Sir Nigel's Journey…

Brendah Nyakudya was the first to ‘inform me’ of the Virgin Active Gym race issue issue. I say ‘inform me’ but she was merely tweeting about this incident and I was listening/reading as I was preparing to leave work after yet another one of those hectic Mondays. You don’t want to know about my Monday by the way. I could tell my friendo i.e. Brendah was err how shall I put it – extremely ticked off and I’m being diplomatic here? I stayed at work a little longer and continued to read up on the issue using various other social media channels. In short I was reminded once again that racism is alive and well. However most of us know this already or have either experienced racism in some form or shape.

Not to belittle this sensitive and extremely important incident but….I have a fundamental issue with this recent incident. You see my problem revolves around how we seem to be drawn to some forms of racism versus others. To clarify myself here; it always seems easier to discuss racism when it’s white on black as opposed to the other way round. Some argue that blacks know more about racism than whites. Is this necessarily true? However, racism like most things in life continues to evolve. I firmly believe that we should tackle racism in general. Let us approach it from a holistic stand point and do what we can to address this destructive element.

I recall when I was living in Sydney many years ago now. I had just finished work and was heading home. I worked in an affluent part of Sydney. I jumped onto the bus as usual and sat down at the front for a change. Opposite where I chose to sit was a middle-aged white lady who immediately stared at me and proceeded to clutch her handbag. Everyone around me noticed this and there was an air of discomfort. What would the black man do next? I was extremely hurt to be honest. Here I was making an honest living and I was riding the bus from work with this lady, who figured I was going to rob or mug her right there in this bus full of other passengers headed on their way. I proceeded to inform this lady that I wasn’t planning on mugging her that day. I think my exact words were ‘I don’t usually mug white ladies on Tuesdays; I usually mug them on Fridays when I’m looking for that weekend cash flow’. She was extremely embarrassed and most of the people around me laughed at my little joke. I think I made my point that day.

Anyway I digress.

What I was attempting to illustrate with this scribe is our collective need for racial tolerance in general. I would like us to acknowledge and address racism even when it’s black on Indian, black on white, white on mixed race et al. In other words, let us not just react as we have with this Virgin Active Gym race issue just because some white gentleman referred to a black lady as ‘bloody k*****’. Let us simply address racism in general. Let us be mindful of government policies that encourage resentment and help perpetuate this seemingly never ending race issue. Let us always be mindful of those around us from different backgrounds, different socio-economic groups and so forth. Let us also make a big deal about racism when blacks are the perpetrators. Racism is still an ugly act irrespective of who is committing the crime. As this incident has clearly illustrated, we still have a long way to go in the fight against this form of segregation.

Aluta continua….

The UK Prime Minister David Cameron threatened aid recipients a few weeks ago. To say I was upset is a massive understatement. However I took a long walk metaphorically and eventually calmed down, which is why this blog is late (later than planned that is). You see, I started thinking and I put myself in his shoes. The thing is; if I was Cameron I would probably be as arrogant as he was that day. You have to remember that Cameron and his cronies just removed one of Africa’s ‘dictators’ recently. They killed him and even displayed his body for all to see. So if I was David naturally I’d be feeling pretty good about myself at this point. So good, I would make threats like this without realising or thinking of the consequences. I always tell people who make threats in general ‘to back it up with action’ otherwise one ends up looking weak or maybe that’s not such a bad thing in this case. I guess we all wait to see what happens next especially now that Nigeria has passed the anti-gay bill.

