To bastardise a language is to corrupt or debase it thereby lowering its quality and character.  This happens every time a congratulatory message is published containing the very common, but very wrong ‘amhlope’.

Although it may seem to be a small thing, in actual fact the opposite is quite true.  To illustrate, consider an instruction manual where all references to a chock, used to prevent heavy objects from moving, have the ‘h’ omitted.  From a minor blunder, major consequences result.

It’s one thing when the misspelt word makes the occasional appearance in the press.  That can be excused and put down to a few people who are yet to know better.  However, looking at the situation as it stands, we are facing a national pandemic where the affliction is linguistic ignorance.

Here’s the thing.  There’s a whole bunch of Chief Marketing gurus, PROs and other comms. experts who are blindly copying from each other and perpetuating this misspelling.  It’s like nobody has bothered to check how to write the word correctly, which is illogical when using a language one is not fluent in.  And as a result, I often find myself paging through some or other congratulatory supplement, cringing at every sight of the unsightly error.

Thankfully, these circumstances are nothing a little care can’t fix.  Media professionals who are careful ensure that there aren’t any spelling or other mistakes to reduce their credibility and that of their written work.  Further to this, Zimbabweans who care work towards the preservation of their heritage, which includes SiNdebele, one of our official languages. If we can be so diligent when using the Queen’s English, why not show care with our own languages?  And if we don’t care to care, who shall?

Without going into a lesson on the orthography of SiNdebele, know that the word ‘amhlophe’ is spelt correctly when it has two letter ‘hs’ in it.  The first is flamboyant and creates a distinctive sound which gives the word character.  The second ‘h’ is modest and serves to give the letter ‘p’ the ability to pack a purposeful punch!

From Flavorwire:

London photographer Miranda Hutton found the parents through support groups and bereavement websites. Some immaculately maintained the rooms as they were on the day their child died, dusting under the teddy bears, up-keeping a pristine time capsule for years. Others let the dust gather around the picture frames and shelves, sealing the untouched room in with its memories or began to let go, slowly transforming the unoccupied spaces into guest rooms, storage places — even an art studio. Shot from the doorway, because as she explained to Vice, “it felt a little less intrusive that way,” Hutton’s poignant Rooms Project documents stages of grief and the loaded significance of rooms and possessions left behind. Visit the rooms in our gallery.

From Pambazuka:

Peter Wuteh Vakunta seems convinced that with his book ‘Defeating dictators: Fighting Tyranny in Africa and Around the World’, George B. N. Ayittey has written ‘a blueprint for oppositional militancy, a veritable modus operandi for undoing dictators in the contemporary world’. He thinks it is a must read for every student of African politics.

All too often, opposition parties that set out to liberate their countries from tyranny wind up selling out, fighting among themselves and sowing seeds of discord. Some opposition leaders are themselves closet dictators, exhibiting the same dictatorial tendencies they so loudly denounce in the dictators they are eager to replace. Ayittey sounds a note of admonition to Africa’s opposition political parties: ‘No single individual or group by itself can effect political change. It takes a united opposition or alliance of democratic forces’.

The prime objective of any bona fide opposition group or groups should be to get rid of the dictatorial regime. Once this task has been accomplished, the opposition can then establish a level political playing field. All other issues such as who the new president should be, what the new flag or national currency should look like are distractions; they are irrelevant and secondary. These issues are divisive and nothing delights a despotic leader more than a divided opposition. The opposition has to be conscious of the fact that the dictator may infiltrate their ranks by planting moles among them with the intention of destroying the opposition. Such moles, Ayittey suggests, ‘need to be tracked down and squashed’. A smart strategy would be to identify the props of the despotic regime and sever them methodically, one at a time.

Last but not least, to defeat a tyrant in an election, a coalition of opposition parties must field only one presidential candidate. Once a coalition of opposition forces has been cobbled together, the second imperative should be to lay down the rules of combat. The first rule is to know the enemy – the type of dictator (civilian or military), how he operates, his strengths and weaknesses. Then, it is incumbent on the oppositional coalition to devise effective counter-strategies and modalities for defeating the despotic leader. Most importantly, the language of the opposition must be devoid of zealotry, incensed ideology, ethnocentrism and elitism.

Read the full article here

I don’t know about you but I’m beginning to feel like 18 hour powercuts are the new normal. There was a ZESA fault at home last week – and it took  a full day for anyone on our street to report it; we’d gotten used to the lights going off and never coming back.

The Zimbabwe Power Company chairperson is blaming low levels of generation – 4 of 6 units working at Kariba and the 2 Phase Two (larger) units are on line at Hwange. He says they hope to bring back two of the 4 Phase One (smaller) units over the next day or so. Maybe things are gonna get brighter?

But why does my ZESA bill never go down – even when the lights go out?

There is a lot positive to be said about the changing of the seasons, it’s just that it doesn’t all “spring” (ha ha, weak I know) to mind immediately.  I am under attack by the dust and pollen and bush fires and other rubbish in the air.  The glaring sun, with its almost white light, is less than flattering for everyone, particularly after the winter months. We emerge with all our dents and dimples on display.  By midday, all the hairspray has evaporated with the sweat (not that I use hairspray – not enough hair). We are limp, with damp patches under our arms, shiny faces and the energy God gave a sloth.  Everyone in Europe associates spring with green. Here everything is brown, and dry – even the horizon is dyed with dust.

The birds of course, have returned from wherever they went (at least I don’t pretend any great knowledge), and their chirping is cheerful first thing in the morning – only drowned out by calls of “Moooom, I can’t find my school shoes!”.

And then total silence by lunchtime as everything pants in the shade.  All creatures are preparing for the next round of babies (imagine having to go through that each year??) and the weaver over my swimming pool is industriously stripping the palms for nesting material. Poor bugger continues despite the repeated rejection – he has built 3 already this season; at least, those are ones that survived her ladyship’s onslaught. I put water out just for him, to help him through the heat and encourage him.  Aaah.

The pool is back in play, which is a blessing for all mothers.  The children can jump and splash and play and then collapse in an exhausted heap at the end of the day, happy to be in bed, no arguments, asleep before you finish the story.

Perfect.