I have a subscription to a magazine called Monocle. In the December/January issue, the following piece of writing caught my eye. The suggestions are worth our “leaders” in Zimbabwe, and ourselves, reflecting on, and implementing.

Call me an optimist, but I believe we may have reached a time in history when our major expectation of leaders is that they talk to us intelligently, as adults. What this means is that information has to be provided to us in an honest, logical, non-manipulative manner, and then a course of action should be recommended based on the leader’s best reasoning – with a strong, inspirational appeal to our better human natures. The seriousness of the times demands serious dialogue. We need teachers, not demagogues, we need reason without apparent bias, and we need to be called to action by self-evident truths, not blind faith or what’s in the leader’s gut.
Excerpt from How to rule in 2009 by Paula Scher

Today Zimbabwe has an inclusive government.

A compromise arrangement between the three political principals of Zimbabwean politics. Not even the most imaginative mind would have placed Zimbabwe in this scenario twenty years ago. An embarrassing and sad scenario for a country that fought a bitter war for majority-rule to find itself being steered by an unelected executive. And it so happens to be the best, considering!

I was a fierce critic of this idea when it was first proposed. Viewing it as AU’s lazy short-cut out of a leadership crisis of Kenyan roots set to be a litmus test to AU’s mandate, relevancy, policies, stamina and legacy.  But as the Zimbabwean political and economic tale continued on an unpredictable and painful path, most progressive individuals within and without Zimbabwe (my little self included) started buying into the inclusive government idea as the better short term solution out of the Zimbabwean crisis. The merits of this are no longer here or there. The dhiri government is now upon us. A reality whose best we have to find, and make do with.

It is in this imperfect arrangement that the whole nation’s hopes today lie. But unlike the euphoria of 1980, even the most optimistic persons are embracing this dhiri government with extreme caution. The bitter experiences of post-1980 haunt many. And the life lesson from it that politicians can never be trusted is well-learned. The question that I am asked everyday by even those I think should be answering it is, will this inclusive government work? Thus meet the people’s expectations and needs. I hope and pray it does, for everyone’s sake.

So what are the imperatives, basic key elements necessary for this inclusive government to succeed? For me we first need to agree on what we want IT to achieve, but more so, how far we want IT to work. This dhiri needs to act the role of a foundation for a Zimbabwe all Zimbabweans want, not to be reduced to a stage for politicians to outmaneuver or outshine each other settling old scores as in the case of BITI/GONO saga. We need to go back to the basics and craft a truly inclusive national reconstruction agenda. This might sound like the vocabulary of yesterday as the ship is already in motion. Well apparently the ship is sailing without the basics of a destination, compass and its passengers. Should we let it sail away? The number one basic is people ownership and tangible participation in the revival process. We have seen how the people’s exclusion and resultant withdrawal/non-participation from the previous regime’s programs escalated the crisis more than the public looting of state resources by state officials and the sanctions. Without the people rallying behind the previous regime, the centre gave in. It would be tragic for this country if the people continue on the sidelines. Like now.

The mistake politicians are making is because they know what the people did not like prior to this, anything which is not it is therefore what the people want. Armed with this they are unilaterally deciding on behalf of the people. This explains why the dhiri was pushed for by a handful of politicians and crafted by an equally smaller number with the assistance and guarantee of foreigners. Politicians having eaten on behalf of the people for a long time see no reason why they should not think and act on our behalf too. But in this haste to put things in order and fast, the current government risks personalizing the Zimbabwean crisis, its solutions and its pending failure. As we speak right now the only communication to the man in the street has been to be patient and ready to sacrifice more. A far too familiar demand from politicians while they eat. And herein lies our first pothole. The remote participation of the major shareholder – the people. Yet broken and divided as we are, we need the contribution of everyone as a unifying element and as a resource. I bet you people will take the proposed us$100 per month if they know why and exactly how long they are going to sacrifice especially when MPs are set to receive us$27 000+ per year. Most Zimbabweans aware of this brazen disdain by politicians are leaving en mass to democracies where governments respect its citizens. Among these are the few skilled workers required to oil the revival agenda.

But of course politicians do not care. Government, through The Herald, will order them back!

I agree our situation is complex and urgent. But that doesn’t automatically mean we have to urgently employ complex secretive and excluding solutions. We have seen how technocrats failed to solve our crisis at a time the crisis was less complex as it is today. The complex learned-excuses that previous learned-ministers have forwarded failed to deliver. We are done complex, haste and people exclusion. The chef/povo we-are-government syndrome if not destroyed now, will destroy us.

