Monday 9 May 2016

Ready To Erupt



Over the past couple of weeks, I have absent-mindedly observed and participated in a paradigm of civil unrest in my beloved country Zimbabwe. Something is truly astir, what with the electric atmosphere I sense constantly among all the people I meet. Like a large volcano about to erupt, Zimbabwe is experiencing tremors that can only culminate in an eruption. The revolutionary tendrils of this have been slowly entwining around the masses and it does not take a prophet to notice what is going on and infer the meaning from that observation. The masses in Zimbabwe are willing and ready to speak out against the betrayal they have suffered under their elected officials.
 
Having grown up in Zimbabwe, I have known my people to be politically subtle, never raising their heads high for fear of victimization and rightly so. Never has a nation gone through so much turmoil and its people remained steadfastly silent. I feel as Zimbabwean citizens, we just did not have a veiled platform on which we could express ourselves as, even unsanctioned yet peaceful demonstrations on the streets would be quelled by stern ruthlessness by our uniformed forces. No wonder we have kept silent. There is a Shona proverb which says, “Mwana asingachemi anofira mumbereko” which loosely translated could be “A baby who does not cry dies at birth” or something like that. Our wise elderly folk knew that at some point, every individual has so much pent-up rage and frustration that it has to surface eventually. In much the same way, Zimbabweans are ready to take up the wailing mantle and let their voices be heard.

Tremors In 2016

1.       At the beginning of the year, rumours started circulating that our president had passed away. This came at a time when our veteran leader was on leave, vacationing outside the country. It was not a first for such rumours but this time was different. The news circulated internationally with news agencies all across the world taking heed. There was so much uncertainty that even I, who had heard this song many times before, began to believe that it could be true. It was the talk on WhatsApp platforms nationwide with memes flying all over. This was a turning point for, as far as I knew, Zimbabweans could never speak out like that, even on Social Media. This newfound bravery was inspirational though I knew it wouldn’t last. 

2.       From January up until April, it was silent again in Zimbabwe, a tumbleweed would have made you grit your teeth. However that was not to last for in mid-April, the MDC opposition held a demonstration in Harare town and Social Media once again was abuzz with news and images of this. This was quiet epic for within the first quarter, Zimbabweans had taken to Social Media twice to air their frustrations. You can imagine how the comments start to flow especially on Twitter where our President’s lieutenant, Professor Jonathan Moyo (@ProfJNMoyo) will be at the centre of it all ridiculing the outbursts. Where Zimbabweans would run away from speaking their minds to politicians, they openly criticized the Professor!!

3.       A fortnight after the MDC demonstration debacle, ZImbos (affectionate abbreviation for Zimbabweans) took to social media again to relay their various opinions on Acie Lumumba. Acie Lumumba is a Zimbabwean politician and media personality. He is a member of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU PF). He was accused of misappropriation of funds and corruption and was fired as chairman of a Steering Committee on the Zimbabwe Youth Empowerment Strategy for Investment following allegations of misappropriating funds meant for the Zimbabwe Youth Council (ZYC). As you can imagine, Zimbabweans leapt on it like white on rice and tore at the fabric of their political representation. He appeared on ZiFM radio, interviewed by Ruvheneko Parirenyatwa, an interview which stoked people’s outrage and the attacks were redirected and focused on Ruvheneko. (I cannot say for sure if that had anything to do with her being the daughter of Zanu PF politician and Zimbabwean Minister of Health from 2002 to 2009

4.       My fourth observation is from the 1st of May to the current day and this time Zimbabweans vented out their frustrations on 3 different topics all at the same time!!
a.       Zimbabwean communities have of late discovered health benefits of the quail bird, the available market for it and as such, numerous people have embarked upon raising them for resell so as to earn substantial income to take care of their families. It came as a surprise therefore, when the government reported it would ban the rearing of these birds and one would need a special license to keep them. The Chihuta, as its locally known, became an overnight sensation as people portrayed it in various roles on meme, even to the point of “replacing” the Zimbabwe bird on the national flag. On the streets, everybody was talking about it while on WhatsApp it became the brunt of all jokes in all groups.
b.      At the peak of this frustration against them with Zvihuta, the government of Zimbabwe dropped the explosive news that they would be introducing bond notes! The last time we had cash shortages, in 2007/08, the Reserve Bank introduced Bearer Cheques and this escalated inflation levels so high we had to abandon our currency. A few days ago, Reserve bank issued notices that they will be introducing Bond notes (Just like bearer cheques as they both are not really official currency) to curb cash shortages riddling the nation. This news sparked the worst imaginable outrage as citizens saw a repeat of 2008/9 shortages. Educated Facebook debates between Zimbabweans became the order of the day which even learned individuals would have had trouble dispelling. I studied economics for a while at University but even I could not argue against the sound economic logic of a vendor!!
c.       During this same time, Pastor Evan Mawarire spoke out on Social Media against the corruption, nepotism and general mismanagement our government is infamous for. The Pastor of a small Church, His Generation Church, Evan uploaded an emotionally charged video of how Zimbabweans are suffering, failing to raise school fees for Children while elected officials to roll around in the latest versions of expensive cars each year. I personally know Pastor Evan but never have I seen him so passionate about Zimbabwe before and it came as a surprise to me when Zimbabweans caught on and carried up his message by posting images of themselves carrying the Zimbabwean flag culminating in South African broadcaster SABC noticing and doing a news report on it. Zimbabweans from all around the world caught on and not only applauded the move, but actively supported it. It was no surprise when Professor Jonathan Moyo began posting derogatory comments only to be ridiculed by Twimbos (affectionate abbreviation for Zimbabweans active on Twitter)

For Zimbabweans, these are unprecedented levels of baring their anger. The usually quiet citizens are now speaking out. In only 5 months of this year, they have dominated on Social Media and with each outburst, they get more confident to say what is on their minds. I may not be able to see into the future but one thing is clear, the seasons are changing for Zimbabwe. The strength of people’s frustrations is gathering up momentum and soon, it shall be felt. In a quiet place, a single voice can be easily located and obliterated but if numerous voices cry out all at once, it is nigh impossible to discern the source.

Speak, my fellow Zimbabweans, speak!!

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