminds us that Western development programmeshave, to a large extent, ignored the cultural aspirations of the societies forwhom the programmes were intended.Without burdening the reader with complicated theories of develop-ment, the book shows very clearly what the people of Zimbabwe havemanaged to do since the attainment of political independence in 1980. Theauthor observes that the people of Zimbabwe have been able to avoidmost of the pitfalls which have bedeviled the development process inmany Third World countries, particularly with regard to decision-making.Zimbabweans have, by and large, made their own decisions.Of particular note are the author's suggestions for improvement: forexample, she suggests that the social services enjoyed by the rural popu-lation and provided by government must be balanced against the overalleconomic situation in the country (p. 152). In this regard, the governmentis advised to raise direct taxes from the communal farming and resettlementareas. The author writes favourably on the resettlement programme, butpoints out that this policy alone will not solve the problem of over-crowded communal areas. Positive steps must be taken to develop thegrowth-points by providing the necessary infrastructure which shouldattract primary industries to the communal areas thereby creating employ-ment and relieving the pressure on the land.The importance of international aid to the development process isacknowleged but the author wonders whether aid is not 'one meanswhereby the West seeks to maintain control over the activities of thenewly independent nations' (p. 153).A Decade of Development: Zimbabwe: 1980-1990 is a welcome additionto the existing literature on Zimbabwe's development. Its findings shouldenable all those interested in development issues to understand andappreciate development as an instrument of peace and unity. It shouldalso be read by those who want to know how Zimbabweans have usedavailable resources to improve their standard of living. The challenges forfurther improvement which the author proposes are important and shouldbe carefully examined, particularly by government officials who shouldfind the suggestions for improvement challenging.University of Zimbabwe C. G. MARARIKE