So are the people the main protagonists in this venture or the audience to the politicians’ mystical national revival show? By people, reference extends beyond the joint MDC and ZANU PF supporters. For it is an unsaid truth that these supporters collectively are by far fewer than Zimbabweans outside politics erroneously termed voter-apathy, unregistered voter or ineligible voters who also have a legitimate stake in this country.  Again I probe, is the nation on the same page on where we are, where we want to be, how we want to do this. Who or what might get in the way? Who needs to do what? Who and what is on our side? What is the tangible pay-off? How and what can we put in place in defense of this ideal Zimbabwe so that it can outlast political doctrines? Timelines? These are not your very educated questions, but crucial mass questions ignored at owners risk. For if these are not shared and addressed by us all, we risk achieving nothing.

I will submit that our nation has experienced the crisis in different degrees as such cannot all be on the same page on where we are today as a people. Within the same breath, as divided as we are, our desired tomorrow is not necessarily the same. Yet we have to be one from the word go lest we continue to hear zvinhu zvavo varume ava zvinobuda here izvozvi? Haameno, ngavaite tione.

Finding each other should go beyond politicians. In fact, it should be the recurring theme for the dhiri government. Genuine national unity, not a united front for politicians aboard the dhiri’s gravy train. Otherwise the unfortunate beatings of ZANU PF supporters by MDC supporters recently witnessed in Mutoko and Bindura will spread as the people begin to misinterpret the dhiri mainly due to lack of information. The people’s anger continues to boil around the country and without clear guidance and information – its set to be like that for a very long time.

These seemingly little but key basics ought to be clear to all Zimbabweans at this teething period of the dhiri government. ALL OF US regardless of education, political and economic status, for when the hut starts burning as we have experienced before – even the smallest rat faces the torch. All of us making sure our collective hope for a peaceful and prosperous Zimbabwe is not again betrayed through arrogance, avoidable negligence, short-sightedness and most dangerously, exclusion.

What we are not seeing is a government or individual party outreach programs in explaining the dhiri and its direction as a matter of urgency. Gathering the people’s input. The people are running around pathetically scrounging for information (newspapers are now expensive) about this dhiri creature that is steering their lives. Already we have started to witness a familiar gap growing between politicians and the people. The people treated it as a blessing, glimpses of their MPs on TV ever since the elections when they converged to rubber stamp the 19th Amendment and Security Bills! Elected people’s representatives must talk to the people they represent. Its that simple! They are some who will say we have consulted. Well consultation should go beyond your bedrooms, drinking clubs, executive meetings and internet blogs.

It now appears politicians from all parties took a secrecy oath against the people. And just why is this? We know. Politicians find it easy to short-change and maintain a diabolic hold on the masses when the people are in the dark. The poverty of information, respect, food . . . is ammunition for politicians to escape accountability. Empowered by the people’s desperation politicians are running around town acting as if they are the people. This disrespect of the people is now endemic. The now impoverished Zimbabweans have been stripped of their deserved respect and worth. Our crisis and needs go beyond sadza. The people want and deserve respect and joint ownership of this country and its destiny.

Am I being too forward and not giving the dhiri a chance? My reply is a question – when should we start monitoring, critiquing and contributing to the dhiri (and post-dhiri)? When it starts failing and we have a bigger crisis? Have we as a nation got so used to reacting to crisis? This reactive and scatter brain type of doing things must have no room in our new way of doing things. It is high time we stop it.

We ought to have a plan together, and work on making the plan work, now! Tisumukirane.

Again I probe, do we have a plan to heal the nation? Who has it and when do they think they can bless us with it? How are we going to unite feuding neighbors split by politicians who are now eating and wining together? How do we plan to heal the scars of June violence and before? Or it is a given the people must unite because the leaders united? Can an aggrieved ordinary person get re-dress from JOMIC or it is a preserve for politicians only? Even more critical is how we make sure this embarrassing dhiri government episode will never visit us ever again. These are key national concerns.

A shared national vision I believe will assist us in making make sure we know what is broken and to what extent, so that we do not blindly build on top of the ruins when building afresh. This shared vision will make us stop seeing the crisis from within blindly and react blindly. Again I maintain practical and not lip-service national healing and revival of the economy must together anchor that plan. A people driven Constitution is only but one of the key tools to shape this. However we must do this with a third eye on when can craft mechanisms to defend the same Constitution from political abuse by not so nice political characters as in the past.

Already our MPS have gone into mute mode – that is when they are not rubber stamping Bills in Parliament. So, the time for all pro-democratic, pro-people forces to start working hard is now. Fighting for the placement of the people at the centre of their nation’s welfare and affairs. To put sustained tangible pressure on politicians making sure we deny them room to destroy our nation ever again  through negligence or the current disrespect for citizens. To build people power so that it becomes mightier than politicians. To make state business, except for those issues to do with state security, very open so there is no room for corrupt characters. Having put these basics in place, the insincerity that everyone is so worried about on the part of politicians in this dhiri will be exposed there and then should it manifest. Kufemera muhuro tirinavo nemumvura nemumvura.Kuvagara chasi!

