Kudzai on Colonisation, Refugees and Empowerment
Welcome ladies and gentlemen to my first rant of this year... The Year of our Lord 2011 (have no idea on what the term of phrase means but I am so not even bothered to look it up – so sue me)! So sorry I have been very quiet... been very busy and stressed and this is just one way to ease some tension and also update my very dead and late presence on the internet... I mean didn’t anyone miss me!!
To start off, and still off topic, I would like to define the word “bloody” for the benefit of those of my readers who believe the word to be taboo (for those of you who did not know, I no longer swear as much as I used to... YAY FOR ME). According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word “bloody” is an informal adjective (chiefly used in Britain... where I was a good 3 years) to express anger or shock, or for emphasis. Although widely believed to be a blasphemous reference to the blood of God or Christ, as in the archaic oath, the informal use of bloody was probably, in the first place, simply a reference to young bloods (that is “young aristocrats”, or children of “good blood”), who behaved in a rowdy manner. In the 17th century, the phrase bloody drunk meant “drunk as a blood” or “drunk as a lord”. With this, hope it is now okay for me to use and colour up my language... don’t you agree Mum?!
So here is the story, colonialism is the hot topic in Africa, especially in Zimbabwe where we are fighting neo-colonialism (having political independence but no economic or total independence). There have been many comments passed and made on the country’s new empowerment drive which many have mixed feelings about. Please note, I am in no way qualified to comment on this and be taken seriously and thus the following is my personal opinion and should not be taken as the template feeling of all Zimbabweans... I am so for it! It is about time we become empowered by means of having the power to control our resources. It is however interesting to note the timing but then again... well, it should be duly welcomed (wow my positivity is glorious here isn’t it). I mean how convenient that we are possibly some months away from elections and this is now an issue after over 30 glorious years since attaining independence... oh but then how could I ask that, getting farms was more important right?!!
Moving to another country where they have had a long standing empowerment drive, South Africa. I mean who could deny the fact that South Africa should be taken as a template for all developing African nations on how to do things. I mean look at the whole technology thing happening over there with the World’s largest telescope possibly going to be built there... I mean it will cost US$2 million to make and over US$200 million to maintain per year (I mean the math is so unbelievable even I am wondering if this is feasible) but I guess the South Africans know what they are doing right?
The empowerment drive in South Africa has been such as success but one can’t help to notice some silent and ignored voices in the country over receiving these benefits and stuff... But I mean there is a good reason why these voices are ignored right... I mean South Africa is a democracy and the media is free, open and fair and besides, Julius Malema does a brilliant job of voicing that the people now want farms and so as empowerment goes, that should be the focus (though our friend Julius is “rrrreally” empowered hey)!! As far as controlling resources is concerned, that is an issue and a lot of foreign owned companies have been bowing to the pressure of carefully drafted and planned legislation... I mean they are doing it so so easily! I mean giving away 10 to 20 percent of the company to black people is like as easy as going to get a haircut (I mean if you are a guy who’s not me right)... too easy that I cannot help smell a rat!!!
Bouncing from one topic to another (will come back just now...); I skipped the topic of refugees. Right there is really no right way of saying this but someone has to say it... IT’S ABOUT BLOODY DAMN TIME ZIMBABWEANS IN THE DIASPORA CAME HOME!!! Okay... I apologise, I did not mean it that way, I mean we have had plenty of people leave the country in search of greener pastures, academic opportunities, employment and well, it is common knowledge that things were going bad the past decades, especially with the sanctions and all. I mean, those who went through it all put up a bloody good fight... especially 2008!! I completely stand by those brave Zimbabweans who were mad enough to be around – and those who did not have a choice... I mean the Zimbabwe we have right now is a result of their hard work and well some political compromises and back door arm twisting which I am completely not qualified to talk about!
The sad thing to all this though is that many Zimbabweans who left for the sole reason of the economic meltdown of the country have become very very comfortable out there and have decided to stay... longer... perhaps indefinitely... nah, maybe indefinitely... no who am I bloody kidding, some are copulating there (bloody “bloods”, half-bloods and all)!! I mean I can understand those people who are being persecuted for real... I mean politically, with the scars to prove it and a history with a clear paper trail. What I can’t understand are people who went for other reasons and when they asked for permission to stay longer were denied and hence their money-hungry, conniving, scheming bloody lawyers turned them to cry wolf... “HELP ME I AM A POLITICAL REFUGEE”!!
