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

This entry was posted on June 25th, 2008 at 2:42 pm by Amanda Atwood and is filed under Activism, Elections 2008, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.