Living Zimbabwe

Tag: Mugabe

  • Chicken To Change – Mugabe Political Satire

    Freshlyground released a music video, “Chicken to Change” a few days ago which will probably attract a bit of attention. At the beginning of the video you see the latex Mugabe saying, “I Robert Gabriel Mugabe do swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Zimbabwe and observe the laws of Zimbabwe so help me God” and goes on to cross his fingers close to the end of the speech.

    With lyrics like, “An iridescent example of honour for the coming generation… You promised always to open the doors for us… Indeed it is you and only you who sleeps with the key… You are chicken to change!” it is plain to see that the video is a message or challenge to Mugabe to let go of the power he has held on to for decades. But, he is too chicken to do so.

    The latex Mugabe character is the creation of the well-known cartoonist and co-creator of ZA NEWS, Zapiro. This may mean we will be seeing more of Mugabe on ZA News.

    Given Zimbabwe’s political history is taking such a stand against Mugabe really worth the while or is it a waste of time?

    Watch the video and draw your own conclusions.

    ‘Chicken to Change’ Freshlyground / ZA NEWS music video from ZANEWS on Vimeo.

     

  • Happy That Bona Mugabe Was Raped?

    Over the weekend, reports surfaced that a Tracy Guvamombe was allegedly raped by two Tanzanian students in the South East Asian country where she attends university. The twist in this story is that Tracy is Bona Mugabe, the daughter of President Mugabe.

    Without going into the details (which you can read here), the thing that was a little disturbing was the fact that some people found it quite amusing that she went through the ordeal. Some of the comments scattered across the internet include:

    – Now she knows what it is like and what her father has been unleashing on innocent civilians its a pity she is not also made to dance on her parents grave singing mdc songs.
    – Have not heard such good news in a very long time. Nditumireiwo mvura, kwandiri kunopisa.
    – You see God is fair, those who rape other peoples children will also have their children raped. Too bad Bona, you were pretty.
    – let Mugabe and Grace taste their own medicine, girls were raped during his 2008 violent campaign, now zvaitikawo kwake, that is revenge from the all mighty.Cde the same bitterness you feel is exactly how we felt when our beloved ones were raped. Zvaiwana ngwarati
    (note: these are the comments expressed by various individuals across the internet)

    The few listed above are the more “tamer” ones. There are a few out there where the commenters did not hold back any feelings.  The questions at hand is whether or not those types of comments were warranted? Her father is who he is and he has done what he has done. That being said, should she be held accountable for her father’s actions? This is not to say that all the comments that people are making are ones of joy and celebration. Some individuals were unhappy that others were revelling in the fact that someone was raped.

    If Bona was in fact raped, this is a violation of her human rights. Should she not then be accorded the same kind of justice that other victims of this crime seek? Or, is this something that she does deserve because of who she is?

    Share your thoughts by leaving a comment.

  • 1980 – The Year of the People’s Power

    1980 – The Year of the People’s Power

    1980 – The Year of the People’s Power (Gore reMasimba eVanhu – Umnyaka Wamandla Abantu) is a publication that was put out in 1980. It is a New Year Message to the people of Zimbabwe by Comrade Robert Gabriel Mugabe, the President of the Zimbabwe African Union ZANU (PF).

    In it, he talks about the revolutionary triumphs and misfortunes that they face along the way. It also touches on the progress of certain objectives such as the ZANLA Forces Eleven Tasks, British colonisation, traitorous puppets working against the victorious Zimbabwean masses and other significant events in the liberation war (Chimurenga).

    Here is an excerpt of the first two paragraphs:
    Revolutionary and New Year greetings to all the struggling and victorious masses of Zimbabwe, Revolutionary and New year greetings to all our ZANU Members within and without the country, Revolutionary and New Year greetings to all our friends and allies outside Zimbabwe.

    I wish to address you, the revolutionary masses of Zimbabwe with mixed feelings of joy and sorrow: joy, because we are now on the dawn of victory when the enemy’s military machine has crumbled and the puppet regime it tried to prop has fallen; but sorrow, because the dawn of ZANU’s victory, the dawn of your victory, has become a dark moment for us all, for we have suffered the tragic loss of our Secretary for Defence, Comrade Josiah Magama Tongogara.

