Andile Mngxitama, editor of New Frank Talk wrote a telling piece in the Mail and Guardian [25 April-May 5, 2011] titled “SA’s poor must shun the polls.”  Its basic thesis is that as South Africans got to the polls, “there is no benefit in voting for a hollow democracy that serves only the rich and elite.” His beef is that the ANC has little to claim for the people’s vote, and so does the main opposition the Democratic Alliance as the poor are still wallowing in poverty, years after the coming of democracy despite all the promises by the ANC.

It read like an analysis of the Zimbabwe situation. When analysts here call for the boycott of elections – usually because of political violence – Zanu PF is always quick to spring and label such calls as emanating from enemies of the revolution etc. It is interesting that as we will sooner or later have our own election, Zimbabweans are obviously asking themselves if it is worth the effort this time because of all the undelivered promises since 1980.

Yet others have said rather with an idealism that Mngxitama will do doubt dismiss that bad governments are chosen by people who do not vote. Still our history has shown since 1980 that even if people come out in their numbers to vote, they still manage to vote in a very bad government! The logical thing then would be not to waste one’s vote and simply stay away!

In our past elections voter apathy has ruled the day without any overt calls from any civic groups to stay away from the polls yet the people  are surely tired of voting for politicians only that they continue looting national resources. It is interesting in itself that calls to boycott elections have been directed at parties contesting against Zanu PF not the voters themselves who no doubt hold the leverages of power in any functioning democracy.

The other week Minister Obert Mpofu came to the rescue of debt-ridden Highlanders football club in Bulawayo, and the obvious question that emerged from the average dude – excluding the beneficiaries of the largess no doubt [something about looking the gift horse in the mouth] – was that where does a minister get that kind of money when these government officials have always complained to Biti that they are getting a pittance in the name of salaries. Even with the increment of ministers’ salaries a couple of months ago, would anyone be able to afford such magnanimity?

It is pedestrian to say it is abnormal for an African government minister to be poor, yet it has to be asked for how long will the people of Zimbabwe be used as doormats and blindly continue voting for men and women who have no regard for African laws of modesty but flaunt their obscene wealth, sagging bellies, ready-to-explode cheeks, right in front of impoverished voters.

The tragedy of it all perhaps is that we still find jobless energetic men and women in our midst doing the rounds coercing residents to join long queues under the cruel African sun to vote, claiming that those who are exercising their right not to vote are doing so at the bidding of forces hostile to the land reform project!

The Women’s Programme of the Research and Advocacy Unit recently produced a report on politically motivated Rape in Zimbabwe. In the report Zimbabwe is described as undergoing a ‘complex emergency’ that is a social catastrophe marked by the destruction of the affected populations political, economic, socio-cultural and healthcare infrastructure. It notes with concern the increasing use of rape in war and complex emergencies. Despite several United Nations resolutions being passed since 2000, only a small number of perpetrators of sexual violence against women have been convicted and jailed by international criminal tribunals for committing or commanding widespread sexual violence as a war crime.

The report notes that:

The phenomenon of violations against women is not a new thing in Zimbabwean politics; it has been reported in the majority of human rights reports produced both locally and internationally since 2000 when the political landscape changed with the formation of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) posing a serious threat to the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU PF)s power-base in the June 2000 parliamentary elections. Before 2000 there were reports of rape particularly during the Liberation War and the Matabeleland massacres of the 1980s.

This report draws on several other reports by organisations such as the Zimbabwe Human Rights Forum, The Zimbabwe Peace Project, and Amani Trust, and points out the difficulty of inferring the national prevalence of politically motivated rape.

RAU conducted its most recent research study in 2010 in collaboration with Zimbabwe Doctors for Human Rights, using 27 sworn legal affidavits and medical examinations of women who were raped because of their political activity or the political activity of their husbands. Rapes were reported as occurring in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2008. While the highest prevalence of 89% was in 2008, the report states that there is no suggestion that rape was actually more common in 2008 than in any other year. The report states that the sexual assaults reported were extremely distressing, with horrific accounts of gang rape.

The RAU/ ZDHR study included the following recommendations:

A multi-sectoral investigation into politically motivated rape, led by the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, together with the Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development, Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs, should be undertaken on a large scale countrywide;

In light of the fact that elections are likely to be held in 2011, the government of Zimbabwe should ensure that women are protected from politically motivated rape, before, during, and after the election period.

It’s always a moment of pride when I find a Zimbabwean author mentioned in the international media. What is largely published about Zimbabwe does a disservice to our country and us. Ours is not a single story. It is always a particularly proud moment when I find that the author is also a woman.  The shortlist for the Twelfth Caine Prize for African Writing was announced recently and Zimbabwean author Noviolet Bulawayo has been shortlisted for her story Hitting Budapest.