The truth is I personally have no problem with gays or lesbians at all. I like green underwear and my mate Pete likes boys. So bloody what? Pete’s entitled to do what he wants do in his own home for example with whoever wants to partake. The fact that I grew up in Zimbabwe, studied and worked abroad for many years perhaps explains why I think like this. Walking down the streets of Newtown in Sydney Australia in my past life has clearly left an impression on me. Maybe I’m just a liberal thinker. Anyway, we have a Shona word for gays and lesbians so that tells me that we’ve acknowledged ‘these people’ in our history. It also suggests that the ‘colonial masters’ came to Africa and introduced various laws, which I might add are outdated in many instances. They themselves fortunately have moved on, changed their own laws and are now in a position to make these ‘no-gay-no-aid’ type threats. Instead of focusing on the threats themselves, I wanted to touch on what we as Africans need to do going forward. If you follow my tweets and/or blog, you’ll soon realise that I enjoy the much needed ‘conversation’. I believe that we need to use opportunities like this to have the discussions about gays and lesbians across Africa – they do exist despite what we believe. We need to openly have these conversations so we can also move forward. Why should we continue to sweep this issue under the rug when we have a local terminology or word for gays and lesbians in our own languages for example? Whatever we do, let us not use Christianity as a reason for not accepting gays and lesbians in our society – the ‘colonial masters’ brought the Bible with them too remember? Whatever you believe is really up to you. However let us acknowledge once and for all that this isn’t the first or the last time, we’ll discuss this sensitive issue. Perhaps this threat is yet another wake up call for us. Mama Africa, let us get our house in order!

What do I mean when I say that – ‘get our house in order’? Zimbabweans have been using this word a lot lately – empowerment. Let us empower ourselves as African nations so we don’t need aid and therefore we don’t need to be threatened by David and his cronies anymore. We have much work to do and admittedly I may not see the fruits of our labour in my lifetime but I can assure you that Africa is richer than most think and we can reduce our dependency on aid if we are willing to make some tough sacrifices now. Let us also have the discussion about gays and lesbians in our society so that they don’t have to meet at ‘special venues’ and have ‘secret meetings’ just to exist amongst us. After all they are also citizens of this African continent just like me. Let us seek to understand the situation for it is and make decisions based on facts rather than misguided misconceptions. It’s time to have that much needed conversation now.

Here are a few points I jotted down initially after I read Cameron’s no-gay-no-aid article:

1. Initially when I heard about this no-gay-no-aid threat, I just thought to myself – ‘what a misguided thing to say David’! We know that the donkey and carrot trick has been used now for many years but for it to be as blatant as that is just something else – quite disrespectful really. Perhaps this is how politics is conducted behind closed doors of government buildings?
2. I’m aware of budget restraints due to the current economic situation in the UK. I wonder how much of this threat is aimed at pacifying the locals in the UK.  I just wonder. The United Nations gave the UK a target of 0.7% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to spend on aid but the UK currently spends 0.4% of their GDP. Can the UK actually afford to increase current spend to the UN figure?
3. The donkey and carrot trick won’t work. People can see through all that now. With access to information like the internet and so forth, making such threats and not expecting a negative reaction would be unthinkable. Maybe they (David et al) don’t care either way?
4. I now wonder if any of the UK allies have anti-gay laws. It would just smell of hypocrisy if some their allies had similar anti-gay laws to most African countries. I wonder where Yemen, Pakistan and UAE stand on gays and lesbians.
5. Let this be a lesson for Africa! We should never put ourselves in a situation where we are being threatened by anyone like this. We need to fast track our own game plan as a collective group to get our house in order. We are an extremely wealthy continent by natural resources. We really need to find a common way to relieving ourselves of aid and foreign debt in general. We’re already working on ways of becoming much more sustainable but this threat to me is yet another warning shot. Malawi is an example of what we shouldn’t allow going forward. A large chunk of the national annual revenue is derived by grants and/or aid I’m told. If the UK et al withdraw that aid as they suggested or implied when the issue of the 2 gay men hit the headlines last year, what happens to the common man or woman in Malawi who is heavily reliant on government assistance for example? We desperately need to think of people at that level in society when statements like this are being made.
6. Naturally some of the various leaders and/or government officials have already spoken out about this issue. As one would expect, no one likes to be threatened like this especially in the public domain. Perhaps diplomacy would have been more effective and appropriate here.
7. Like democracy, it’s been proven that spreading a western type of democracy to perhaps a non-western country doesn’t always bode well with the various local stakeholders involved. Cultural issues need to be taken into account when discussing things like this. This is yet another example where cultural norms need to be taken into account when handling sensitive matters like this. I firmly believe dialogue is important when situations like this occur.

