Zimbabwe’s current challenges inspired one Kubatana subscriber, Sophia, to write a poem in Shona.

In it, she asks the police and soldiers why they act as if they and the people are on opposing sides – Why? When all of us struggle to survive, and need to work together to see our country prosper.

The piece is based on based on a poem by the Cuban poet Nicolas Guillen and is reminiscent of W.H. Auden:

hunger allows no choice
to the citizen or the police;
we must love one another or die.

Sei?

Ini ndinoshaya kuti sei
Iwe mupurisa uchifunga kuti
Ini ndakakuvenga
Tose takafanana
Iwe, ini

Iwe unoshupika, neniwo
Ini handitongi, newewo
Zvino wakaivanepi nhai?
Iyo pfungwa musoja
Yekuti ini ndakakuvenga

Zvinondirwadza zvikuru
Kuti dzimwenguva unokanganwa kuti
Ini ndingori mhunhu anenge iwe
Anorarama asina masimba
Hauoni here? Ini ndiri iwe
Sezvezviri kuti iwe uri ini

Ichochi hachisi chikonzero
Chekuti ndingakuvenge
Tose takafanana Ini, Iwe
Seiko nhai Seiko uchifunga musoja
Kuti ini ndingavenge Iwe

Tichafamba tose
Iwe neni, munzira imwechete
Tichidzinga nhamo
Ini newe
Pasina ruvengo
Pakati pangu, pakati pako
Tichiziva Iwe neni
Kukosha kwekugarisana

Tichashanda tose
Iwe neni, munyika yedu
Tichibatsirana mazuva ose
Kusvika tabudirira
Tichiziva kwatirikuenda
Iwe neni

Sei uchifunga nhai mupurisa
Kuti ini ndingakuvenge?

We recently asked Kubatana’s SMS subscribers:

With the MDC pulling out of Friday’s vote can you suggest an alternative activity that builds hope and confidence? Let’s take back our future.

The hundreds of text messages we received in response were rich and widely varied, but fell within several main themes. Most of these were predictable – about 15% advocated for prayer, and another 15% for mass demonstrations. Another quarter hoped for intervention by SADC or the AU, and a quarter for negotiations and a transitional government.

But there was also the striking presence of a solid 15% or so advocating for an armed struggle and saying that Zimbabweans should fight back against the dictator on his own terms. While, from time to time, we get the occasional subscriber making this suggestion, in today’s responses this has a much higher prevalence.

Below is a small selection of people’s suggestions:

Prayer

• A nation that stands united in PRAYER on friday
• The only activity that can bring hope & confidence is PRAYER & never 2 lose heart coz GOD IS IN CONTROL not Mbuya Nehanda. Zimbabwe is about to rise. (Rom: 8-28)
• 1st Prayer. 2nd int’l community must help us. GOD wil judge Mgabe harshly
• Lets start with prayer of thanksgiving. As africans tinoombera tisati tagashira. So lets thank God for deliverance
• The only hope is God interving through prayer sessions nd mass education to the Pple wht politics means nd how best to choose a leader
• We must pray to God

Civil Disobedience

• Massive stay aways mo international pressure eg their children in foreign schs 2b sent bek home
• Shld do mass mobilisation against e regime
• We should go into the streets! Everywhere there should be a campaign of Mugabe must go!!
• Lets all disobey mugabe to the very end. He must retire with world record stress levels
• Let Mugabe declare one man state. There’s no democracy in this country. We have to unite & demonstrate against this tyrant. This is not his kitchen. He has to go
• Well first and foremost if what i hear is correct that Zanu intends to proceed lets boycott these sham of an elections and build morale and confidence
• One way i think is to start by completely boycotting the herald and chronicle and manica post. no shld buy or advertise in those zanu propaganda and brain-washing material
• GNU is out ö è qn. It’s betrayal ö those that lost their lives ä props in è struglge. also zanu has neva bn sincere. mass mobilisation 4 civil disobedience is one option

International Intervention

• The UN AU & SADC should agree to bring peace keepers and have run-off in August
• We need UN, AU and SADC 2 take do same election within a month
• On that day we all send email/sms messages to ff: UN/ SADC/EU/US govt/UK govt to insist they take decisive action NOW! Stuff MBEKI:-@
• The MDC shld gather as much evidence as possible abt grave cases of ZANU violence & present it to the SADC AU & UN & lobby for the ostracization of the dictator from all international issues. MDC can use fliers to communicate with the masses
• The way 4ward is 4 mdc 2 pressure SADC into 4cing mugabe 2 implement guidelines in election conduct
• The aspirations of MDC will remain intact To continue to lobby the UN until they force the regime to deploy peace keepers and to make AU see sense in our situation and come to condemn their friend Any election in future to be supervised by UN not ZEC
• I cant suggest war. Marching has failed so i think the inter community can assist even to push for stiffer sanctions a way that does not call for bloodshed

Armed Struggle

• Removing a military government requires a military rebellion. These guys claim they got into power through blood so lets remove them through blood
• We need an armed struggle to claim back our birth right
• My immediate reaction is to organise all opposition forces and get armed to liberate ourselves. It appears PF can only understand the language of the barrel
• MDC should buy their own weapons. WAR is the last solution. The gvt is taking advantage of fact that pple are afraid of MUGABE
• I rather opt 4 a war(to liberate ourselves)

