By Dr Shame Mugova
More than two thousand years ago, the Roman poet Juvenal coined a phrase that has remained relevant across centuries and continents: panem et circenses—bread and circuses.
Writing during the height of the Roman Empire, Juvenal observed that many citizens had become increasingly detached from public affairs. Rather than actively participating in civic life or holding leaders accountable, large sections of society appeared content with food distributions and public entertainment.
Bread referred to grain handouts provided by the state. Circuses referred to the elaborate spectacles that filled Roman arenas, including gladiatorial contests, chariot races, festivals, and public games. Juvenal’s concern was not that people enjoyed entertainment. Rather, he worried that entertainment and material comforts were increasingly replacing active citizenship.
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The phrase has endured because it describes a challenge that extends far beyond Ancient Rome. Every society must grapple with the question of how citizens balance private interests with public responsibilities. The issue is not whether people should enjoy sport, music, culture, or recreation. The issue is whether these pursuits begin to crowd out engagement with the institutions and decisions that shape collective life.
Modern technology has transformed the scale of this challenge. Citizens today have access to an unprecedented volume of entertainment. Social media platforms, streaming services, professional sports, celebrity culture, online influencers, and digital content compete constantly for public attention. In many respects, entertainment has become one of the world’s most valuable industries.
There is nothing inherently problematic about this development. Entertainment provides enjoyment, cultural expression, social connection, and even economic opportunities. The problem arises when public attention becomes so consumed by entertainment that civic engagement begins to decline.
Across many societies, citizens often know more about the lives of celebrities than about the workings of local government. Public debates about sports teams, social media personalities, or viral trends frequently generate more interest than discussions about public policy, constitutional reform, service delivery, education, healthcare, or public finance. While this phenomenon is global, it raises important questions for countries confronting significant governance and development challenges.
Zimbabwe provides an interesting context in which to examine these issues. The country continues to debate questions relating to economic development, constitutional governance, public accountability, inequality, youth unemployment, service delivery, and institutional reform. These issues affect the daily lives of citizens and have long-term implications for national development. Yet meaningful engagement with such questions often remains confined to a relatively small group of politicians, journalists, civil society organisations, academics, lawyers, and activists.
This is not unique to Zimbabwe. Political scientists have long observed that democratic systems depend upon citizen participation. Elections alone are insufficient to sustain democratic accountability. Effective democracies require citizens who understand public institutions, engage with policy debates, participate in consultations, scrutinise public decisions, and hold leaders accountable between elections.
When citizens become detached from these processes, important decisions increasingly occur without meaningful public scrutiny.
One consequence is that politics becomes something that happens to citizens rather than something in which citizens actively participate. Public affairs are left to professional politicians, while ordinary citizens retreat into private life. Over time, this can weaken democratic culture and reduce the capacity of society to influence public outcomes.
The challenge is particularly acute in societies facing economic pressures. Citizens who are struggling to earn a living understandably prioritise immediate concerns such as employment, income, food security, housing, and family welfare. Under such circumstances, public participation may appear secondary or even irrelevant. Yet it is precisely during difficult periods that civic engagement becomes most important.
History suggests that strong societies are not built solely through economic growth or political leadership. They are also built through active citizenship. Communities that organise, engage, debate, and participate tend to develop stronger institutions and greater resilience. Public accountability rarely emerges automatically. It usually reflects sustained citizen involvement.
The Roman experience offers a useful lesson. Historians continue to debate the causes of Rome’s decline, and it would be simplistic to attribute it solely to bread and circuses. Nevertheless, Juvenal’s observation remains relevant because it highlights the importance of civic culture. A society cannot rely entirely on leaders to safeguard public interests. Citizens themselves must remain engaged in the affairs of their nation.
This does not require everyone to become a politician or activist. Citizenship takes many forms. It includes voting, participating in public consultations, attending community meetings, following public policy debates, engaging elected representatives, supporting civic initiatives, defending constitutional principles, and remaining informed about issues that affect society.
The quality of governance in any country ultimately reflects the relationship between citizens and public institutions. Where citizens are informed and engaged, institutions face greater scrutiny and accountability. Where citizens become disengaged, opportunities for abuse, inefficiency, and poor governance often increase.
The lesson from Ancient Rome is therefore not that entertainment is dangerous. Sport, music, culture, and recreation enrich society and should be celebrated. The real lesson is that entertainment should complement citizenship rather than replace it.
For Zimbabwe, the challenge is not choosing between civic engagement and cultural life. It is ensuring that citizens remain active participants in public affairs while enjoying the many forms of entertainment and cultural expression that enrich modern life. A healthy democracy requires both.
Bread and circuses may capture public attention, but only active citizenship can sustain accountable institutions and secure a nation’s future.
Dr Shame Mugova is a Lecturer in Finance at Birmingham City University. The views expressed in this article are his own.
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