Time warp
I was catching up on some reading the other day, looking at a Guardian newspaper from August. At first I thought, what’s the point? This will be news I’ve already read in other places. To compensate, I started from the back with book reviews and culture-related articles since those are not so time sensitive. It didn’t take long for me to become engrossed.
As I worked toward the front of the newspaper, the old news ended up interesting. I got to an article titled Impasse for Zimbabwe. The article was full of words like negotiations, suspended, no closer to resolution, sticking points, concessions, refuses to cede, cling to power. I read the article twice. The analysis was excellent. Made me really think about the power-sharing deal signed on September 15. How it was all a big to do for nothing. That ZANU-PF never had one iota of intention to honor what they signed off on.
Wait a second. How is this journalist writing about the September 15 power-sharing deal in August? I must have read the date on the cover wrong, I thought. This must be a current Guardian I’m reading. I checked and double-checked. Stared at the cover, which said August 15-22, 2008. It must have been my peaceful, have faith nature that was tripping me up. I was really, genuinely, truly confused, felt like I was in some sort of time warp. As if the Guardian is actually a science fiction publication with writers who analyze the future before it’s the present. Maybe these futuristic journalists also drive cool bubble-shaped rocket cars. And have digital tape recording devices in their brains.
But no. Sadly, I was in a different kind of time warp. The continuous and painful repetition of denying Zimbabweans a democratically elected government. What was going down pre power-sharing deal is exactly the same as what’s going down post power-sharing deal. In fact, so entirely word-for-word the same, makes me wonder if there are journalists who just cut and paste their material.