PRESS RELEASE

A Temporary Inconvenience
By Andrew Mutandwa

Poignant poetry collection distils the lonely ache of displacement experienced by those forced to flee political turmoil in their homeland.

Andrew Mutandwa’s debut book of poetry charts the struggle to escape oppression and the difficulties the journey presents to those forced from their homes, lives and families by domestic troubles. This heart-wrenching volume initially draws on the harrowing experiences faced by those living in the iron grip of a brutal regime. Contracting the pain and suffering of oppressed faceless millions into the compelling testament of one man, the poems evoke the violence of life lived under a military dictatorship. Swinging from the loss of self at home to the loss of self abroad, the poetry brings to light the traumatic erosion of individual identity that confronts refugees who flee one type of violence only to be confronted with another deeper violence – the defacement of individual identity and the erosion of cultural expression amid the lonely diaspora. This powerfully moving collection lays bare the pain and pathos of politically displaced individuals, articulating the lifelong effects of what initially seems like a temporary inconvenience.

With striking realism Andrew Mutandwa portrays the emotional battle to carve out a new home for one’s family when ‘home’ becomes a hostile and dangerous place. Providing an insight into the erosion of freedom in Zimbabwe, Mutandwa offers a powerful testament to the bravery of individuals in the African diaspora and of displaced peoples around the world. Providing a much needed exposition of the cultural tensions that repeatedly rock Africa to the core, A Temporary Inconvenience is a must-read for anyone who wishes to understand why this rich land is failing its own progeny.

About the Author: Andrew Mutandwa is a former civil servant, diplomat and journalist who has specialised in international development, the HIV/AIDS epidemic and human rights issues. He was in the first group of journalists to be formally trained when Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980. He currently lives in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.

The book is currently being sold on line through a number of distributors such as Amazon, WH Smith, Waterstones, Barnes & Noble, and Author House.

After being chosen to represent Zimbabwe on Big Brother Africa Wendall Parson did not enjoy a fair share of media publicity like his fellow housemate Vimbai Mutinhiri. Barely 2 months ago The Sunday Mail published an article entitled “Who is Wendall?” Instead of supporting our Zimbabwean representative the paper went on to publish a racially charged article questioning Wendall’s citizenship.

Despite the racist reporting, the people of Zimbabwe went on to prove that our country is made up of people of different backgrounds. Since Wendall is white the Sunday Mail reporter just assumed he is foreign only to be proved wrong with positive response and support Wendall got from fellow Zimbabweans. The smear campaign and bad journalism actually propelled Wendall Parson to victory much to the surprise of the reporter. We have so many Zimbabweans who are flying our flag high representing the country in various activities regardless of race, colour or creed.

It is tempting to think of men as animals who cannot control their urges. This is what is implied when women are told that if they wear tight fitting clothes or miniskirts in public they put themselves in danger of being raped. It is affirmed by men themselves when they threaten those women with a public stripping and beating, or argue that the benefits of sex without a condom outweigh the risk of STIs and pregnancy.  But when men are angry that Matobo Senator Sithembile Mlotshwa from MDC-T has also affirmed this position I am surprised. It is one thing for men to control how women behave both in public and private, but it is quite another when women seek to do the same. Men themselves exploit the notion that they are unable to control their urge to procreate. Our society has made it acceptable for a man to have a wife, a small house and a girlfriend, without making that man accountable. And before anyone brings up polygamy, please understand that polygamy was practised within the framework of the family, not outside it.

I don’t agree with the senator’s sentiments. The premise upon which her argument is based, that men are exclusively to blame for the spread of HIV, is false. More than that, the idea of chemically castrating men in general is not only in-humane but also ridiculous. But in the face of countless testimonials by HIV-infected women whose single sexual partner is a philandering husband, I can understand her frustration.

Economic progress and financial independence are crucial to women being able to protect themselves both in and out of the bedroom. Here’s an interesting article from Af-AIDS.

Safe Sex Elusive for Many Women
Siphosethu Stuurman

CAPE TOWN – Most women still find it difficult to negotiate safe sex with their partners. The problem is even more prevalent among women who are economically dependent on men. Some institutionalised social and cultural norms also fuel the challenge.

Ruth Mokoena, a 30 year-old married woman from Johannesburg, believes that age difference plays a major role in whether a woman is able to negotiate safe sex in the relationship.

“Women do find themselves in a situation whereby negotiating safe sex in the bedroom becomes a burden and they end up giving in. You get some ladies where there is an age difference between the two people and I found that the younger woman (most of the time it’s a younger woman) has a lot of difficult time convincing the guy to use a condom”, she says.

Ruth reckons that she probably would have had a similar problem had her partner been older.

“I found that with me and my husband we’re the same age and we think along the same lines. It tends to be much easier”, says Mokoena.

Moses Mabala, a 31-year old male from Johannesburg, also shared his thoughts on the subject.

“Sometimes men will force their way through to have unprotected sex. A woman will be given no opportunity to stand up for herself, which is a wrong thing to do”, he says.

Zuzimpilo Clinic’s Dr. Limakatso Lebina said ascribed this to a lack of safer sex methods that put power into women’s hands. She says this and other factors, such as the economic and cultural status of women contributes to women’s struggles to negotiate safe sex with their male partners.