I have had some time to reflect and analyse the situation in its entirety. I only wish that we engaged in the much needed discussion we need to have going forward. How long must we continue to ignore what needs to be discussed? I wouldn’t want my unborn children to question why we never made attempts to address these issues. Perhaps that is part of the reason why I would like us to have a ‘national-African discussion’ regarding some of the issues that have been brought up as a result of David Cameron’s no-gay-no-aid threat. Till then…

Aluta continua…

‘I could be here an hour but I’ll be brief:
Zimbabwe gave people in an intrinsic sense of belief in possibility of self. Even in its most challenging days Zimbos carry the tenacity and self belief of “YES I CAN” to see through adversity and challenge ourselves to realize bigger and better days.
Hard to be that SIR!’ – Shingi

‘Mpunga unedovi nechicken stew’ – DB

‘We are, we are can’t you see. We are, we are can’t you guess. We are, we are ZIMBABWE’ – Thompson

The creativity of the Zimbabwean people as indicated above

‘It is the home of SirNige’ – Adrian

‘I love Zim because of the way we respect our elders. Being out here in the west I find the lack of respect to be disgusting…So yeah thats one of the reasons I love Zim.’ – Sister Shami

‘The people, more than anything else! So warm & friendly, so positive & resilient. The weather is great too, 10months of summer is nothing to sneeze at. Ours is a beautiful country, from the serene grandeur of the Eastern Highlands to the inspirational marvel of Great Zimbabwe to the oh-so-mighty Victoria Falls, beauty abounds everywhere! What’s there not to love? ’ – Tichaona Chitsinde

Comrade Patel passed away only recently and it was the first time I had actually heard anything of substance about this man. All I knew was that there was a man known as ‘Senator Patel’ who played a pivotal role prior and post Independence especially within his own Indian community. Sadly with his death, I find myself adamant to know more about him and his contribution to our beloved country. The last person to be buried at the National Heroes Acre was none other than Retired General Solomon Mujuru only a few months ago. Retired General Mujuru’s death shocked the nation perhaps because of the manner in which he died. However his death is my view brought various people from all walks of life together as we mourned as a collective group. I can’t recall seeing much of that lately.

Shortly after Mujuru’s death, I started wondering what it is about National Heroes that makes them such. I have heard that there is a process involved in declaring someone a National Hero. I believe and I stand to be corrected here but it all starts with the National Hero’s province, subsequently followed by various processes involving the family, various government organisations and so forth. I often wonder what our National Heroes will look like when I am in my sixties. I figure by then the current crop of potential National Heroes we have now will all have passed away and moved onto a better place.

As I sit in solitude and ponder as I often do, I do wonder what our future National Heroes will look like for the next generation. Will we have National Heroes who include sports and TV personalities for example? Will we have various entrepreneurs and community leaders who play an integral role in shaping their own fortunes but most importantly shaping the fortunes of this very nation of ours? Will we continue to celebrate the lives of those who died in the Liberation Struggle? Will we even remember them? We must never forget the massive contribution they made to ensure our freedom. Will our National Heroes be as colourful and as vibrant as our Zimbabwean people? Will they reflect the complexity of our culture and indeed our values? Will their lives touch and influence the youth whilst inspiring us all to do great things for this country? Will we see more women become National Heroes I wonder? Whether we choose to accept this or not, it is the Zimbabwean woman who has and continues to hold us all together.     

As we continue to bury the current batch of Zimbabwean National Heroes, we must start to ask ourselves the question. What will eventually constitute the character of the next breed of Zimbabwean National Heroes?

Till then

Aluta continua…

It’s official!! I am now obsessed with Zambia more so now post elections. I firmly believe our beloved Zimbabwe could learn a thing or two from their recent experiences. Once again, why go so far away to learn from our distant cousins across the oceans when we can learn from our brothers and sisters just across the border? 

I spoke to various people when the final Zambian Election result was announced. Some of those same people conveyed their fears especially because of Michael Sata and his ‘fondness’ for Mugabe. As if Sata had overheard our conversation, he threw a curve ball and announced Dr Guy Scott as his Vice President. By the way, in case you didn’t know – Dr Scott is white. Those same people are now wondering who this Dr Guy Scott chap is. Here’s some information on Dr Scott right here and here.