    The full 12 page publication is available in PDF format for US$0.50. To purchase the publication visit the Living Zimbabwe Store or by clicking on the Buy Now button below which will take you through to PayPal

     

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  • Politically Charged Graffiti In & Around Harare

    Driving around Harare, it is hard not to notice graffiti dotted all over the place. Most the graffiti is politically motivated and expresses people’s sentiments on the state of certain affairs in Zimbabwe. A lot of the graffiti points towards disdain for President R. G. Mugabe and Zanu PF and even towards the Chinese who are increasing in number in Zimbabwe.

    Sometimes it is really not that hard to see where people stand with political issues. When listening to political conversations/debates there will be those who 100% support the actions of the last few years and those who clearly have a deep seeded hatred for Mugabe and members of Zanu PF because of their actions, attitudes and stance on various issues. Those with that deep seeded hatred have said that no matter what steps are put in place to rectify situations, they still would not find it in their heart to forgive.

    If people were to step up to the plate and publicly acknowledge wrongdoings and ask for forgiveness, would you find it in your heart forgive?

    Below are only just a few examples of what people had to say:

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    Zanu PF Hate Graffiti in Harare

  • Tsvangirai Now Sleeping With the Devil

    Its official, Morgan Richard Tsvangirai is sleeping with the devil. February 11, 2009 was the day that he was officially sworn in as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe by his long time rival Robert Gabriel Mugabe. This event is supposed to pave the way for a unity government but is it really going to be a unity government? Mugabe and Tsvangirai are hard nuts to crack and both have different ideologies on the way the country should be run.

    The chance of Mugabe being a willing and co-operative partner in a unity government is something that one can only believe when it happens. As crazy as he is, he is a smart man who has managed to outwit his opponents and brainwash entire organisations such as SADC who seem to see no reason to remove him from power.
    He has a strong personal connection with Zimbabwe but his misdirected passion has resulted in an almost failed state. Regardless of all of that, he still declares Zimbabwe as being his. With that being his frame of thought, what are the chances of him really sharing power with MDC?

    Tsvangirai on the other hand, however unhappy he may have been with the way the whole agreement was to be played out still went ahead with it. With the way events have unfolded in the past few months it seems as if Morgan was forced into the agreement if he wanted to play any sort of meaningful role in Zimbabwean politics. He was given ultimatums by Mugabe and SADC that basically said take what you are being offered or have nothing at all. MDC is now part of the unity government and they have made many promises to the people of Zimbabwe. Now we all wait and see if they will live up to them.

    Click here to read the full text of The Inauguration Speech of the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, His Excellency, Morgan Tsvangirai

  • Why Mugabe Killed A Nation

    A short and interesting video with a brief history about how it all went wrong:

    Could we really have been better off if Joshua Nkomo had gotten his way?

  • Increasing Calls For Mugabe To Go!

    Rice, Bush, Tutu, Odinga, Brown and Sentamu are amongst the growing number of world figures speaking up against Mugabe and saying that it is time for him to step down. Whether or not the increasing number of calls for him to step down will have an effect is yet to be seen.

    As far as Mugabe is concerned, he has and is doing all he can to keep Zimbabwe alive. He is just going to continue blaming all of Zimbabwe’s problems on sanctions imposed by the West. Zimbabwe’s information minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu was quoted as having said the following to reporters earlier in the week:

    “I don’t have kind words for all heads of state who have made utterances against Zimbabwe, one by one and I hope this is the last time they open their dirty mouths on Zimbabwe”

    “After squeezing and strangling the country with sanctions and contaminating it with cholera and anthrax, the West is seeking to use the window of opportunity provided by the disaster to justify military intervention”

    With that being the case, what are the chances of Mugabe listening to ultimatums from the West?

  • Robert Gabriel Mugabe, It Is Time For You To Go!

    Mugabe, Please Help Us, We Are Hungry.

    Just the other day, these Zimbabwean women didn’t just hold up these placards for the fun of it. They held them up hoping that you would see them and actually have a heart to do what is right. They are suffering like most of the people in Zimbabwe. They are fast running out of options and are taking whatever steps they can to try and make sure that they and their families get the basics they need in order to survive.