Speaking of refugees, it’s never a wonderful thing to be one, let alone putting yourself up to endure such a status which comes with penalties ranging from ill-treatment, abuse, denial of basic human rights going right down to plain primitive slavery. Right this may not seem the case for Zimbabweans having sought asylum in countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States... I mean Zimbabweans are a very hardworking bunch and should hence be admired for being able to handle long hours, low pay and the leaching of their ideas to benefit the western world. As for me, I couldn’t handle that or begin to fathom that (hence you see me here in Zim)...
Still on refugees, I saw a documentary on ZBC (yes I know it is amazing that I watch it... I surprise myself being a statistic) on refugees travelling from as far as Somalia, Sudan and Ethiopia to come to Zimbabwe and South Africa (mostly the latter but some have come to stay longer or return to Zimbabwe, not cause it is better than South Africa but ever heard of Xenophobia). As it turns out anyway, the crisis, famines and wars in some countries in Africa make it worth the loss in money, property, assets and wellbeing to travel all the way to South Africa for a better life. Women are getting raped daily during these travels as refugees travel in groups but all for personal reasons in a fashion of every man for himself just for a better life. Mostly youth actually, who have suffered from seeing their whole families, mothers and fathers killed in front of them, the abuse of oppressive regimes and dictatorships that no one can imagine and the things that greedy men would do to get what they want (I mean, if you think Zimbabwe is bad, you are surely blind). Some come from homes with almost nothing, some even without a penny to their name but just the clothes that are dangling from the skin, bones and loose clumps of flesh they call bodies. They come in droves, after having crossed the crocodile infested waters of Lake Tanganyika, their homes having been burnt to the ground, their families murdered in front of them... they are packed into boats from Mombasa in Kenya, like sardines (sort of reminds me of slave ships in the 18th Century) and for seven days they are tossed and turned in the Indian Ocean till they arrive in Mozambique where they do not receive not so much as a welcome as the locals can’t handle such levels of poverty which will make the poorest of the ex-Portuguese colony like a king, but one none-the-wiser as they had been exploited for so long they know not how to exploit (hmmm... note to self, potential opportunities in the country lying to the East of Zim). When they get to Zimbabwe, via the Nyamapanda border post, they travel by foot to Harare with nothing except food which the kind-hearted Zimbabweans donate to them. This becomes their home and by this time, over 50 to 60 something percent have died from malaria, crocodile attacks, starvation, sexual diseases or curable bacterial infections.
Finally, their journey will end at Tongogara Refugee Camp near the capital or some will proceed to South Africa (that is if their bodies are not lying dead somewhere between Nyamapanda and Uzumba-Maramba-Pfungwe (always wanted to write that... bet many of you can’t say that in one breath... or at least not correctly your first go). Anyway, the point is, um... wow, I forgot the whole bloody point of this exercise.
Going back to South Africa, were many of these young refugees go to seek work to rebuild their livelihoods, many are then faced with more hardships in the roads that follow. Xenophobia is a growing problem in South Africa especially since the incoming flow of refugees from all over Africa is beginning to put a strain on what is considered by many Africans as the flagship developing country in Africa. With the South Africans facing this problem (which conveniently is forgotten or ignored by the developed nations) there are other problems they are facing as well.
The rant starts here... now there is no easy way of saying this (or typing this), but as far as South Africa is concerned, they have political independence but as far as total independence is concerned, they do not! The best thing that has ever happened to Zimbabwe was the government’s education drive which started from independence in 1980 which resulted in the country having Africa’s highest literacy rate. In contrast to our neighbours in the South, the best thing that happened to them after independence (or after Apartheid which to some sadly is not SA’s real independence) is Nelson Mandela. Though I can’t help not to love Madiba like the next African dude, but as far as making peace among the races and transforming the country in the rainbow nation, with loads of incoming investment and advances in technology etc (you know where this will end up, think Tiger economies but in Africa), not much has been done for the common South African.