Finally here’s President Michael Sata Inauguration Speech

Aluta continua…

I met Acie Lumumba yesterday over a cup of coffee at a local cafe. I had previously been in touch with him via email but this was our first face-to-face meeting. I was impressed with what he had to say and his future plans.

There’s an important event that he’s organised in his neighbourhood – Hatfield. I will most definitely be attending this event and encourage others to do so as well.I’ve been using this phrase lately ‘as a nation I feel that it’s time that we had a conversation’. This event is one of the ways of achieving just that.

For more details please click here: – Hatfield poster and invite , Parents Newsletter and am

In the wake of the proposed indigenisation and empowerment laws last year, I wrote a blog in which I asked a somewhat similar question to the one I’m probably asking right now? Who is this indigenous person really? I heard a few murmurs in the room but no one really answered that question for me IF we’re being totally honest here. Today however, I want to know or perhaps discuss this Zimbabwean identity. Call it an oxymoron of some sort if you will but I feel that this is the same and yet different question. You see, I now have examples of a variety of people who I either know or have actually spoken to. What I have gathered is that this particular question isn’t always that easy to answer. At times just asking this very question often rubs people the wrong way or makes others slightly uncomfortable.

Let’s use Yvonne as an example. Yvonne works in the medical fraternity and has been now for close to 60 years. In fact for 52 of those 60 odd years, she has spent that entire time in Zimbabwe working and assisting this very country within the health sector. She has a wealth of knowledge about the real challenges facing the health sector and has a great sense of appreciation of where we as a nation came from and perhaps where we are headed. If you probe, as I often do, she will tell you that things are getting slightly better in her sector but, more work needs to be done and that many NGOs and their respective programmes don’t often have this country at heart in real terms. What I find really interesting about all this is that Yvonne is European and has remained European on paper throughout the 50 odd years. I didn’t want to ask her why however I did ask her if she would ever return ‘home’. An emphatic ‘no’ was her answer. Just talking to her I felt that Zimbabwe is and has been ‘home’ to her for many years. I also got the sense that she still holds onto her passport despite this seemingly emotional attachment to her adopted ‘home’. However I also understand that one’s passport does not always indicate that one in fact considers that country as ‘home’. I have found that more often than not, people have these ‘other passports’ to find a way around the system. If this is the case, would you consider Yvonne to be a Zimbabwean I wonder?

I know this other gentleman. In fact some can relate to this particular case. Let’s call this gentleman Alfred. You see Alfred came to Zimbabwe many years ago. He says he arrived in Zimbabwe from Mozambique when he was less than 10 years old. He tells me that his mother simply got up and left her husband and the rest of her family in search of work. She came across the border and settled somewhere between Harare and Mutare. Alfred now has 2 children who were born in Zimbabwe to a Zimbabwean woman. I have often asked Alfred if he would ever return back ‘home’. Once again, his answer is an emphatic ‘no’. He says Zimbabwe is the only home he knows. If this is the case, would one not consider Alfred to be a Zimbabwean?

I spoke to some immigration officer on my way into Zimbabwe earlier this year. It’s very typical of me to use opportunities like this to ask various questions about the immigration system and this lady’s experiences. The main reason I was talking to her that day was for this blog I intend to write about the Chinese in Zimbabwe and naturally I was making small talk as she stamped my passport whilst I entered the country again. We started talking about numbers and she told me that there were approximately 20,000 Chinese people now living in Zimbabwe. That number surprised me a little to be honest but I’ve been thinking more about the next generation of what I refer to as the ‘ZBC’ (Zimbabwean Born Chinese). That generation has Chinese born parents who willingly (or otherwise) left China in search of a better future in Zimbabwe. They now have children, some born in China and others born in Zimbabwe. Assuming that the immigration laws are straight forward (i.e. if one is born in Zimbabwe one is then automatically considered a Zimbabwean), but wouldn’t ZBCs be considered Zimbabweans? As they grew up, they might learn the local languages, attend the local schools and Zimbabwe becomes their home. Are they not Zimbabwean I wonder?

