Last night when I was rummaging through my bathroom cupboard looking for a Maternity Sanitary Pad I was mulling Stephen Gowans recent article Zimbabwe’s Lonely Fight for Justice. And the word that stuck in my mind was “insulting”.

Years ago, whilst the so-called first world was inventing all sorts of groovy new sanitary pads (with wings, extra absorbency, invisibility etc) here in Zimbabwe I’d specifically trawl supermarket shelves looking for our locally made maternity sanitary pads. They were soft and chunky, guaranteed to keep you safe from overnight blood spills even if the bulk between your legs meant you walked like a sumo wrestler. But over the years our maternity sanitary pads have been getting skinnier and thinner. Just like our country where hyperinflation and unemployment have meant that many people are on the the edge of starvation.

These days I have to pull maternity sanitary pads from side to side in an effort to fluff out the cotton wool. Trouble is when I do this holes appear . . . a bit like the dangerous holes in Stephen’s argument.

Writing such a one-sided piece where he comes across looking like a member of Mugabe’s fan club diminishes the necessary objectivity which is needed to be taken seriously. Let’s have a look at some of what Stephen doesn’t comment on:

- the devastating Operation Murambatsvina
- Gukuruhundi and the killing on thousands in Matabeleland
- the re-colonisation of Zimbabwe since Mugabe came to power
- the appalling drop in the life expectancy of Zimbabweans
- the mass exodus of Zimbabweans
- hyperinflation, unemployment and price controls

And there’s lots more of course.

Stephen makes absolutely no attempt to examine Mugabe and Zanu PF’s role in the demise of Zimbabwe. Rather he blames everything on scary imperialist forces, sanctions and an inauthentic opposition. Conveniently simplistic.

I’m not saying that the opposition and the donor community shouldn’t be criticised. Truth be told I have my issues with the opposition in Zimbabwe – I’m not a member of anyone’s fan club. I stand for the ordinary Zimbabwean who, under the Mugabe government, cannot get a job, adequate medical care, or feed themselves and is constantly under the threat of state violence, often for simply having a different point of view.

Particularly distasteful was part of Stephen’s conclusion where he says

Some people might deplore the methods used, but considering the actions and objectives of the opposition – and what’s at stake – the crackdown has been both measured and necessary.

This made another phrase come to mind – Fucking Foreigner. I wonder when last Stephen left Ottawa and actually visited and spoke with the people of the countries that he analyses?

Come over here Stephen and chat with ordinary folk – women who can’t buy menstrual protection, mothers who can’t feed their children, and opposition activists who have their arms broken.

Speak with Zanu PF supporters as well and you’ll find that they too are angry with Mugabe, the once respected liberation hero.

Kubatana (an on line community for Zimbabwean activists) communicates via email to thousands of Zimbabweans locally, regionally and internationally. Our email newsletters often provide some inspiration and motivation. Here’s an excerpt from our latest newsletter. If you’d like to subscribe visit us here and send us an email!

When we choose to love, we commit an act of liberation as courageous and radical as any foray into the tear gas.
~ Starhawk

Say No to No!
Isn’t it high time someone got negative about negativity?
Yes it is. Look around.
The world is full of things that, according to nay-sayers, should never have happened.
“Impossible.” “Impractical.” “No.”
And yet “yes”.
Yes, Ireland won a world cup cricket game.
Yes, condoms were invented.
Yes, yes, yes. What does it take to turn no into yes?
Curiosity. An open mind. A willingness to take risks. And, when the problem seems most unsolvable, when the challenge is hardest, when everyone else is shaking their heads, it’s up to all of us to turn no into yes.
(BP Shell – adbusted)

Her vision’s scrubland
Of out-of-work heroes
Who yesterday a country won
And today poverty tasted
~ Dambudzo Marachera from the poem Oracle of the Povo

A brief interview with Petro Masina somewhere in Harare
Hi, what’s your name?
Petro Masina.

What job do you do?
I’m a cleaner in an office block in Highlands.

How are things?
Tight. So tight. I live in Westgate. It’s now costing me $12 000 one way to work. My employer gives me $25 000 a week for transport allowance. My salary is $120 000 per month. I want to find a job as a gardener, then I can be stationary and maybe my boss would buy food for my family.

Public Events

Stay Away 3 and 4 April 2007

On 27 January, the ZCTU issued an ultimatum to government with the following demands:

1. That the Government should take steps to address the economic meltdown;
2. That parties to the Tripartite Negotiating Forum should as a matter of urgency sign the Kadoma Declaration and the Prices and Incomes Stabilization Protocol;
3. That Industry at National Employment Council level should ensure that parties go back to the negotiating table and review current wages as they are still fall far below the PDL;
4. That the Government should as a matter of urgency address the concerns of the striking doctors without victimizing them;
5. That the Government must urgently address the contents of the September 13 2006 ZCTU petition that led to the mass protests countrywide;
6. That the ZCTU totally rejects the implementation of the proposed National Health Scheme until and unless it has been agreed to by the workers, the owners of the money;
7. That all these concerns be addressed by the 23rd February 2007 failure which the ZCTU General Council will meet on the 24th February 2007 and decide on the dates of the next industrial action.

