Every nation exists as a brand with either positive or negative attributes and any other nation and individual that interact with it either will positively or negatively contribute to its nation image. A nation’s brand image may have evolved over many years, shaped by wars, religion, diplomacy or the lack of it, international sporting triumph or disasters, and by the brand itself. Zimbabwe as a nation is suffering from a negative image gained during 2000-2008 that has been characterised by inter alia the fast track land reform programme, political instability, corruption, hyperinflation, and so forth. The country has experienced a major transformation in its political environment that has had a positive effect on all sectors of national development. The new inclusive government, thriving on national unity has seen the people of Zimbabwe combining effort to work together to sustain the development of the country. The aim of this study was to investigate how nation branding for Zimbabwe can help the country to brand itself as a safe destination for tourists, investors, and visitors. The major question therefore, pertains to how all sectors in the economy of Zimbabwe can combine their efforts to brand Zimbabwe and make it compete more efficiently at all levels. Empirical findings revealed that tourist attractions have a positive relationship with nation branding. The empirical results also indicated that entertainment events have a positive relationship with nation branding. It can be recommended that Zimbabwe needs to identify tourist attractions and entertainment events to increase its nation branding. The empirical results of the study also indicated that nation branding has a positive relationship with nation building in Zimbabwe. It was also shown that nation branding has a positive relationship with good governance in Zimbabwe. These results indicate that it would be easier to build the Zimbabwean nation when its brand is strong. Good governance, on the other hand, will increase if the nation’s branding improves.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 171-177) / The study is an investigation into nation building through the national anthem in Zimbabwe. It takes a sociolinguistic dimension where the languages used to sing the national anthem in Zimbabwe are interrogated. The impetus behind the study is that Zimbabwe introduced a new language policy through the constitution where sixteen languages are officially recognised. While citizens look forward to the use of their languages, national symbols such as the national anthem still exist in dominant languages, at least officially. The study therefore sought to find out the views and language choices of citizens when it comes to singing the national anthem. This purpose was fulfilled by eliciting data through questionnaires which were distributed to four areas where marginalised languages are spoken. Participants were drawn from Plumtree, Gwanda, Hwange and Binga. Apart from questionnaires, focus group interviews were conducted with language activists who participate in language associations. Individual interviews were conducted with academics in the area of language. The conceptual framework of the study is nation building which is underpinned by four tenets, while the theory that guided the study is Bourdieu’s theory of social practice. The conceptual framework and theoretical framework were chosen to allow the study to investigate nation building in relation to the sociopolitical context which determines the use of languages in different spheres in Zimbabwe. The study extricates that language is politically malleable and at the same time has the potential to make or break the nation. Respondents were of mixed views concerning the non-use of their languages in the national anthem, bringing out the hegemonic tendencies. The findings of the study show that language is a form of identity and a strong tool of nation building. However, language policies which are not clear tend to confuse the citizens and there is need for the political elite to be involved in the implementation of such policies. The study hence advocates for marginalised languages to be accorded the status they need in order to be used for national symbol expression. / African Languages / D. Phil. (African Languages)