Are you angry, or are you boring?
I’ve just received this email from one of our Kubatana subscribers. It made me angry, how about you?
For the past week I have left home every morning having had a small bowl of porridge with no milk and no sugar. Throughout the day and between running around I have called into various supermarkets, bakeries etc to see what could be bought cheaply to eat – nothing! I have done this purposely so as to understand the very scarey reality that millions of Zimbabweans are facing – hunger. And I am better off than those millions. You can’t eat floor polish or detergents!
While taking some elderly on a shopping trip to Arundel Spar I saw some bread appearing so rushed to queue. I was mistakenly in the wrong place and was told in no uncertain terms, by the man handing out one tiny loaf each, to get to the back of the queue, which I did. Two lots of bread came and went. I was now 6th in line to get one little loaf for the Granny I was with, when a young Policeman walks to the front, helps himself with not a peep from the serving man or anyone in the queue. Well I went ballistic! The shop came to a standstill. Who does he think he is just because he is in uniform, he should also queue etc etc. He argued that he was working (yeah right) and then stuck his bread under my nose and laughingly said, “if you want bread join the Police”.
The bread was finished and no more was coming. For the next five minutes, people black and white came and said, “well done” which made me even more angry. As I said to them, “why were you silent, why don’t you stand up for your rights?”.
I reiterate: “WHY DON’T ZIMBABWEANS STAND UP?”
Friday, August 31st 2007 at 11:40 am
Yeah, I’m pretty angry. I guess like they say, we Zimbas are just a scared lot. No one is really willing to risk being rained on by random falling baton sticks nor risk being a casualty in a much needed mass march to State house. Sometimes I just envy South Africans. Wonder how they mobilize each other toward a common cause…
Friday, August 31st 2007 at 3:25 pm
I am angry. I am angry because l do not know what to tell my five year old every time she asks why we do not have bread. I am angry because every time l boil water to prepare formula for my 4 month old, l have to wonder if l am not poisoning my son because the water is evidently unclean and unsafe. I am angry because l find queueing and jostling for bread and everything else l need just to survive humiliating. I am angry because l have to work but all the things l need to live are somehow sold during working hours. I am angry because there does not seem to be an end in sight to this madness. I am angry.
Monday, September 17th 2007 at 1:06 pm
I am angry and I’m not even in zim to witness this first hand; how angry do you need to be TO DO SOMETHING?
Monday, September 17th 2007 at 4:58 pm
Angry is too clear a word to describe how Zimbabwe currently makes me feel. I need to create a new word for this unique situation. Each day I have to wake up and tell myself to start all over again. I do try hard until the next person, who is depressed enough, voices out my exact feelings and the rotating frustration cycle starts again.
Tuesday, September 18th 2007 at 6:05 am
the anger is so thick it burns the back of my throat.
i hollow out my tongue
because words seem impalpable
i wrench open my hands
from their fists
to make them DO.something.anything
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and so they write this.
but does THIS make the cut?