“It is definitely difficult for ladies to negotiate safe sex. Unfortunately, the current safer sex methods that are there highly depend on the man to say ‘yes’. And with the relationships always being that the woman will be inferior for whatever reason, whether economical or cultural, then it becomes very difficult, especially in the dim light for a lady to say ‘where is the condom?’ “, says Dr. Lebina.

Dr. Catherine Ongunmefun from the Health Systems Trust also weighed in on the subject.

“There is the issue of cultural practises that are also not helping women. When it comes to lobola payments… As a woman, a man pays lobola for you and that means you have to submit to that man. It’s not going to be easy for you to say: ‘maybe, we need to use a condom’. And also, we know that in South Africa we have a very high rate of gender violence, which means women are being abused by their partners. You can imagine if you have been just beaten as a woman there is no way you are going to say: ‘Can we use a condom’?”, Dr. Ongunmefun says.

Dr. Ongunmefun went on to say that women need to learn to empower themselves.

“Somehow, I think women give in easily. Maybe because they don’t have a choice. But if you are economically empowered as a woman and you have a good job, you can negotiate with your partner. You have to find a way not to depend on a man in a relationship. As a woman you need to empower yourself, respect yourself and say: ‘If you are not going to use a condom, then I won’t have sex with you’,” she says.

According to Mbuyiselo Botha of the Sonke Gender Justice Network, often, men view sex as an act of power. With that comes the need to be in control. As a result, the manner in which sex occurs, including whether precautions are taken or not, largely depends on them.

“A lot of men in our workshops would say ‘condoms don’t make me feel like a real man’. As you go on to ask: What does that mean? It’s that ‘I may not have sexual satisfaction, I need to know that I am in-charge, in control and she must in fact feel me and hear me’,” says Botha

Botha went on to say that men have a notion of invincibility. They tend to believe that HIV and any other sexually transmitted diseases only affect women.

“There is the thinking that HIV it’s not6 a problem for us men. It’s in fact women because there is also a notion that women are loose, they have loose morals, they need to be controlled and they need to be contained”, he says.

Dr. Ongunmefun says there is still a lot of work that needs to be done to change the mind-set of men.

“I think men are generally ignorant, they pretend to know but they don’t really know! They are aware that there is HIV out there, but they never internalise the fact that they have to do something about it themselves. We see millions of people dying out there, but what are you doing as a man?

You are contributing to the problem as men by not going to test, you need to know your status”, she says.

Moses Mabala says there is still hope that men can change. He says there needs to be a new culture of fathering young boys to make them become better men of the future.

” Fathers can contribute to the whole society in raising their boys or their sons in a manner that does not only mean sex is everything… but also learning how to respect a women and learning how to be a man because at the end of the day it is us men that force actions on women”, concludes Mabala.

Online at: http://allafrica.com/stories/201106201605.html

There’s a bridal shop opposite my office. Every morning on my way into work I can’t help but glance across at the display of beautiful white full-skirted gowns and long a little to one day wear one on my own wedding day.

I know many women who have married for love. The grand illusion that happily ever after begins with that white gown has been cemented into the consciousness of every young girl who has ever spent a happy childhood reading fairy tales or watching Walt Disney’s Cinderella, Snow White or the Little Mermaid.

Marriage in the 21st century is not what it used to be. Before feminism made a home in Africa and the advent of industrialisation, marriage could have been interpreted as acquiring labour. Traditionally it is women and children who worked the fields. The purpose of marriage therefore was to ensure the material security of a woman, and through her ability to bear children that of her family. The bonds formed during a marriage ceremony obligated her husband to contribute towards the welfare of his bride’s family. Women were and still are conditioned to view marriage through this lens, that of self-sacrifice to meet your obligations to support the survival or your family through production by yourself and the children you bear.

In an industrialised world children are no longer necessary for labour, in fact they have become a liability, and the ability to bear them in great numbers is no longer as prized. As our economies have evolved, so have our social structures. Marriage moved to being about financial protection as women could not work and earn enough to support a family. So still they were married for security as well as for their families to establish a connection with well to do families.

Now, sisters are doing it for themselves. Increasing numbers of women are delaying marriage and their first child in favour of leading an independent life. As for obligation and sacrifice, those were necessary to keep your husband and financial protector happy, if you make you own money and the world is civilised enough not to try and drag you into a cave every so often, you can do without them.

So where does that leave marriage?

In an article published in Newsday, June 20, 2011, the National Aids Council’s proposal to introduce condoms in schools to fight HIV/AIDS has triggered nationwide outrage and condemnation. Some people argue that school children should be taught to abstain from sex rather than having access to condoms as a way of combating the spread of HIV AIDS. Some people feel that this action by the National AIDS Council (NAC) will encourage children to indulge in sex at a tender age.

On June 5, 2011, The Sunday Mail published an article entitled “Boys in sex-for-favours with teachers” based on a survey which was conducted by the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare. In the report SAfAIDS also launched its program “Scaling up access to sexual and reproductive health and rights for adolescents and young people” in partnership the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, and Zimbabwean civic organisations like Women’s Action Group (Wag), Padare/Enkundleni, SayWhat and Patsime Trust.

This report by the Ministry clearly shows that our school children are now sexually active at a tender age especially in high schools. By denying school children access to condoms, isn’t it a fact that these children will be more exposed to HIV/AIDS? Should we support the NAC to go ahead and distribute condoms to our children at schools?