Posts Tagged ‘Robert Mugabe’
Zimbabwe: “Bread Basket” to “Basket Case”
I have a good friend who is from Zimbabwe. Whenever we talk about the country, her eyes seem to almost well up with tears and she so clearly misses the land of her birth, a land she describes as so beautiful, so bountiful. She will likely never return home – the home she knew barely seems to exist now. With inflation running at (at least) 2.3 million per cent, a cholera epidemic growing daily, dictatorial oppression and unemployment running at 80% – the country seems to be transformed from pearl into peril. The Archbishop Desmond Tutu has described this transformation as from “bread basket” to “basket case”.
The situation is akin to a war of terror being waged upon a people, a war of callous indifference and cruelty, a war of one man: Robert Mugabe. He was once considered a hero of the resistance against the British and a freedom fighter festooned with accolades of adoration and respect. Now he is merely one in a long line of wicked men (not particularly unique to Africa) who cast a shadow far greater than they should ever be allowed to.
Mugabe has apparently compared himself to Adolf Hitler in the past. His dinky little moustache appears to confirm this personal historical affectation. He has ground this proud nation of Zimbabwe into dust under his expensive European shoes. His followers and soldiers have raped and murdered in his name. There’s not much to say (when there is so obviously so very much to be said) about such evil and wickedness, about one man’s desire to force a country to conform to his will, to suffer under the aspiration of his outrageous vanity and narcissistic rage.
One day he will be gone (if he is not assassinated) by natural means – death or incapacity to rule through old age. My fear is that some other despot will be waiting in the wings to don Mugabe’s silk robes of opulent wickedness and to continue to squeeze whatever blood out of what is left after Mugabe’s reign of terror over Zimbabwe.
The name “Zimbabwe” is an abbreviation of “Zimbadzemabwe” – which means “Houses of Stones” and is a reference to the ancestors of modern Zimbabwe who once built and lived in houses made of stones. There are fabulous walls and towers once constructed in Zimbabwe’s deep past, magnificent edifices of stone which remain as celebration of a culture, a time and a people. While I do not doubt the resilience, intelligence and forbearance of the people of Zimbabwe, it seems that there may be a time coming for Zimbabwe when the Houses of Stones are all that remain.
_______________
Times Online: The extent of the suffering in Zimbabwe ‘has reached Auschwitz proportions’.
Two elections, two worlds and hope of change
Kenya is rejoicing and backing US Presidential candidate Barrack Obama. This news of rejoice is being carried out by all media channels. It is historic moment indeed. The world is all set to have first African-American President of America. It has been a long march since Martin Luther King gave that historic speech. The change is here and now. Race and colour do not really matter. This long march of Barrack Obama which began in land of blacks in Kenya will end in White house. Yet Africa and America will remain two poles. We live in polarized and disjointed world with ironical connectedness.
Few months ago media was covering another historic election in another part of the world. There was much hope that Zimbabwe will get freedom from Robert Mugabe’s regime which has bled nation for nearly 30 years! But this hope of change was imprisoned, terrorized and forced to flee from that land. People in Zimbabwe now are starving, battling cholera and inflation. Mugabe has made a joke of democracy, elections, western world, equality, economy, development, hope and everything positive. Zimbabwe, Congo, Ethiopia and many other poor nations of Africa are reeling under extreme poverty, hunger, distress and are being raped for resources. But media and world has no time to stop. American financial crisis is the biggest news of all!