These are just examples of situations occurring daily in and around Zimbabwe. Alfred might be the gardener whose parents originally came from Zambia or Malawi in the early 60s. Yvonne could be some technically skilled employee who thought out of the box and decided that Zimbabwe or Rhodesia as it was then was the place for her. What about the new wave of ZBCs? How can we exclude them or disregard them as Zimbabweans? How do we or how can we simply disregard their Zimbabwean-ness IF they feel some connection to this land? This might after all be the only ‘home’ they know. In these interesting times that we are now living in, I ask you once again, who is this Zimbabwean identity anyway?

Deadline: 12 August 2011

The Rhodes trustees offer two scholarships for the year 2011 tenable at Oxford University from October 2012. The Scholarships may be held for three years but awards are made for two years in the first instance. A Rhodes Scholar will receive a monthly stipend of £977 over the duration of his/her course as a personal allowance in addition to his/her university or college fees. Tenure of other awards in conjunction with a Rhodes Scholarship is not permitted without prior consultation with the Secretary of the Trust.

Candidates:
(a)    Must be residents of Zimbabwe with at least five years residence in the last ten years;
(b)    Must be between the ages of 19 and 25 at the 1st October 2012;
(c)    Must have achieved academic standing sufficiently advanced to ensure completion of a Bachelor’s degree before the 1st of October 2012. Accordingly, the scholarship is only available to students who have successfully completed their first degree.

Full details for the Rhodes Scholarship for Zimbabwe for 2012, including eligibility, criteria and information on how to apply is available on the Rhodes Trust website

Where possible you are encouraged to apply on-line as indicated on the Rhodes Trust website. This makes for easier processing of your application. Alternatively, you can seek guidance by contacting:

The Secretary, Rhodes Scholarship Selection Committee, CH665, Chisipite, Harare, Zimbabwe.
Email: Rhodes.selection.zimbabwe@gmail.com
Tel no. Harare 790585 or 790751

Source: Kubatana Newsletter

This is the first series in this ongoing Lobola discussion. I desperately wanted to write about this pertinent issue after various and often heated discussions both on and off Twitter & Facebook. For too long, there has been a massive grey cloud over this tradition especially amongst those living beyond the borders but more importantly amongst young men and women in my own generation. The current practice has left many confused, frustrated and upset with the typical lobola practices that are currently going on. I have also gathered that part of the misconception about this practice has resulted from situations that probably turned sour during and/or after the actual ceremony.  I leave it here for now but will detail below an example of a recent Lobola checklist used earlier this year.

A Typical Shona Lobola Checklist

A)     Roora

-          Ndiro

-          Kupinda mumusha

-          Vhura muromo

-          Sunungura homwe

-          Dare

-          Matekenya ndebvu

-          Chiuchiro

-          Makandidzwanani

B)      Zvamai

-          Mafukidza dumbu

-          Hotamiro

-          Mbariro

-          Bvuri

-          Mwenje

-          Kunhonga musikana

C)      Pasuru

D)     Rusambo

E)      Dangarababa

-           X(insert a figure) live beasts (dzemunongedzo)

F)      Majasi  -

-          baba (1 x suit) (1 x shoes) (1x shirt) (1 x hat) (1 x umbrella) (1 x overcoat)

-          Amai TBA

G)     Masungiro

-          Mudya

-          Mbudzi  a) yamai b) yemusha c) yababa

-          Mombe yechishava

-          Mombe yemusungiro

If applicable: Mhosva (Damage)

Please note that the information detailed above is only guide. There are variations depending on tribe and/or region.

The US volunteer surgical team Operation of Hope returns to Zimbabwe this July to offer free surgical repair for anyone suffering from cleft-lip and cleft-palate facial deformities.

Venue: Harare Central Hospital, Lobengula Street, Southerton
Screening Day: Sunday 31 July 2011 at 8am
Surgery schedule: 1 August – 9 August 2011

All potential patients are encouraged to attend screening examinations at Harare Central Hospital (peds ward) on Sunday 31 July at 8am. Please bring all pertinent medical records and information.

If previously operated on by Operation of Hope, we will provide a free follow-up examination during our visit.

All surgeries are free of charge. There is no cost to the patients or families.

Care is for all ages. (Babies must be 3 months or older and as healthy as possible)

For more information please visit www.operationofhope.org

Source: Kubatana newsletter