Negotiation, Dialogue, Transition or a Government of National Unity

• A caretaker gvt that will level the electoral field & build pple’s confidence in the whole system
• Lets go back 2 dialogue 4 a trans gvt nd new election
• Install a transitional gvt that allows the nation to rehabilitate to repair to heal to restore justice and to hold free and fair elections within a year
• G.N.U similar to the Kenyan style. A new but more influential post shld be created for Morgan. f not then a push to the UN to address current challenges
• 1st step:MDC shld join hand in glove with NCA in support of new constitution since rule of law is tantamount & military junta is in control of this State. 2nd step:MDC MPs shld elect either Mr Tsvangirai/George Sibotshiwe as speaker of Parliament who shld be the leader of an inclusive govt with Francis Nhema deputy
• They should focus on the GNU and amendment of the constitution for elections to be held in two years time
• The alternative is to bring all progressive groups to negotiating table to try to negotiate a government which includes all
• I think a GNU between the two parties can lessen our burden or defer the poll to a later date and allow MDC to campaign in a peaceful environment

In addition, we received several suggestions for creative non-violent acts of defiance, such as:

• Fill up pot-holes, rehabilitate children’s play grounds, parks and grow lawns and flowers at homes.
• Lets all wear black on friday as a sign of saying no to violence and run off
• To give hope 2 è citizenry i suggest è people’s party comes up with a fund 2 assist è victims of è terror campaign thru medical bills, building destroyed houses etc
• Lets list and make public all companies that are backing Mugabe to boycott them eg Imago Y&R Western Union & other MTAs. Mugabe will be history shortly
• I suggest that all those voting on friday do a spoilt paper – this another way of showing MUGABE not wanted
• Passive resistance. Not buying Herald for example. Wearing black on Friday to show that we are mourning. Mass prayer
• Lets boycott gono’s blood money
• Theatre. Its e strong room of ideas hopes &dreams. Staging open air performances. Taking a stance will ignite hope. Getting Theatre 4 Dvlpment up &running
• First up we’ve all got to get rid of this whole victim mentality & get on with the business of masterin our destiny & claiming our rights

Read/sing to the tune of Bob Marley’s ‘I shot the Sheriff’

I won the Presidency
But I didn’t say I beat the President, oh no oh!
I won the Presidency
But I didn’t say I beat the President ooh o-ooh o-ooh!

Yeah! all around in Zimbabwe,
They’re trying to track me down;
They say they want to bring me in guilty
For winning the Presidency,
For the office of the Presidency,
But I say:

Oh, no, no. oh!
(I won the Presidency.) – the Presidency.
(but I swear the people chose me.)
Oh, no! (ooh, ooh, oo-oh) yeah!
I say: I won the Presidency – oh, lord! -
(and they say it is a capital offence.)
Yeah! (ooh, ooh, oo-oh) yeah!

Chef Bob always hated me,
For what, I don’t know:
Every time I plant a seed,
He said kill it before it grow -
He said kill them before they grow.
And so:

Read it in the news one day:
(I won the Presidency) oh, lord!
(but I swear the people chose me.)
Who said I beat the President? (oo-oo-oh)
I say: I won the Presidency,
But I swear the people chose me (oo-oh) yeah!

Freedom came my way one day
And I started out of town, yeah!
All of a sudden, I saw Chef Bob
Trying to cheat me,
So I declared – I declared – I declared that I had won and I say:
If I am guilty I will pay!

(I won the Presidency,)
But I say (but I didn’t beat the President),
I didn’t beat no President (oh, no-oh), oh no!
(I won the Presidency.) I did!
But I didn’t beat no President. oh! (oo-oo-ooh)

Justice had got the better of me
And what is to be must be:
Every day the bucket a-go a well,
One day the bottom a-go drop out,
One day the bottom a-go drop out.
I say:

I – I – I – I won the Presidency.
Lord, I didn’t beat the President, yeah!
I – I (won the Presidency) -
But I didn’t beat no President, yeah! no, yeah!

* Tribute to Tendai Biti, Eric Matinenga and all political detainees in Zimbabwe. Adapted by Alex T. Magaisa – for the known and unknown victims of political repression in Zimbabwe – wamagaisa [at] yahoo [dot] co [dot] uk

Yesterday, The MDC announced that it is withdrawing from Friday’s presidential run off election, citing state-sponsored violence and a subversion of the electoral process.

We asked our subscribers to text and email us their thoughts on this announcement. The responses in favour of the withdrawal dramatically outweighed those who opposed the decision – by a factor of about 4:1. Those in favour of the withdrawal mainly hoped that this would ease the violence prevailing in Zimbabwe. Those opposed saw the withdrawal as a betrayal of the MDC’s promise of change.

We share some of these responses below:

Supporting withdrawal

Bold decision. Who was going to cast a secret vote when all people are listed in a book & given numbers to check who you voted for?

