They started building their nest a month ago
soon after they arrived from Zaire

For the last few weeks
we have watched these beautiful, minute creatures
set up home outside the kitchen door
and marveled at the extraordinary investment of energy involved!

we watched as a tiny cup was built of fine grasses
spider web-stitched,
lichen-adorned
and eggs laid

Last Sunday they hatched
and the parents began to work
diving, floating flashes of orange gold
snapping invisible insects out of the air around us
feeding three, inch-long scraps of skin, bone and beak

They defended their territory with huge conviction
fearlessly attacking any passing strangers
Wednesday saw them fight off a Hammercop
(just passing through on an innocent search for pond life)
attacking him with such vigour that
despite his huge bulk,
he fell off his perch
and lost his dignity.

We saw them chasing barbets and bulbuls
bombing the bush babies as they emerged at sunset

Last week we began to notice strange white sacks
with small brown tails
floating in our pond
what new life form is this?
they seemed not to fit into any category we knew

a few days later, as we sat at the table drinking coffee
the female floated over the pond and deposited a small white sack!
she was cleaning droppings from the nest
(we learnt later that they often build nests above water)
no predator would find her chicks by looking at the ground!

Today, 10 days from hatching
3 fat feathery beings are stretching their wings
struggling and jostling to stay on board
and finally out they popped
each one seemingly as large as the nest they had left
and sat on the branch stretching into this new found freedom

they are about to fly.

what extraordinary dedication
a journey of hundreds of miles
weeks of careful camouflaged nest construction
the laying of 3 precious minute eggs
the determined effort to feed
and protect them from passing predators

3 tiny new lives
no bigger than a thumb

A press release by the Alliance Francaise:

Karohano Dance Extravaganza with Alliance Francaise

Dance is a language that is universal, it communicates to the senses without the need for words. This year, to end it with a healthy dose of dance delights, Alliance Francaise de Harare is proud to present to you the Karohano Dance Extravaganza on the 15th December 2010 at the 7 Arts (7.30pm)

Karohano is a spectacular fusion of dance, technology and satire from South Africa and Madagascar.  ‘Karohano’, meaning ‘pieces’ in Sesotho, is a collaborative dance piece representing three male dancers from Madagascar and South Africa. It is a fusion of video technology and urban dance energy, revealing aspects of African male identity, political satire and ironic gestures, all this using the body as a medium.  Being a very culturally rooted genre, it is a collaboration between two South African dancers and one dancer from Madagascar.  This piece has been awarded first prize during the International Dance Festival “Danse l’Afrique danse” in Tunis.  For the social philosophers, lovers of true art and the intellectual minds, this will be the icing on the cake, seeing as it is a very absorbing experience with a definitive new flavour to the mind.  The Karohano Dance Extravaganza is arguably the most important dance event to happen this year.  Cancel all other appointments and activities, this here, its the event to attend.

The schedule is as follows, the show will be opened by a local dance company called “Essence of Women” who performed at HIFA this year! After that, “Inzalo” itself will present two mind-blowing pieces.  The first of which, is one titled ‘Collision’ – a solo piece by the South African dancer Moeketsi Koena.  Following this is the Karohano piece itself.

Just to give a brief history lesson, Karohano was created and showcased in Madagascar in 2006 at the Itrotra festival, after two South African dancers toured Madagascar.  Then later braced the stages of South Africa in the Annual Dance Umbrella in 2007.  Later in 2007, Karohano was reworked and performed at Market Theatre Laboratory and around Soweto schools.  In 2008 it won the first prize for the 7th choreographic encounters for Dance L’Afrique Dance, in Tunisia as said before.  Added to all this, they have a dance video which was directed by Jeannette Genslov and it was showcased in different dance films across the world.

They believe that dance is not just a mere response to music and rhythm, but is movement oratory with unquestionable educational elements.  They should know, because their high profile performances are too numerous to mention in entirety having been in countries of different cultures all across the globe.  They also are involved in philanthropic work in various communities, which shows how much they believe helping in any way one can as it always makes a difference, no matter how small.

