After an inspiring meeting yesterday afternoon in which activism in its many flavours was discussed, I had the mojo to stop my car, get out and do some investigating into an issue that’s been burning my arse lately. Of course you will also have realised that countless trees are being cut down all over Harare. I’ve been wondering who is behind cutting them down. Vigilante woodcutters? The City of Harare goes income generating? Over reaching home owners?

At the corner of Enterprise and Ridgeway South some big trees that afford remarkable shade and at times, rain cover to pedestrians, walkers, runners and vendors are being felled. When I stopped and hauled my outrage out of my car and onto the street this morning I was told that the City of Harare had been requested by the occupants of number 2 Ridgeway South to remove the trees because they’re dangerous and pose a threat.

All well and good but a few questions come up:

a) When the trees are felled, they may be felled responsibly but the area that they are taken from is not restored and our streets are slowly becoming lined with ugly tree stumps. So who is responsibly for ‘making good’ the area, ie removing the stumps?

b) Which of course begs the question – why doesn’t the City of Harare in partnership with either local residents or organisations like E Africa, replant new indigenous trees so that Harare doesn’t become a treeless city?

My next step:
- Write to City of Harare and raise this issue with them (I’m crossing fingers I get a response – safer than holding my breath because I’m likely to Die waiting)
- Write to the occupant who asked for the trees to be removed to see if they are willing and able to become tree champions; replant whatever you take out or ask to be taken out.
-Write to E Africa and ask them if they have any replanting schemes to mitigate the current cutting down of trees.

Or, Superman underpants

Fear is the enemy of creativity, the hotbed of mediocrity, a critical obstacle to mastering life. Few embody the defiance of fear with grater dignity and grace than reconstructionist Maya Angelou, who has overcome remarkable hardships — childhood rape, poverty, addiction, bereavement — to become one of today’s most celebrated writers.

More from Brain Pickings

Hey! Need a job? Want to work in the NGO/development sector in Zimbabwe? Check out the job vacancies below and apply today. If you want to receive regular civic and human rights information, together with NGO job vacancies and other opportunities like scholarships by getting our regular email newsletter, please email join [at] kubatana [dot] net

Project Director – Zimbabwe: Freedom House

Freedom House promotes the spread of freedom and democracy around the world through research, effective advocacy, and programs that support frontline activists. We are a leader in identifying threats to freedom through our highly regarded analytic reports, including Freedom in the World, Freedom of the Press, Freedom on the Net, Nations in Transit, and Countries at the Crossroads. With 13 field offices and two U.S. offices, we support the right of every individual to be free.

Position Summary
The Project Director will lead Freedom House programs to advance democracy and human rights in countries in South Africa. She/he will be responsible for program management including strategic design and implementation, financial management, staff supervision, office management, communications, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting. Furthermore, the Project Director will be responsible for building and maintaining partnerships with civil society and human rights organizations in the region. This position is based in Harare, Zimbabwe or Johannesburg, South Africa and reports to the Director for Africa programs based in Washington, DC.

Minimum Qualifications
-Bachelor’s degree in political science, international relations, law, or related field
-Master’s degree strongly preferred
-Minimum 8-10 years of experience with democracy and human rights programs
-Strong ability to communicate effectively in English, both orally and in writing
-Strong knowledge of human rights principles and mechanisms, and understanding of democracy promotion
-Experience with managing and implementing multi-component, donor-funded programs
-Experience providing technical assistance to local organizations in Africa
-Experience in challenging environments and flexibility to apply lessons learned from other contexts
-Knowledge of USAID rules and regulations, and other donor approaches to civil society development
-Demonstrated ability to mobilize communities and encourage the inclusion of marginalized groups
-Strong ability to apply interpersonal skills, and successfully work in a diverse and multicultural environment and with stakeholders in the region
-Strong track record in project and staff management Ability to build and strengthen civil society organizations
-Ability to consistently apply good judgment in problem solving and decision making
-Ability to maintain the highest degree of confidentiality regarding all aspects of work at all times

Some Duties and Responsibilities
-Develop and implement programs to support civil society and human rights in challenging environments
-Monitor and evaluate processes, and write program reports to ensure completion of program objectives
-Assume responsibility for the daily operations of the office, which includes but is not limited to: financial management, management of sub-grants, general office administration, monitoring of reports and program evaluation of all programs for which the office is responsible
-Network and liaise with consultants, members of governments, civil society organizations, international and regional bodies, and private funders
-Travel as needed in country and abroad to represent Freedom House before counterparts and the donor community
-Other related duties as assigned

Qualified and Interested applicants
We invite qualified candidates to send a resume, and cover letter with salary history and desired salary (only candidates who send salary requirements will be considered for the position) to: recruiting [at] freedomhouse [dot] org or fax at (202) 822-3893, Attention: HR Dept., referencing 2012-109 PD Zimbabwe.

Only candidates who have been selected for an interview will be contacted.

This guy is a riot…

One of the most colourful men in African politics happens to be white. Guy Scott is the vice-president of Zambia but his race is probably the least exceptional thing about him. On a recent afternoon in the capital, Lusaka, Scott held court with the kind of candour – and eccentricity – seldom heard from today’s media-honed political class. He dismissed South Africans as “backward”, insisted that Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe wants to quit, and discussed Zambia by way of references to Marlon Brando and the Klingon empire. More from the Guardian African Network