“Like a very good dark chocolate this is a delicious novel with a bitter sweet flavour.”

Available from Weaver Press at $12 each.

Visit their web site to order your copy Today, and support Zimbabwean publishing!

I’ve just received a copy of the Prime Minister’s weekly newsletter and I note that its printed by Cape Press. I’m wondering whether that’s a Zimbabwean printing company (with a seriously odd name) or whether Mr Tsvangirai is Proudly South African?

“If you’re going to kick authority in the teeth, you might as well use two feet.” Keith Richards

Zimbabwean activists and journalists should explore using the much talked about WikiLeaks web site as a conduit for exposing the corruption and profiteering of those in power in Zimbabwe. Apparently WikiLeaks receives an average of 30 classified documents every day from sources around the world. Read this extensive interview with Julian Assange, the inspiration behind WikiLeaks.

A new title is now available from Weaver Press:

Narratives of Hope: It Starts with us
Full-colour illustrations
pp.128; 180 x 235 mm
Price US20

Documenting Development through Stories of Change

It Starts Within Us is the product of a group of Zimbabwean NGOs who sought to discover their relevance in promoting development. They named this exercise ‘Makadii-Linjani’, or ‘How are you doing?’ and engaged with communities to discover if their development partners had benefited from their intervention – or not.

This important book not only documents stories of change but interrogates the process of evaluation, allowing members of marginalized communities to speak for themselves, and providing the reader with a ‘narrative of hope’. We discover how the need to change and develop begins with the harsh realities of poverty – exacerbated in Zimbabwe in the past decade by the effects of an economic, social, and political crisis of debilitating proportions.

Insights about how a people-centred approach to development can be sustained, even in difficult operating environments, will be of interest to any development practitioner, researcher or academic as well as to the general public interested in restoring development to a country that has seen much that has undermined the process.

The Makadini-Linjani project and this publication is supported by the Church Development Service (Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst – EED), an association of protestant churches in Germany.

‘Poverty was screaming in my household, at one time I ended up thinking that poverty was mine.’ Sarah Matongo

For more information and to buy a copy of Narratives of Hope contact Weaver Press via their web site

A couple of weeks ago I published a blog about Africa’s Old Men and how they insist in staying in power for so long. In a print publication we re-published this blog and asked Zimbabweans to text us their suggestions as to why these old men don’t, or won’t, take early retirement.

Here are some of the text messages that we received:

Dictatorship keeps african leader in power for so long. They use guns and the army to put fear in people.

African leaders stay in power due to undemocratic methods they use to rule their states.

They kip in pwer 4 so long becoz they are 2 greedy and ful of coruption.

Afraid to be arrested greedy cruel uneducated etc

AFRICAN LEADERS FEAR THAT ONCE OUT OF POWER ICJ WIL AREST THEM THEY KILED TORTURED IMAGINE HOUSES DEMOLISHED ZIMBABWE

African leaders keep in power for so long because of (i) Power hungury & (ii) they don’t respect the voice of us unpriviledged poor and the majorite.

African leaders keep in power for so long becaz they are all dictators and they fear to answer cases if the leave the office.

Many afrcn leaders abuse public offce and as a result they fear to resgne and wil hold on to power even if it means starving or killng their people they d.nt mind.

African leaders stay in power coz they are all dictators. Most of them comited crimes of genocide so they hang on 2 power 4 fear of possible persecution.

Your sister’s funeral – always a good time to rant and rave, and mention the word “hell” several times:

Zimbabwe’s Mugabe attacks West at sister’s burial

HARARE, Zimbabwe — Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe said Sunday the death of his sister robbed him of one of his closest friends and allies in his lifelong fight against colonial era rule and Western dominance in Africa.

In an emotional and angry address at the state funeral of Sabina Mugabe, 80, President Mugabe attacked the West and said after his sister’s death Thursday he will not abandon their cause.

“To hell” with Europeans and Americans opposed to his rule, he said. “We say to hell, hell, hell with them. They will not decide who is going to lead the people of Zimbabwe.”

U.S. Ambassador Charles Ray left the funeral during Mugabe’s address, but later refused to comment on his action.

Sabina Mugabe retired from Parliament in 2008 after a lifetime in politics alongside Mugabe. She was buried at Heroes Acre, a national shrine for loyalist politicians and fallen guerrillas from the liberation war that ended white rule in Zimbabwe in 1980.

Mugabe on Sunday accused the West of imposing sanctions on his nation to force his ouster.

Since a power sharing deal formed a coalition government last year with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, the former opposition leader, Zimbabwe has campaigned for the lifting of travel, banking and business bans and other sanctions targeting Mugabe and some 200 of his party leaders and associates.

Mugabe blames Western sanctions for the nation’s economic meltdown. Critics say the often violent seizures of thousands of white-owned commercial farms Mugabe ordered since 2000 disrupted the agriculture-based economy in the former regional breadbasket that now needs food aid.

Mugabe said a “European-American clique” imposed sanctions for their own reasons.

“Europe and America want to keep these odious sanctions. They are now saying Mugabe must go first, and they choose someone to lead the country,” he said.

Sabina Mugabe was among those barred from Western countries. Western governments argue Mugabe has not done enough to honor the power sharing agreement to restore law and order and bring about sweeping democratic reforms.

Mugabe’s sister retired from active politics in 2005 after she suffered a stroke but she remained a constant force at Mugabe’s side and remained in Parliament.

The death Thursday of Robert Mugabe’s most trusted family confidante and associate is a severe blow to the ascetic 86-year-old president, who is often seen as having few close friends or trusted advisors.

- By CHENGETAI ZVAUYA (AP)