Of course the most internationally recognizable Zimbabwean women writers are Tsitsi Dangarembga, Yvonne Vera and more recently Petina Gappah. In an interview with Mazwi literary journal Noviolet discusses why there are only a handful of Zimbabwean women writers:

Of course there are a host of reasons, but I think it also speaks to the trying circumstances of African women, not just Zimbabwean women by the way, as the group that comes last in everything and writing is no exception. Of cause this is compounded by the politics of the publishing industry. Still, I believe Zimbabwean women have compelling stories and those who are writing are doing a good job representing, and I’d like to especially thank those who are writing from Zimbabwe, the little known and unknown ones. To me those are the bad-ass writers, imagine knowing you will never be read beyond your borders, never be an international star but still writing all the same! That’s writing as speaking, as insisting on one’s presence and I think that’s deep.

Big Brother Africa Amplified kicked off recently with 26 contestants from various African countries aiming for the  $200 000 prize money. Vimbai Mutinhiri the daughter of Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Services, and Wendall Parson are representing Zimbabwe in this year’s competition.

In a move to outdo last year’s performance by Munyaradzi Chidzonga on Big Brother, Vimbai pulled a surprise from her bag of tricks by stripping naked. Big Brother tasked the contestants to “help each other out of their clothes using only their gnashers” and Vimbai was paired with Nigerian contestant Vina. Since it was a timed operation, Vina didn’t waste any time with her teeth and our lovely Vimbai had her assets exposed on TV.

With so much to show on the first week many people are wondering how far this year’s contestants will take their acts in order to bag the cool  $200 000.

The annual ZIBF for 2011 has been set for the 28th to the 30th of July in the Harare Gardens. Running under the theme “Books for Africa’s Development”, the fair hopes to regain its rank of being the best in Africa. A two-day Young Person’s Indaba on the 25th and 26th of July will pave way for the Book Fair. Read more form the Herald website.

This event promotes the love of books, reading and writing. It is a well-known fact that when there were no televisions or computers, reading was the principal leisure activity. Thus Africans possess a strong traditional orientation to oral and cultural forms of education, communication and entertainment. Information transmitted through song, dance and storytelling is more widely embraced.

Book Fairs across Africa aim to encourage cross-border trade in books and create a reading culture in the region. They do so by bringing together the book chain functions; authorship, publishing, distribution and readership. ZIBF by virtue of taking an international stance accommodates writers, publishers, booksellers, reading clubs and libraries from Africa and the developed world.

We hope to see the stature of ZIBF grow to enable it to be considered as the one of the top International Book Fairs in the world. Thus librarians, documentalists and publishers, authors, writers should all come together to make this a success. Exhibitors can choose a display option that best fits their needs from a single or double dedicated space devoted exclusively to them.

On their Facebook page ZIBF wrote:

“The ZIBF was the biggest and best book fair in Africa during the 1990s. Sadly, it’s now gone the way of many other things in Zimbabwe.”

Exhibitors please rekindle the experience by emailing information [at] zibfa [dot] org [dot] zw or events [at] zibfa [dot] org [dot] zw to receive an Exhibition Stand Application Form. Early application is advised to avoid disappointment.

The Kentucky Derby (pronounced “Darby”) arrived in Harare! We raided my daughter’s dressing up box for hats for everyone, and the kids managed to keep them on for most of the day! I had a huge purple striped hippy hat, which kept flopping into my face at the front, forcing me to peer at people out the side, with one eye. The only thing stopping the crowds of single men (already an exaggeration) must’ve been my progeny, clamouring for “uppy”, imprinting my legs and dress with sticky fingers and offering half mouthfuls from the buffet. I get to finish off everything tasted but not enjoyed, with a dash of slobber, sometimes a generous sprinkling of grass where it has been dropped and hastily recovered – if you’re not paying attention, you don’t even have time to clean these bits off as it gets shoved into your mouth mid-conversation. I blame it on the kids, but, well, it could’ve been the hat. And I’m not entirely sure there were many singles there – I was focused on my hat (naturally, being foremost in my vision) and the horses, and keeping the kids out of the flowerbed. But only when you are at a diplomat’s house! Did I mention the time they took wax crayons to a newly painted house? Austrian diplomats. Graham spent much of lunch that day with a scrubber and Handy Andy discreetly purloined from the staff in the kitchen while I distracted everyone with tales of poisonous spiders and prolific snakes – the dangers of living in the “bush”.

After several mint juleps (a Southern cocktail with spearmint, bourbon, sugar and water), I removed my high heels, flinging all decorum to the wind, or the flowerbed if we’re going to be accurate. The heels had bothered me much of the afternoon, sinking into the luscious lawn several times, culminating with me almost smacking myself in the face with my knee. My daughter wore them thereafter, although I still say the exchange was hardly fair – I couldn’t get my big toe into her sandals!

Anyway I left, far too late and many multiple juleps later, clutching my winnings, forgetting my hat on the table and my red high heels jutting out of the flowerbed (where my son had been using them in construction), but very jolly after an afternoon in the sun, at the races, pampered by Southern hospitality.