On 24 February, when these concerns had not been addressed, the ZCTU announced plans to mobilise for a stay away 3 and 4 April 2007, and to continue to organise stay aways every three months until the situation improves.

Read the full text of the ZCTU Communique about the stay away.

For more information phone the ZCTU on 794702/42 or 702517.

Youths Gag Statues across Europe for Free Expression in Belarus
On the anniversary of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s controversial re-election, young people gagged statues across Europe simultaneously in a bid to support the suppressed civil society in Belarus. In the middle of the night on 19 March, youth in more than 60 cities from Pristine, Serbia to Edinburgh, Scotland joined Young European Federalists (JEF) in a joint action to promote the message “give voice to the citizens of Belarus.” According to JEF, Belarus has outlawed meetings of more than ten people and NGOs since last year. Free expression is severely limited – the Internet is monitored by authorities, for example, and in the past two months, arrests of civil society and opposition activists have increased. Hundreds of prominent statues in 23 European cities were gagged on the eve of the elections last year. JEF has committed to doing this action every year until “the dictatorship falls and the citizens of Belarus are given a free voice,” said Asa Gunven, vice-president of JEF Europe.

Q&A
Which African dictator had a law which required citizens to wear clothing reflecting his face every Monday, or risk losing their job? Email your answer to Kubatana

After having a cappuccino and croissant (crisis, what crisis?) at the Italian Bakery this morning which provided the venue for a meeting to discuss budgets, I drove to the office through town. Whilst I was waiting for the lights to change at the corner of 7th and Josiah Tongogara Ave, I watched one of Mugabe’s guards poking his bayonet repeatedly into a Jacaranda tree. Clearly bored.

It’s these seemingly small observations which make for interesting life in Zimbabwe.

Like watching Charles, the portly green uniformed security guard who manages security boom at our office complex trying to sell cup cakes and operate the boom at the same time. Hyperinflation has made entrepreneurs out of most Zimbabweans.

Or engaging in casual conversation with a young fruit vendor who told me when he sold me a banana, that he’ll be “one of those who go directly to State House” because everyone is fed up with Mugabe.

I wonder if he’s seen the bayonet tree prodding guard?

Dissent is something both the ruling party and the opposition in Zimbabwe don’t like.

With this in mind I’ve been wondering whether Trevor Ncube is going to be labeled a sell-out by the pro-democracy movement for his recent article entitled Zimbabwe’s choice is either violent or peaceful change. In his article Ncube suggests that neither Mugabe nor Tsvangirai are able to govern this country. It would have been good if he’d elaborated on why he thinks Tsvangirai isn’t able to lead Zimbabwe. In my opinion Tsvangirai has suffered too many defeats for too long to be considered as a serious presidential candidate to move us into a new era. He might be well liked but he’s certainly not considered a strong enough man to move Mugabe out. Or with the vision to lead Zimbabwe’s recovery.

Meanwhile many Zimbabweans keep on trumpeting the supposed wonderful effects of our recent global publicity (read that as mostly Sky News, BBC and CNN). But we all know how fickle world media is. As soon as Tsvangirai’s smacked skull isn’t sexy any more, we’ll get to hear all about some goat born with 5 back legs in a remote Indian village.

Gugulethu Moyo recently said

Alas, African leaders’ generally timid response to Zanu-PF left much to be desired. AU chairperson Alpha Oumar Konare left it until he had been heckled in London before admitting that he was embarrassed by Mugabe’s behaviour. Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete stood shoulder to shoulder with Mugabe while the latter paraded his infinite capacity for crudeness across the globe. These sorts of responses help to reinforce intractable stereotypes of Africa as the place of the uncivilised — yet another unintended consequence of recent events.

Yes there have been murmurings of disapproval from the African continent and whilst this is A Good Thing it’s simply more of the softly softly approach that African Governments have taken toward the Zimbabwean crisis. Imagine if the murmurings translated into some action (gosh what a novel concept). Like a regional travel ban on Zanu PF politicians. Or the Moroccan soccer team refusing to visit Zimbabwe. Or artists coming to perform at HIFA backing out in protest.

More on the issue of media coverage. There have been some interesting contributions to the debate list at Zimbabwe Fight On – Don’t Mourn in regard to the forthcoming Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions stay away on April 3rd and 4th. Someone suggested that the ZCTU’s timing isn’t good because of the Easter break when ‘press coverage to ‘make injustices visible’ is not very high over holidays’.

I think Dominic Tweedie gave an excellent response to this, and all of us working in the pro-democracy movement would do well to consider our use and our view of the media’s role in our organising.

Your audience is not Bush, Blair or Ban Ki-Moon. It is not the overseas middle-class Western liberal public. It is not Thabo Mbeki, the ANC, the SACP or the South African voter. It is not even the journalists. It is your neighbour, your comrade and yourself. This is your very own mass medium of communication. It is in real time, and not reflected. It is not measured by the media echo. That hardly matters, one way or another. It is what you see and feel, as an individual, and what individuals see and feel together, that matter. You don’t do things for the cameras. You do things for each other. It is a recovery of responsibility.