Karohano
15th December at 7Arts, 7.30pm
C/C: 10 $

Tickets available at Alliance Francaise, 328 Herbert Chitepo Avenue, Harare

There were 81 of them
representing over 152 thousand children and adolescents in Zimbabwe
living with HIV
more than a third of them are orphans

They had been brought together to commemorate World AIDS Day
and asked what they wanted to tell the world about their lives

Along the walls are full size body portraits they have drawn of themselves
symbols of their hopes for the future

They were given cameras take photos-fractals of their lives
beautiful cameos which speak of being the same as everyone else
of the need for love and acceptance and education
and for a future with the audacity to hope

Central to the display
they dance with huge, exuberant joy
around a tree they have made and covered with hundreds of flowers
created out of Antiretroviral bottles

Their ‘Tree of Life’

for these new children would not be here today
without access to ARVs

children who have held hands in their own circle
who have been seen and heard in their dignity
who are learning they have a right to a future
and a love of life
and who closed the evening singing
‘Something Inside so Strong’

The Foreign Policy Magazine recently published its list of Top 100 Global Thinkers.  It is a smorgasbord of individuals and their respective ideas that recommend them as world-renowned thinkers.  The list makes for a fascinating read that can both challenge and inspire one’s reality.

It includes a number of people whom one would expect to find.  For instance, at joint first place are Bill Gates, former Microsoft chief and now Co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Warren Buffet, Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway.  US President Barack Obama comes in at third position for his ability to chart a course through overwhelming criticism.  Then there are Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton (13th); as well as the CEO’s of Amazon and Apple, Jeff Bezos and Steve Jobs who share seventeenth place.

Women make up for approximately 20% of the list.  Angela Merkel, German Chancellor appears as somewhat of an obvious choice at number ten and Aung San Suu Kyi, activist for democracy in Burma earned herself seventy-fifth position.  She was rightfully lauded for being levelheaded on her release, not raging against her captors but calling for reforms and never giving up on democracy.

A woman I was glad to see appearing on the list is Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.  Being Africa’s first elected female head of state and 85th on The FP list, Liberia’s president has lived up to the promises she made in 2006 when she came into power.  The country is steadily rebuilding itself after decades of bloody civil war and boasts one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies.  All this, is a testament to Sirleaf’s determination to create an empowered people who can hold those in power accountable without fear.

Unity Dow, a judge from Botswana is another African woman who appears on the top thinkers rankings.  Although she is a lesser-known individual, her accomplishments are inspiring and deserving of recognition.  She has led a legal and moral crusade for the equality of women, African democracy and the cause of HIV/AIDS.  In February, she was sworn in as one of three international judges in a Kenyan Court.  Dow’s accomplishments demonstrate that the law is only as just as those who practice it.

Of the men on the list, number forty-one, Mehdi Karroubi, Iranian cleric and activist for the Green Movement, is the most interesting to me.  He has been subjected to investigations on charges of sedition, a crime that carries the death penalty in his country; assault; and plainclothes militia attacked his home.  Karroubi was also the first Green Movement leader to blast the regime for mistreating imprisoned opponents, and he continues to criticise the government’s mismanagement of the economy.  Karroubi’s courage in the face of real danger is something close to home and truly remarkable.

Mario Vargas Llosa has similar, credible attributes.  As an author in Peru, he has advocated against tyranny and his distaste for dictators has set him decisively against Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, with whom he has an ongoing feud.  Llosa’s bravery in depicting the realities of tyranny so as to end it, earned him number sixty-four on the FP List.

Besides having an interesting job title of Sanitation expert, Indian Kamal Kar dedication to his work justifies why he was selected for inclusion on the list.  He seeks to improve sanitation, viewing this as a way to overcome waterborne diseases and, less obviously, a poverty-reduction method.  Kar has been so successful in his endeavours that after Bangladesh adopted his ideas; latrine coverage grew dramatically from 33 percent in 2003 to more than 70% currently.  Kar’s achievements show that any cause pursued with passion can be achieved.

Other great thinkers that drew my attention were George Soros (number 15), a philanthropist from New York whose work and life reinforce the idea that “it’s not what you make that counts — it’s who you give it to.”  And at position 52, Sudanese-born mobile phone mogul, Mo Ibrahim, has issued leadership prizes and has a continent-wide governance index to his name.  His efforts are in the hope that Africa and its leaders can be held to high standards of good governance.

I trust that in reading through the snippets of these great thinkers, our minds can be opened so that we see what can be achieved when we are willing and able to think for ourselves.

“To all the celebrities – let’s lead the way. Let’s show everybody this is the way life is supposed to be lived.”  These are the words of renowned urban grooves musician, Alexio Kawara’s and they couldn’t be truer.