Having brought the people to the centre of rebuilding their nation/lives, the other process that should be running concurrently to this, is securing the state from local and external threats. Local thieves and foreign thieves who pretend to like us while busy looting our heritage. Making a rich country like ours unable to feed such a manageable population. This ends now! The time is now. Every one must start demanding a role in the rebuilding of our country which is their future. For some of us we have already allocated ourselves roles. After all, it is “the only country I know and have”.

I’m trying to imagine the following conversation actually taking place between a pair of passion-struck lovebirds: “Honey, guess what I got you for Valentine’s Day?” the man says with a dreamy gaze into his lover’s eyes. “What?” she gasps in excitement. “Tell me!” “The best present ever,” he continues. “I got you …more quality time!” At this point, the young woman is probably imagining that her man is going to whip out a velvet box containing a Swiss, diamond-crusted gold watch, coupled with the biggest bunch of red roses ever seen.

Ha! Dream on, sister. This man actually does mean more time – as in, his gift to you for the year is more time spent together in loving bliss. More time, and less money, spent.

When a friend of mine suggested this as the most romantic gift he could offer his girlfriend, I almost fell off my seat laughing at the thought of the repercussions.

“That’s the stuff of instant break-ups,” I warned him.

But somewhere in his questionable logic, my friend actually believes that he can successfully pull off his plan and get away with showing up doe-eyed and empty-handed on the one day of the year specifically set aside for love and romance.

Now, I know that women generally have a bad name as petty, opportunistic parasites that often thrive on the financial infirmities of males. Put simply, women are often perceived as being gold-diggers, mining the wealth out of men for their own gain. But I think even those among us, who don’t consider ourselves as such, would draw the line at a man’s attempt to pass off an abstract construct like time as a gift on an important day.

To me, that reeks of cheapness and laziness. Yes, this is Zimbabwe. And yes, times are rough (though I am always startled by how many of my fellow citizens move around clutching serious wads of American dollars in their wallets and purses). But even Cupid – the hopeless little romantic that he is – would wing his way all the way here just to angle and shoot one of his arrows into the behind of such a man.

Shame on him, I say for thinking that his suggestion even constitutes a feasible gift idea. A gift for a special day needs to be something that can perceived through the senses, something she can shake about in its wrapped box, trying to guess its contents; something she can excitedly catch a whiff of, like perfume or a well-cooked meal; something palpable.

Besides, we Zimbabweans live in curious times. We suffer much and sacrifice even more -dreams, memories and even hopes. If there is any group of people whom I expect out on the streets, painting the town red with passionate and compassionate love this February 14, it is us. For when all else has ravaged us – political intimidation, economic deflation, scourges of violence and disease and condemnation – all that has remained to console us is love.

And whether you are a traditionalist who believes that V-Day is a commercial gimmick, or a fervent but cash-strapped romantic, I say to you, “Make the effort, this year!”

Pluck a simple flower from an overgrown bush, be patriotic and buy a packet of Zimbabwe-manufactured toffee sweets, or make a simple card with a meaningful message. Whatever it may be, make sure you do something special for someone you love. Our recent history has taught us to value what we have now because we have learned in a cruel way that the future is often not for us to control.

And like I told my friend, I endorse once more, “Time is a precious gift which your loved ones will greatly appreciate. Give it to them throughout the year, but on this special day, give them something more. Give them something they can move around showing off with pride at your love for them. A cheap gold-plated chain that will rust in a few weeks time will do, if that is really all you can afford. It is the moment, the day, the joy of being celebrated that matters.”

Left Harare on 21 Jan. Got a ride to the office, then to the airport, plane delayed by 2 hours, but we finally got to Nairobi (via Dar Es Salaam). Friday, got a flight to Goma. Flying over the great lakes region shows that it has heavy land use. Every scrap of ground has something on it, and very hilly ground too.

In Goma, we have to produce passports and yellow fever vaccine certificates. Jean Pierre and Ali take us to the VIP Palace Hotel. No view of the lake, as promised in the brochure, but lunch is fish and chips. A whole fish, fins, scales, tail, head and all, and it will not fit on the plate! What a change from Zimbabwe. Went for a walk after lunch. There are herds of goats, people washing motorcycles at the side of the lake with lake water, few people swimming (no crocodiles in this lake, sulfurous gases), and the traffic! Notwithstanding that the roads are basically two rut tracks, there are vehicles all over them. And motorcycles – small 125 roadsters – with two people on them and looking for a another passenger. In Goma, they make their own bicycles. All in wood. Two wheels, frame, handlebars. No brakes, no pedals. But it is a bicycle nevertheless. Loaded with stuff (wood, charcoal) and pushed along, or ridden downhill.