—–

From a naive point of view it might seem as if its an ill advised move however if you go beyond the obvious Tsvangirai has once again showed the world what being a true leader is thus the decision was very calculating and that’s what Zimbabwe needs.

—–

I do believe that under the current circumstances this was the right choice. The loss of life cannot in anyway justify an election that has been fraught with problems from day one.

—–

Its necessary for him to pull out of the run-off becoz pple have killed and many have lost their homes.

—–

MDC Pull out in the face of violence saves lives. But what’s our plan B 2avoid political irrelevance & redundancy?

—–

Positive move coz contesting will legitimize a fraudulent election and saves pple here in Chiweshe where we witnessed a gruesome attack yesterday where a whole family was killed.

—–

Good idea. Leave those greedy for power rule. Their selfishness will soon be exposed. Innocent blood has been shed. Let it be.

—–

I really think it’s in order it’s certainly better than engaging in an exercise whose sole reason is to legitimise a despotic ruler.

Opposed to withdrawal

When dozens of Zimbabweans died in Chimio Mugabe did not stop the struggle or pull out he even offered more grit despite the deaths. Now with less than 100 pple dead Tsvangirai is pulling out of a historic election it is a betrayal to the 70+ pple that have died 4 a new beginning.

—–

As a fellow citizen I definitely condemn such a move as l believe this is a betrayal of the people’s revolution.

—–

He shld have nt withdrawn he would have betrayed the people who died got beaten displaced for him. In any struggle there are causalities.

—–

If he pulls out we r dead. The violence we r facing is more than we can take.

—–

No he must not pull out as it gives us a chance to show our views becoz we have been beaten others killed that we be for nothing.

—–

Tsvangirai must participate in the run-off his position to pull out is a cowardly act and a betrayal to all those killed and assaulted in the name of change.

—–

Our pres Tsvangirai has let e pple down & he throws away e hopes 4 a betta zim after so many deaths from our fellow MDC Supporters. He must b a man a stand e fight.

—–

Morgan should not withdraw from the elections. If he does so, he will have betrayed the movement and he will have betrayed us, as his supporters. What Morgan should understand is that there is no easy road to democracy. He has experienced that through these years after being tormented, beaten and persecuted by the Mugabe regime. The killings, intimidations and beatings currently taking place should not make Morgan to reverse his participation decision. This is a sign that ZANU PF’s rule is about to come to an end. The God of the moment is about to deliver us from the rule of ZANU PF. The example is provided for in the bible. Not all of the children of israel reached Cannan. Same applies to our situation. Not all of us will reach the New Zimbabwe. Some of us will die on the way, the other ones will reach hospitalised, whilst others will get into the new Zimbabwe with bruises. This situation should not dishearten Morgan. We are with him. We will not let him down and God is with him. This is a do or die situation and he can not give up at the last minute.

I took myself to a café this morning for some quiet Sunday reading – the Human Rights Watch report on state-sponsored violence since Zimbabwe’s 29 March elections.

Its title is derived from a chilling comment made by soldiers addressing villagers in Karoi: “You have seen the bullets. We have enough for each one of you, so beware if you vote for MDC in the presidential runoff election.”

The report uses personal testimonies to tell the stories of post election violence. It illustrates how blatantly the very name of Operation Makavhoterapapi (How did you vote) violates the notion of being free to vote for the candidate of your choice, according to your conscience. How can my vote be my secret if the government then launches a campaign to punish me because of how I voted?

Human Rights Watch describes how the violence has followed polling station returns – in places where a polling station showed many votes for the MDC, the violence has been worse. And HRW paints a vivid picture of the mindset that views being an MDC activist, or listening to Studio 7 VOA, or being friends with an MDC supporter, as a criminal activity, deserving of punishment.

But the report does not really examine why things have gotten that way. It doesn’t ask what makes someone so angry they would beat someone else with a log. It doesn’t examine what the “youths” who do the beating are told that make them willing to be so brutal. And it doesn’t examine why their higher-ups tell them those things in the first place. To me, these are the real questions.

For the higher-ups, clearly, the answer lies in what they have to lose, and what they risk being held accountable for should they lose the protection of their position. But

I came across a Harriet Tubman quotation the other day which resonated with me: “If I could have convinced more slaves that they were slaves, I could have freed thousands more.” Maybe it sounds presumptuous. But I think there’s a lot of truth in that. Right now, Zanu PF is effectively convincing people that the causes of unemployment, inflation and the country’s collapse rest with the MDC, the British, the imperialists and the colonisers. In the absence of accessible information which counters this, some people accept this explanation, and then act accordingly.

Regardless of whether Friday’s election happens, and how it turns out, if we are ever to rebuild this country, one of the biggest jobs ahead of us is to make widely accessible impartial, reasoned, clear and convincing explanations for why we have gotten to where we are.

MTV’s US university campus outreach wing is promoting the Avaaz petition on Zimbabwe. Their site includes several different advocacy videos, a piece by the Dispatch Foundation, and a series of short video interviews with Morgan Tsvangirai on questions like “What do you think young people can do to help the situation?”, “Do you believe music is a force for mobilising change?” and “Power Corrupts – how do you make sure this doesn’t happen to you if you come into power.” Have a look here.