An alert just published by the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC):

Most Harare public transporters have today been diverted from their normal routes by Zanu PF thugs who blocked roads with the help of the police to direct people towards their so-called anti-restrictive measures campaign. Dozens of open Lorries and rickety buses commandeered from the rural areas with youths donning Zanu PF outfits and chanting the party’s slogans could be seen heading towards the venue. In Mbare, the city’s oldest suburb, major public markets are closed. All vendors were forced to attend the so-called ceremony.

From Bulawayo Agenda:

Two people were called in by Gwanda police for discussing events in Libya. The two were driving from Bulawayo to Gwanda when they picked up a passenger along the way while discussing the subject. The passenger went on to report the two at Gwanda Police Station, leading to their calling in. The two were also called in to explain why they were playing a Kwaito Music Tune called ‘Imot’ etshontshimali’- meaning a car that steals money. This name has been given to the infamous BMW cars being driven by traffic cops who are known for their asking for bribes.

Here’s a press release from Magamba. Get on down to the Book Cafe this Thursday!

MAGAMBA CULTURAL ACTIVIST NETWORK AND PAMBERI TRUST TO HOST MUSIC FREEDOM DAY IN ZIMBABWE

THURSDAY 3 MARCH, **7PM** *

*THE BOOK CAFÉ *

Music Freedom Day will be celebrated in Zimbabwe on March 3rd at the Book Café in Harare. The event organized by leading arts organisations Magamba the Cultural Activist Network and Pamberi Trust will feature a fantastic array of Zimbabwean artists who support the message of freedom of musical expression. Music Freedom Day is an annual event where musicians, music clubs, cultural institutions, broadcasters and media join Freemuse in the celebration of freedom of musical expression. Magamba is a grassroots organization using arts for positive social change while Pamberi Trust runs two of Harare’s leading arts venues aswell as various arts projects.

Artists on the line up include Comrade Fatso & Chabvondoka, Alexio & Shades of Black aswell as Outspoken & the Essence. Comrade Fatso and Chabvondoka are an explosive, genre-busting, insurgent band that defy musical boxes and modern day apolitical pop music. As Zimbabwe’s leading protest band Comrade Fatso and Chabvondoka launched in 2008 their much-acclaimed album, House of Hunger, praised internationally but banned by the Zimbabwean authorities because of its outspoken criticism of the repressive regime. They have performed extensively, having been invited to perform at festivals all over the world.

Alexio Kawara and Shades of Black are one of the most exciting acts from Zimbabwe’s new generation of artists. Alexio’s fresh urban musical mix is extremely popular. His song Shaina catapulted him to fame in Zimbabwe.

Outspoken is a spoken word emcee from Harare, combining soul-stirring lyrics with an Afrosoul hip-hop sound. Outspoken fuses classical and African instrumentation with hip hop beats to deliver a message of inner reflection and hope, using his poetry and music to challenge the increasing hopelessness in our globalized world. Outspoken performs regularly across Southern Africa aswell as Europe and the USA.  He is also the frontman for “Outspoken and the Essence” – a powerful Zimbabwean band that fuses hip hop, reggae, and soulful African rhythms set to release their album this year.

* For further info contact:*

Comrade Fatso (co-organiser and artistic facilitator of Magamba): farai.magamba [at] gmail [dot] com

Outspoken (co-organiser and projects facilitator of Magamba): alphaintellect [at] gmail [dot] com

You measure democracy by the freedom it gives its dissidents, not the freedom it gives its assimilated conformists.
- Abbie Hoffman

An article from The Week:

It was 1941; they should have been preparing for the invasion of the Soviet Union, but instead Nazi officials in Berlin were preoccupied by news that a businessman in Finland has trained his dog to give a mocking Nazi salute in response to the word”Hitler”. Indeed, officials were so outraged by this perceived act of defiance that, according to records newly unearthed in Berlin, German diplomats in Finland – an ally of Nazi Germany – were told to gather evidence for a prosecution.”This is a funny story, but it is a Nazi story which tells how they were looking for enemies everywhere,” said historian Klaus Hillenbrand.

Question:

Which building would you be visiting in Harare, Zimbabwe if you encountered the following?

Broken windows
Dirty windows
Overpowering smell of urine from the toilets
Overgrown grass
Enough flies to feast on
Rubble outside the front doors
Beer can/coke bottle lying in the courtyard

Answer:

Harare Magistrates Court

I was there yesterday evening in support of a colleague who has arrested for attending a meeting. The charges are entirely spurious. Treason? For watching a dvd on the Egyptian protests and discussing them?

I felt dirty when I left court yesterday.

Not only from the effects of the shabby building, but also because I’d been in the presence of so little real justice.