As I rant, about 50%, if not more of the SA adult population is unemployed. The SA economy, although growing yearly suffered from the global economic recession (as did most of the western world), the worst economic downturn of the country since 1992. In fact, looking at the black empowerment drive that has been applauded by all, from the common South African to those big wigs in the UN, it has done all but really benefitted the common South African... in fact, the ultimate paradox is the enrichment of Zimbabweans in South Africa. Yes... some people as they began reading may have seen where this was going and were like, “Dude, don’t go there”... well, I’m there!!!
We in Zimbabwe are all over the fact that our birthright, the land has been distributed now but our resources are still recklessly being plundered by outsiders yet we are the ones benefitting from the black empowerment drive in South Africa. Now to poke the wound a little, about 70 to 75% of the people benefitting from the black empowerment drive in SA are Zimbabwean, and about 75% of the remainder, who are not ANC loyalists that is, are either Indian or mixed race (kind of reminds me of the Chinese dude who was going, “Stop being racist, I am brack”). It seems as long as you are not white, you are black... not only in South Africa, but in Zimbabwe too... recently, the government is going to start giving land or resource/black empowerment opportunities to minorities, thanks to the ZANU-PF meets Minorities meeting held some weeks ago!!
In conclusion, it is basically clear where this is going...
I mean other than bring independence, unite the South African people and lead the ANC in its first years in government, Madiba didn’t do much, as compared to our first government. I mean if these were the eighties, elections round the corner, Mugabe will have my vote (but situation is rather different now). Either way, a strong economy sometimes just spells, “Hey look at us, we are a model of what everyone else thinks we are and we are just letting ourselves be used and walked over till we are finished... ” –think MC Hammer, Michael Jackson, Michael J. Fox, Brittney Spears and a whole load of other celebrities!!
Another addition, my mum has become the first person to read this and says I should start a column... Oh and by they way, this is a collective of tweets and extensions of them but the above should not be taken as a direct attack to anyone, living or dead or currently a friend on Facebook. Anyone feeling this was rather harsh, the writer offers his sincere apologies. Any other issues originating from this, sue me!!!
To start off, and still off topic, I would like to define the word “bloody” for the benefit of those of my readers who believe the word to be taboo (for those of you who did not know, I no longer swear as much as I used to... YAY FOR ME). According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word “bloody” is an informal adjective (chiefly used in Britain... where I was a good 3 years) to express anger or shock, or for emphasis. Although widely believed to be a blasphemous reference to the blood of God or Christ, as in the archaic oath, the informal use of bloody was probably, in the first place, simply a reference to young bloods (that is “young aristocrats”, or children of “good blood”), who behaved in a rowdy manner. In the 17th century, the phrase bloody drunk meant “drunk as a blood” or “drunk as a lord”. With this, hope it is now okay for me to use and colour up my language... don’t you agree Mum?!
So here is the story, colonialism is the hot topic in Africa, especially in Zimbabwe where we are fighting neo-colonialism (having political independence but no economic or total independence). There have been many comments passed and made on the country’s new empowerment drive which many have mixed feelings about. Please note, I am in no way qualified to comment on this and be taken seriously and thus the following is my personal opinion and should not be taken as the template feeling of all Zimbabweans... I am so for it! It is about time we become empowered by means of having the power to control our resources. It is however interesting to note the timing but then again... well, it should be duly welcomed (wow my positivity is glorious here isn’t it). I mean how convenient that we are possibly some months away from elections and this is now an issue after over 30 glorious years since attaining independence... oh but then how could I ask that, getting farms was more important right?!!
Moving to another country where they have had a long standing empowerment drive, South Africa. I mean who could deny the fact that South Africa should be taken as a template for all developing African nations on how to do things. I mean look at the whole technology thing happening over there with the World’s largest telescope possibly going to be built there... I mean it will cost US$2 million to make and over US$200 million to maintain per year (I mean the math is so unbelievable even I am wondering if this is feasible) but I guess the South Africans know what they are doing right?