The title of this blog is what activists from the Zimbabwe chapter of the International Socialist Organisation (ISO) said recently.

The police in Zimbabwe often use tear gas to break up demonstrations so I thought I’d give a bit of information on how to deal with “tiger” on the streets.

Breathing in tear gas, or getting it in your eyes, is not fun. This, obviously, is the whole point. But there are things you can do to mitigate the effectiveness of tear gas, and allow you to keep on fighting the good fight.

The first thing to remember about tear gas is that it is primarily a fear weapon. Yes, the gas hurts. But the fear caused by tear gas grenades is a much more effective means of crowd dispersal than the gas itself. So rule number one is to calm down.

Tear gas is most often delivered to its target in the form of grenades. These fit onto the end of gas guns and are fired with blank shotgun cartridges. So, when tear gas is being used you will hear gunshots. Don’t worry: you’re not being shot at.

After you hear a shot, look up. The grenade will be arcing toward its destination trailing white smoke. The grendade will explode. This usually happens while it is in the air, but not always. Again, this can be scary until you get used to it. After the explosion, a small gas emitter remains. It is metal and will be hissing and spewing out tear gas.

The wind is your friend. Move upwind of the gas. This will blow the majority of the gas away from you. Do not panic. Do not run. Panic is precisely what the police are trying to create.

Go to a protest or demonstration with a scarf to protect your face. It will allow you to breathe long enough to escape the gas. It is useful to have soaked your scarf in vinegar. Cider vinegar is less harsh-smelling and is recommended. Breathing in vinegar is not pleasant, but compared to tear gas it’s like fresh air. Unfortunately, the vinegar’s protective effect does not last long (minutes), and your scarf will be saturated with gas afterward. So bring several. Retying a gassy scarf around your face is not a good idea. Make sure the scarf fits tightly around your nose and mouth. You could also wear goggles. Goggles which are air tight. It is one thing to have severe upper respiratory pain. It is another to have that and also have burning, watering eyes.

DO NOT wear contact lenses to any event where there is even a possibility of tear gas usage. The contacts will trap the gas against your eyes which, aside from being painful, will eventually damage your cornea.

My description of what tear gas feels like is this: it feels as if the inside of your head is being dissolved by acid. There is a burning pain and a liquefying feeling as mucous, tears and saliva all begin flowing. Spit, blow your nose, rinse out your mouth, gargle. If necessary, do an eyewash by squirting water across your eye from the inside to the outside with your head tilted to the side.

Different people react differently to the gas. I’ve seen totally unprotected people go up against cops and gas for hours by sheer force of will. However, don’t expect that you will be able to. You may be pleasantly surprised, though.

Finally, diffuse tear gas lingers in the air for a long time. Expect eye, nose and throat irritation for several hours after tear gas has been used in an area, especially if the use of gas was extremely liberal.

Source: http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1026851

Anna, a domestic worker living and working in the suburb of Greendale, Harare angrily said to me “Zimbabwe is finished – FINISHED!” I thought wow, this violence over the past few days has really gotten to her. Finally she’s enough, as we say here. But when I talked further with her she believes that Zimbabwe is finished because it now costs her Z$5000 to get from Greendale to Mabvuku – one way. Again we see that some Zimbabweans are viewing the downfall of our dictatorship through an economic rather than an opposition toyi-toyi lens.

I felt similarly when I went to the supermarket (Bon Marche, “Have a Nice Day” – yeah right) on Sunday looking for some washing powder. I had to look at the price several times and even in the end I still wasn’t sure, but it looked like it cost Z$246 000. I thought I’d settle for a loaf of special bread instead which cost Z$2 800. When I got home and pasted some peanut butter on a slice I noticed that there were a few small black spots on it. Closer inspection showed them to be a kind of a seed although at arms length the bread looked fungified (non-word in case you were wondering). Aah, so that’s why its special!

Meanwhile with the increasing political tension I’m wondering whether the organisers of the Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) which is scheduled to kick off on, wait for it, 1st May (Labour Day) are pleased (potential liberation of our country) or gutted (who all is going to come visit violence ridden Zimbabwe, and who all will be in the mood to “party” as it were)? Will we have the same old argument from culture buffs and the like who say, “well, life goes on and its important that we keep our spirits up.” But HIFA is generally supported by those who already have their comforts and the ability to keep their spirits up (cappuccino outings, satellite tv, etc) whereas the majority have no option but to choose a loaf of bread over a theater ticket.

And of course the diplomatic community, some of whom came out in condemnation of the brutal attacks on civic and political activists recently, are often financial supporters of HIFA or avid show goers. So on the one hand some Zimbabweans are working to expose Zimbabwe for what it really is – a repressive dictatorship. And on the other hand we have Zimbabweans committed to upholding Zimbabwe’s image as a place to hold international events; where everything is hunky-dory. Supposedly.

What will it take for us to refuse to lip stick this regime?