There are no buildings over 4 stories in Bukavu, and very few that are two. All wall dominant architecture though. Very continental European. The influence of Bauhaus and Gropius is strong in some houses. Few tile roofs mainly sheet metal. It rains all the time. And the architecture is very ‘peculiar’. I am now staying in a house where the only way into my room is through the bathroom. Has a window to the outside, but you have to go from my room to the bathroom (and hope no one is using it) then into the sitting room. Weird.

Shopping in Bukavu is quite a different thing. There are no ‘shops’, but plenty of vendor kiosks to structures of two rooms selling everything from computer printers and coke. Repackaged sugar (from a 20 kg to 20 x 1 kg plastic scrap bags). Shirts, and tins of beans. I watched someone selling oil (cooking oil) from a tub, pouring it into ‘bring your own bottles’. Everyone sells whatever they can to make a profit on that day.

More later.

Valentine’s Day is approaching and Fungai Machirori reminds us that although we’re living in a time of cholera, corruption and other forms of chaos, we still have Love to console ourselves with. I’m always pleased when we, the citizens, come up with basic home made remedies that we can engage to keep ourselves sane amidst all the political clap trap. Che Guevara said, At the risk of sounding ridiculous, let me say that the true revolutionary is guided by feelings of love.

Here’s some self help and love from Fungai. Don’t know about you, but I’m off in search of some Charon’s toffees.

We Zimbabweans live in curious times. We suffer much and sacrifice even more – dreams, memories and even hopes. If there is any group of people whom I expect out on the streets, painting the town red with passionate and compassionate love this February 14, it is us. For when all else has ravaged us – political intimidation, economic deflation, scourges of violence and disease and condemnation – all that has remained to console us is love. And whether you are a traditionalist who believes that V-Day is a commercial gimmick, or a fervent but cash-strapped romantic, I say to you, “Make the effort, this year!” Pluck a simple flower from an overgrown bush, be patriotic and buy a packet of Zimbabwe-manufactured toffee sweets, or make a simple card with a meaningful message. Whatever it may be, make sure you do something special for someone you love. Our recent history has taught us to value what we have now because we have learned in a cruel way that the future is often not for us to control.

I have never seen such dejection in so many people’s lives ever since I was born. You meet virtually everyone asking what the latest is concerning the formation of the government of national unity in Zimbabwe. With the news beamed on satellite TV that this has been yet another dud, you see it in the people’s eyes: Dejection, anger and all kinds of unprintable epithets aimed at the Founding Father.

This is one nation that carries such collective misery one wonders if Zanu PF has any conscience left in its soul, someone thinks aloud. But its allowed, I figure.

The sentiment on the streets is: why did we vote in the first place if we are still expected to wait for Zanu PF “to negotiate the MDC into power?” You see it everyday and you feel your eyes welling up.

“Why are we being put through this,” an old man said as he trudged home from his work place where he stands guard with nothing but a baton stick.

I thought I saw him shed tears.

“Shame on Robert Mugabe,” another octagenarian said as he related how his rural neighbours are scrounging for food. You hear these miserable stories from the older folks who saw it all and thought they had built nests for their grandchildren only to be told their pensions and savings are now useless.

My mother saw for the first time an American greenback note and she made sure she did not accept it despite the fact that this is now the standard for all kinds of transactions.

“What kind of money is that?” asked the old girl.

She would rather settle for the South African Rand, she said.

My heart went into pieces. “Be careful with these Rands,” I said. “The boys out there will fleece you.”

“I will be fine,” she said.

Why can’t she and all those old darlings just use the local currency than be confused by all this crap, I cursed.

I have seen old people with distant looks in their eyes just wondering what the hell hit them, wondering what got into the head of that man they lifted shoulder high in that euphoric moment back then. But no one has the answers.

The elders say it goes deeper than power mongering, they see something we do not see and they are not at liberty to confide. But they carry the burden of having lived through the good old times of the white man, then the promise of the black man, then watched a good man gone bad wrecking havoc on a jewel they were proud to dedicate their blood, sweat and tears to.

I listened to Shona-speaking old men cursing the Founding Father and it was a bit curious as the understanding and interpretation of the dynamics of local politics has for years been Shonas being Mugabe-for-life types.

This is the history that has been fed by peddlers of ethnic politics where tribal overlords are supposed to have whole rabid acolytes lining up to voice their undying support all in the name of ethnic loyalty.

This indeed has existed, but I wondered if that rings true today. This is the kind of ethnicity that has seen the ghost of Gukurahundi continuing to haunt the psyche of many here.

So now by the twist of fate, Mugabe had alienated his own, I wondered as I watched the mouths of the old men move as they talked politics.

Not so, as the old men proffered.

All human beings must be respected, and this man does not respect anybody, one old man said as he puffed poignantly at his roll of shamrock and waited for a new day, silently wondering what it would bring.