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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