Researchers say that human beings learn about the world and decide on their values and behaviour by watching others. Logically, people are likely to imitate the behaviour that they associate with success, or successful people and often celebrities are seen as such.

When celebrities are thrust into the public eye, not only their talents, but also every aspect of their behaviour comes under scrutiny.  It is not by choice that celebrities enlist to mould the minds of an entire population; yet being a role model is something that comes with the job, like fame, recognition and $300,000.  Thus, Alexio along with other local and international celebrities, have the power to influence the public by their behaviour…or misbehaviour.

Alexio was speaking at an occasion jointly hosted by the US Embassy and PSI’s New Africa House HIV Centre.  He was one of seven youth celebrities who accepted an invitation to be publicly tested for HIV with Ambassador, Charles Ray.

Alexio went on to say: “We [celebrities] have mistakes and we have temptations. I think our temptations are at a higher level than the other temptations, especially in an industry where you are in the limelight and every lady wants to say something to you and every guy wants to say something to you and to you too.”

This points to the reality that, despite their vast influence, celebrities may not be the best choice for instilling moral values, especially when their ‘mistakes’ and surrender to ‘temptations’ are broadcast and published far and wide.

However, while celebrities cannot control the type of media attention they receive, they can control some things that are made public about them.  And it is highly admirable when they choose to use their fame to achieve something good and meaningful.  That is exactly what Alexio and his counterparts did to commemorate World AIDS Day.  They underwent HIV counselling and testing, observed by members of the media, to encourage young people to know their HIV status.

Reading from transcripts compiled at the occasion by the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy Harare, it was commendable to see that these young Zimbabwean celebrities were mindful of their responsibilities as role models.

Big Brother contestant and star of the film ‘Lobola’, Munyaradzi Chidzonga addressed the youth specifically when he spoke at the occasion.

“… I really think as young people we need to start talking about the things that we talk about behind closed doors. This needs to be opened up because, believe it or not, in our generation, it is dangerous to have sex because there are a lot of things that could go terribly wrong.”

Desmond Maringwa, midfielder with Dynamos Football shed light on HIV/AIDS on the local soccer scene.

“I am the President of the Footballers Union of Zimbabwe. We have got a project that we want to do about soccer players as well. We have seen so many have gone the way of HIV and died. Nobody wanted to come forward and do something like this (getting tested). Maybe I am the first one, and I am proud of myself.”

The power of knowing one’s status was musician Edith Katiji’s emphasis.

“In the sort of life that we are living- I was listening to the radio the other day- children as early as 12 are getting sexually active… It might happen due to peer pressure, it might happen through abuse, but what is important is for you to know your status because then you are able to make the decision as to where and how you are going to live your life, how you are going to take care of yourself, or how you are going to plan for what’s ahead.”

For their participation at this World AIDS Day event, I was impressed by the tremendous courage and dutifulness of Edith Katiji, Alexio Kawara, Munyaradzi Chidzonga, Desmond Maringwa and fellow Dynamos Football Club team-mate Washington Arubi, Norman Maroto of Gunners Football Club and television personality, Rumbidzai Mugwira.  It is difficult to live your life in a glass bowl and to never put a foot wrong while you are doing it. But once in a while celebrity can be used to achieve something good for other people and on this occasion I applaud these seven who did just that.

As part of their work in addressing corruption in Zimbabwe, Transparency International Zimbabwe is currently working to promote the ALAC initiative. ALAC (Advocacy and Legal Advice Centre) is an anti-corruption initiative that provides free legal aid services to victims and witnesses of corruption. The initiative seeks to empower citizens to demand accountability and transparency.

Presently ALAC has a mobile legal aid team to assist members of the public to make their reports in confidence. Their mobile unit will be at the corner of First Street and George Silundika Ave in Harare every Friday between 9am and 12pm.

Their offices are located at No. 99 Central Avenue Cnr 8th Street Harare.

They may also be contacted via phone on the toll free number 0800 4276 or email on alac [at] transparency [dot] org [dot] zw.

Transparency International Zimbabwe will also be conducting a march on anti-corruption day 11 December 2010, starting at 8am. The march will be from Julius Nyerere to Africa Unity Square. Please keep checking this blog, or Kubatana’s email newsletter for more information. To subscribe to the Kubatana email newsletter email join [at] kubatana [dot] net.