    You signed the power sharing agreement with MDC more than a month ago and for many it brought a glimmer of hope that there was finally going to be a change for the better in Zimbabwe. To this day nothing fruitful has come of it and as you and the opposition continue to bicker over the power-sharing deal and once again get Mbeki in to mediate, the country continues on its downward spiral. Zimbabwe has collapsed and people who could once make ends meet are really struggling to survive. It’s not normal for a country to have an inflation rate in the hundreds of millions in this day in age. One where the currency is continually being revalued and new bank notes being put into circulation. Steps taken to try and revive the economy have not worked and I don’t think you or your government know what you are doing anymore.

    Talking about monetary issues gets me thinking about the large sums of much needed foreign currency that you and your cronies have spent on spoiling each other at home and on overseas trips. That money or even a portion of it could have gone towards improving or should I say getting a vital piece of infrastructure up and running again. How many people do you think would still be alive today if you had put a couple of hundreds of thousands of US dollars towards the health system? So many people have died preventable deaths and any amount of money would have helped prevent some of them. A human life is precious and taking steps to prevent ‘x’ amounts of deaths is commendable.

    You walk around smiling as if everything is okay and should be the way it should be and when you are given the chance to speak to an international audience you are very quick to point the finger at the Bush’s and the Blair’s of this world. Yes, George W. Bush and Tony Blair have made their fair share of errors but they are not related to the collapse of Zimbabwe. You pointing the finger at them and others around the world has done nothing to provide food, clean water or a functioning health infrastructure. Do you not see it for yourself as you are driven around in your luxurious Mercedes-Benz S600 Pullman?

    Right now I am angry at how you have taken Zimbabwe from being the breadbasket of Africa to where it is today. I am dumbfounded at how us Zimbabweans have managed to let it happen. You need to take a good look at yourself and ask yourself if all that you have done and achieved was in the best interests of the people. Was it all worth it? But, your madness may have taken you past the point of logically reasoning and you are unable to see any wrong doing in your deluded efforts over the years.

    My family, friends and the rest of Zimbabwe are suffering and taking extreme measures in order to survive. Living life day to day requires a bit of ingenuity and even ruthlessness towards other people. It doesn’t need to be like that, it shouldn’t be like that. Please do what is right. If you don’t know what that is, dig deep down into your Christian roots; you will find the answer there.

  • Video of Mugabe Being Booed and Heckled in Parliament

    The opening of parliament went ahead as planned on the 26th of this month but it was not as smooth as Mugabe may have hoped. Members of the Movement for Democratic Change took the opportunity to boo and heckle Mugabe as he was addressing parliament. During the speech Mugabe had an irritated and disbelieving look on his face but continued as if nothing was happening. At a dinner later in the day he told dignitaries that the MP’s behaviour was “barbaric and nonsensical”. Watch the video……………


    Mugabe jeered and heckled
    by CNN_International

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  • Mugabe Feeling The Pressure

    This week, African leaders meet in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt for an African Union (AU) summit. President Robert Mugabe made his way to Sharm el-Sheikh after his inauguration and it was clear that he did not want to hear any advice from other countries. He went there thinking that no-one would speak up about all that has taken place in Zimbabwe. This was not the case as some of the leaders at the summit took the opportunity to express their concerns about the situation in Zimbabwe. The AU commission chairman, Jean Ping was one of the first to raise his concerns about the violence and intimidation in Zimbabwe followed by Raila Odinga, the Kenyan Prime Minister who urged the AU to suspend Mugabe until he allowed free and fair elections and Ernest Koromo, the President of Sierra Leone commented that the people of Zimbabwe have been ‘denied their democratic rights.’ All the criticism would not have been easy for him to take especially with him being there at the time. This is something that is necessary and I applaud the people who have managed to speak up.

    It looks like African leaders have realized that doing nothing is not an option because Mugabe will do whatever it takes to stay in power which was evident from the June 27th election and his hasty Presidential inauguration on the 29th of June. There was nothing free and fair about that election. President Mugabe did not look too pleased at the summit after all the criticism he faced and by the looks of things he is beginning to feel the pressure. This may explain his outburst when he was approached by a journalist at the summit:

    A recent visitor to this blog, Hilary left a comment with a link to a petition to make world leaders recognize Mugabe’s crimes and speak out against him – Global Action for Zimbabwe – you can make a difference.