The empowerment drive in South Africa has been such as success but one can’t help to notice some silent and ignored voices in the country over receiving these benefits and stuff... But I mean there is a good reason why these voices are ignored right... I mean South Africa is a democracy and the media is free, open and fair and besides, Julius Malema does a brilliant job of voicing that the people now want farms and so as empowerment goes, that should be the focus (though our friend Julius is “rrrreally” empowered hey)!! As far as controlling resources is concerned, that is an issue and a lot of foreign owned companies have been bowing to the pressure of carefully drafted and planned legislation... I mean they are doing it so so easily! I mean giving away 10 to 20 percent of the company to black people is like as easy as going to get a haircut (I mean if you are a guy who’s not me right)... too easy that I cannot help smell a rat!!!
Bouncing from one topic to another (will come back just now...); I skipped the topic of refugees. Right there is really no right way of saying this but someone has to say it... IT’S ABOUT BLOODY DAMN TIME ZIMBABWEANS IN THE DIASPORA CAME HOME!!! Okay... I apologise, I did not mean it that way, I mean we have had plenty of people leave the country in search of greener pastures, academic opportunities, employment and well, it is common knowledge that things were going bad the past decades, especially with the sanctions and all. I mean, those who went through it all put up a bloody good fight... especially 2008!! I completely stand by those brave Zimbabweans who were mad enough to be around – and those who did not have a choice... I mean the Zimbabwe we have right now is a result of their hard work and well some political compromises and back door arm twisting which I am completely not qualified to talk about!
The sad thing to all this though is that many Zimbabweans who left for the sole reason of the economic meltdown of the country have become very very comfortable out there and have decided to stay... longer... perhaps indefinitely... nah, maybe indefinitely... no who am I bloody kidding, some are copulating there (bloody “bloods”, half-bloods and all)!! I mean I can understand those people who are being persecuted for real... I mean politically, with the scars to prove it and a history with a clear paper trail. What I can’t understand are people who went for other reasons and when they asked for permission to stay longer were denied and hence their money-hungry, conniving, scheming bloody lawyers turned them to cry wolf... “HELP ME I AM A POLITICAL REFUGEE”!!
Speaking of refugees, it’s never a wonderful thing to be one, let alone putting yourself up to endure such a status which comes with penalties ranging from ill-treatment, abuse, denial of basic human rights going right down to plain primitive slavery. Right this may not seem the case for Zimbabweans having sought asylum in countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States... I mean Zimbabweans are a very hardworking bunch and should hence be admired for being able to handle long hours, low pay and the leaching of their ideas to benefit the western world. As for me, I couldn’t handle that or begin to fathom that (hence you see me here in Zim)...
Still on refugees, I saw a documentary on ZBC (yes I know it is amazing that I watch it... I surprise myself being a statistic) on refugees travelling from as far as Somalia, Sudan and Ethiopia to come to Zimbabwe and South Africa (mostly the latter but some have come to stay longer or return to Zimbabwe, not cause it is better than South Africa but ever heard of Xenophobia). As it turns out anyway, the crisis, famines and wars in some countries in Africa make it worth the loss in money, property, assets and wellbeing to travel all the way to South Africa for a better life. Women are getting raped daily during these travels as refugees travel in groups but all for personal reasons in a fashion of every man for himself just for a better life. Mostly youth actually, who have suffered from seeing their whole families, mothers and fathers killed in front of them, the abuse of oppressive regimes and dictatorships that no one can imagine and the things that greedy men would do to get what they want (I mean, if you think Zimbabwe is bad, you are surely blind). Some come from homes with almost nothing, some even without a penny to their name but just the clothes that are dangling from the skin, bones and loose clumps of flesh they call bodies. They come in droves, after having crossed the crocodile infested waters of Lake Tanganyika, their homes having been burnt to the ground, their families murdered in front of them... they are packed into boats from Mombasa in Kenya, like sardines (sort of reminds me of slave ships in the 18th Century) and for seven days they are tossed and turned in the Indian Ocean till they arrive in Mozambique where they do not receive not so much as a welcome as the locals can’t handle such levels of poverty which will make the poorest of the ex-Portuguese colony like a king, but one none-the-wiser as they had been exploited for so long they know not how to exploit (hmmm... note to self, potential opportunities in the country lying to the East of Zim). When they get to Zimbabwe, via the Nyamapanda border post, they travel by foot to Harare with nothing except food which the kind-hearted Zimbabweans donate to them. This becomes their home and by this time, over 50 to 60 something percent have died from malaria, crocodile attacks, starvation, sexual diseases or curable bacterial infections.
