I went into the Starbrook Bar/Cafe in the departure lounge of the Harare International Airport to while away the time when the plane to Joburg was delayed. I have to tell you that the Starbrook doesn’t have much going for it apart from the amusing fact that a presidential portrait is sandwiched between a framed photo of Coke on one side and Fanta on the other. As some people may know I’m dead against presidential portraits of any description whether its here, or in the land of Big Ears. But it seems real odd to me that in Zimbabwe, if you take the time to notice, you’ll see Mugabe’s portrait, often in a state of disrepair (yellow and old – a bit like my teeth) hanging squonk in all sorts of strange places. Vacuum repair shops for example, or large supermarket chains, or, choke, some restaurants. Seeing as presidential portraits are supposedly meant to reinforce the position and power of the Leader, I’ve always been surprised that the president’s foot soldiers don’t move around demanding that those who have hung the face, hang him with dignity.

But of course I like the fact that we get a laugh out of it.

If you spot Bob in strange or unusual places, why not send a Tweet to @kubatana

Below is an excerpt from a recently published Pastoral Letter from the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference:

We urge our political leaders to:

i) Prioritize poverty eradication by using proceeds from natural resources like diamonds, land, etc., for the development of the whole nation and all its citizens. In its final message, the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops noted that Africa is rich in human and natural resources but ‘many of our people are still left to wallow in poverty and misery, wars and conflicts, crisis and chaos. These are very rarely caused by natural disasters. They are largely due to human decisions and activities by people who have no regard for the common good … .’
(No. 5).

ii) Stop the active and tacit collusion of those undermining the fight against corruption. Corruption is a cancer destroying our nation.

iii) Prosecute wrong doers and widely publicize any disciplinary action so that no one is seen to commit crime with impunity.

iv) Desist from intimidating and mistreating members of the public, the media, civic communities, etc. Uphold human rights.

v) Uniformed forces should maintain peace and security for all citizens at all times and especially before, during and after elections, and do so impartially.

vi) We implore our political leadership in the coalition government to reflect deeply on the timing of elections bearing in mind the unhealed state of the nation and the fragile state of the economy. They shoulder a heavy responsibility to serve and save Zimbabwe. They must think and act in pursuit of the Common Good. In the event of elections, implement the SADC guidelines in full.

vii) We expect our members of Parliament to make an effort to spearhead the mitigation of the pressing needs of the people they represent and desist from being preoccupied with enriching themselves.

Blessed are the hearts that can mend. They shall never be broken.
- Albert Camus

For nearly three weeks over Christmas the air was filled with white butterflies
clouds and clouds of ‘Brown-Veined Whites’
passing through our lives
from where? to where? in a North Easterly direction
laying their new eggs where?
billions of caterpillars eating what?

There was a cobra in the chicken run yesterday
We watched enthralled as the drama played out:
one cobra in the corner
one baby rat, feet-up, in the middle of the floor
one mother rat perched in the dry stone wall
five uncomprehending chickens
and five humans (safely out of spitting distance)peering through the fence
The cobra slid its head through the stones to our side of the wall
and the chickens surrounded in rapt admiration
eyeball to eyeball
as it flicked its tongue with an unblinking stare
the mother rat tried to dash in and rescue the dead baby
and the cobra flashed back

and we sat
in silence
waiting
the cobra – invisible in the dry stone wall
the mother rat – indivisible in the dry stone wall
the dead baby in the centre of the floor
the chickens returned to their small world,
pecking the ground
and five humans were left wondering…

Mel cleaned the leaves off his roof last week
The bush babies who live between his roof and ceiling
- terrified by the sudden commotion
left the safety of their daytime hideout
and fled into the canopy of the trees
All day, the birds came to scream and shout and flap
what where these new creatures in their territory?
small fluffy nocturnal creatures
clutching the branches
staring around them with huge worried eyes
finally, as dusk drew in and the birds settled
they began, again, their nightly dance through the canopy
in search of gum and fruit
(and the avocado we put on the feeding tray)
good day, bad day
life goes on

This morning, two paradise flycatchers are dancing round the old nest
could  they are interested in using it?
are they the same pair?
(Kate says they are commemorating the birth and death of their eggs last month)

As Pete grows weaker
we sit with him in his bedroom
old friends, old stories
threading back through a tapestry of shared meals, holidays, childrens’ parties and celebrations
watching the light change the colour of the canopy
through the wide bay windows
the first flush of sunrise
to the last echoes of sunset shown in rosy flashes on tall trees
until the darkness begins to close in
and we catch a small glimpse of the universe
from our tiny turning planet

Do we dare ask
what is the Great Mystery?
name it and classify it and prove it?

Or do we become it?
a deeply buried knowing
that we are part of something wider than ourselves
stardust
ancient mountains
distant oceans
newly turned earth
old breath – new breath
part of the current flowing through the now
balancing the contradictions of living in pain and beauty

The International Herald Tribune reports:

On May 5 2010, just after sunup, 750 militants surrounded Dr. Hawa Abdi’s hospital. Mama Hawa, as she is known, heard gunshots, looked out the window and saw she was vastly outnumbered.

“Why are you running this hospital?” the gunmen demanded. “You are old. And you are a woman!”

They did not seem to care that Mama Hawa, 63, was one of the only trained doctors for miles around, and that the clinic, school and feeding program she built on her land supported nearly 100,000 people, most of them desperate refugees from the fighting and poverty that has afflicted this nation.

Dr. Hawa Abdi might only have been a woman, but despite being threatened and held under house arrest for five days, she prevailed. Not only that; inspired by her defiance, hundreds of women in the refugee camp serviced by the hospital dared to protest. Their voices and those of Somalis abroad were heard, forcing the militants to back down, and, upon Dr. Abdi’s insistence, even apologize in writing.

I think we forget that courage is not the absence of fear; it is the ability to do what is right despite that fear. The news is full of stories of despair and injustice and people wailing that there is nothing they can do to change their world. But that isn’t true, one person, even an old woman, can make a difference.