What is to become of Zimbabwe? Who is supposed to dig the land between the Limpopo and Zambezi from under the rubble of corruption, oppression, depression, and disease? Last night in a rare moment I paid attention in class and learned. We have been reading Women's autobiography and the assigned text for this week was Shirin Ebadi's Iran Awakwening and one of the themes that came up in discussion is Ebadi's ability to remain committed to Iran while pursuing a Human Rights agenda, that she is driven by nationalism in creating a fair and just world within the context of Iran. This got me thinking about how near impossible it is to be critical of the current regime in Zimbabwe without being denounced as a sell out or a Western puppet. Why do Nationalism and sovereignty trump universal rights? How does one demand good governance from one's leaders without seeming to undermine nationalism?
The current line from leaders in Zimbabwe and their counterparts in SADC is that calls from the West for Mugabe to step down are a direct violation of the International System's rules on sovereignty. Cries for proper governance from within, are always dismissed as blind mimic of western interference. Opposition movements (not the party) face reprisals for demanding that the government do the right thing because their demands are represented as not their own but that of the West. But is the desire for proper governance and the practise of democratic principle only a desire that can only be Western? Universal Rights:the right to life, liberty and security should be standard, right? Regardless of where one lives n'est-ce pas? That's why these rights are Universal
Then somebody please explain to me why Robert Mugabe's actions are not being judged solely by his utter disregard to the Universal Rights? Why is it that anyone who criticizes this "Liberation Hero" is immediately dismissed as a Western puppet? The right to life, liberty and security are not privileges,we are all entitled to these and we are furthermore entitled to demand them from the people who we elect to lead us. The problem with African politicians and leaders is that they forget that their alias is PUBLIC SERVANT. Their job is to serve the public and ensure that what they do in office as representatives of the people is to protect the people's interests. This is what Democracy is meant to be.
It is quite possible to be a nationalist and still demand universal rights. Anything else is fascism. Yeah I said it and SADC is supporting Fascism. What is happening in Zimbabwe right now is fascism: individual interests are being ignored for the interests of the party and a rampant bastardisation of populism is at work. ZANU PF claims to be a party made up of the people for the people but the leaders in ZANU have long been disconnected from the people. The fact that ZANU leaders have 3 squares a day is clear indication that they are not with the people. These arseholes have no context for what life in Zimbabwe is like for the individual they claim to represent.
Fascism has been used for shock-value in contemporary political discourse and so I want to be clear that I know what I am saying when I say the current regime in Zimbabwe is fascist. Todays news: If Zim catches fire, everyone will burn. Ambassador Simon Khaya-Moyo in weighing on the looming March 29th election,was spouting some bull-shit in which he claims that there is no dictator in Zimbabwe, just meddlesome Western puppets bent on bringing down the government. The evidence of fascism lies in comments like this:
That is primarily the reason why the Zimbabwean people have for long been decrying the death of patriotic opposition with the capacity to come up with a national agenda and home-grown solutions to our problems," he said. It was only the people of Zimbabwe who could, through the ballot, tell the world whom they thought had their best interests at heart. The will of the people must manifest freely, uncontaminated by outside money.
Ok so when exactly have the people been decrying the MDC (which I am not a fan of but I work with what I have) as an un-patriotic opposition movement? I mean just read the loaded language in the quote patriotic, national agenda, home-grow solutions.....I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
Of course Zimbabweans want to be patriotic and I am the first to call for African solutions for African problems, you don't need to convert me I joined the "Fuck neo-liberalism" church voluntarily and with relish. But this appropriation of ideals that normal people hold and attaching BS dictator logic to it is unfair and that SADC would buy this rubbish is disheartening. This tactic of defaming the opposition is not novel, god forbid dictators and authoritarian regime ever be original. Where is the opposition supposed to get funding from? It has to come from outside. These ZANU dogs forget that just 30 years ago the White Minority Rhodesian regime was accusing them of the same un-patriotic agenda that they now heap on the opposition movement. Where did they get their guerilla training and ideological indoctrination? It definitely wasn't homegrown. How fucken rich! That they would use the same rhetoric and torure methods used by the colonial oppressor is just rich, soap opera rich!
This is why I am no longer going to be silent in the face of other Zimbabweans who call me a sell-out and westernised when I criticise the government of Robert Mugabe. It is not Western to demand dignity for all citizens of Zimbabwe (women,children, and men,black, white, makaradi, indian,). It is not Western to demand that the public servants who represent Zimbabwean citizens are chosen by Zimbabwean citizens and not foisted upon us. It is not Western to demand, it is citizen to demand. And I am a Zimbabwean citizen and I am demanding. I am still a nationalist and I wear my Zimbabwean colours with pride but I will never again allow anyone to questions my allegiance to Zimbabwe because I demand justice.
Ndiri mwana wevhu - I am a child of the soil.