Finally, their journey will end at Tongogara Refugee Camp near the capital or some will proceed to South Africa (that is if their bodies are not lying dead somewhere between Nyamapanda and Uzumba-Maramba-Pfungwe (always wanted to write that... bet many of you can’t say that in one breath... or at least not correctly your first go). Anyway, the point is, um... wow, I forgot the whole bloody point of this exercise.
Going back to South Africa, were many of these young refugees go to seek work to rebuild their livelihoods, many are then faced with more hardships in the roads that follow. Xenophobia is a growing problem in South Africa especially since the incoming flow of refugees from all over Africa is beginning to put a strain on what is considered by many Africans as the flagship developing country in Africa. With the South Africans facing this problem (which conveniently is forgotten or ignored by the developed nations) there are other problems they are facing as well.
The rant starts here... now there is no easy way of saying this (or typing this), but as far as South Africa is concerned, they have political independence but as far as total independence is concerned, they do not! The best thing that has ever happened to Zimbabwe was the government’s education drive which started from independence in 1980 which resulted in the country having Africa’s highest literacy rate. In contrast to our neighbours in the South, the best thing that happened to them after independence (or after Apartheid which to some sadly is not SA’s real independence) is Nelson Mandela. Though I can’t help not to love Madiba like the next African dude, but as far as making peace among the races and transforming the country in the rainbow nation, with loads of incoming investment and advances in technology etc (you know where this will end up, think Tiger economies but in Africa), not much has been done for the common South African.
As I rant, about 50%, if not more of the SA adult population is unemployed. The SA economy, although growing yearly suffered from the global economic recession (as did most of the western world), the worst economic downturn of the country since 1992. In fact, looking at the black empowerment drive that has been applauded by all, from the common South African to those big wigs in the UN, it has done all but really benefitted the common South African... in fact, the ultimate paradox is the enrichment of Zimbabweans in South Africa. Yes... some people as they began reading may have seen where this was going and were like, “Dude, don’t go there”... well, I’m there!!!
We in Zimbabwe are all over the fact that our birthright, the land has been distributed now but our resources are still recklessly being plundered by outsiders yet we are the ones benefitting from the black empowerment drive in South Africa. Now to poke the wound a little, about 70 to 75% of the people benefitting from the black empowerment drive in SA are Zimbabwean, and about 75% of the remainder, who are not ANC loyalists that is, are either Indian or mixed race (kind of reminds me of the Chinese dude who was going, “Stop being racist, I am brack”). It seems as long as you are not white, you are black... not only in South Africa, but in Zimbabwe too... recently, the government is going to start giving land or resource/black empowerment opportunities to minorities, thanks to the ZANU-PF meets Minorities meeting held some weeks ago!!
In conclusion, it is basically clear where this is going...
- Education is the key to success,
- It’s never fun being a refugee,
- Everything will be classed as black or white eventually,
- The grass is not greener in the Diaspora, unless you are an educated focussed Zimbabwean living in SA wanting to take advantage of the black empowerment programs, initiatives etc and.... Last but not least, the coup de grace
- South African’s are bloody stupid!!
I mean other than bring independence, unite the South African people and lead the ANC in its first years in government, Madiba didn’t do much, as compared to our first government. I mean if these were the eighties, elections round the corner, Mugabe will have my vote (but situation is rather different now). Either way, a strong economy sometimes just spells, “Hey look at us, we are a model of what everyone else thinks we are and we are just letting ourselves be used and walked over till we are finished... ” –think MC Hammer, Michael Jackson, Michael J. Fox, Brittney Spears and a whole load of other celebrities!!
Another addition, my mum has become the first person to read this and says I should start a column... Oh and by they way, this is a collective of tweets and extensions of them but the above should not be taken as a direct attack to anyone, living or dead or currently a friend on Facebook. Anyone feeling this was rather harsh, the writer offers his sincere apologies. Any other issues originating from this, sue me!!!
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