Sir Nigel's Journey…

Somehow little ME was asked to host this TEDx event. Naturally I was honoured to play any role associated with any TEDx events especially the Zimbabwean kind. The theme was ‘Be the Change’. I interpreted that to mean be the change in your own community. The 4 live speakers reflected this very well I thought. The event started at approximately 6:20pm with an introductory video from Chris Anderson and I gave a few housekeeping rules which included amongst other things the 5 minute Q&A session after each live presenter.

Izwi

The first speaker was IZWI. Essentially Izwi is a platform for the youth to share and discuss common issues. 2 young ladies, both still studying, spoke passionately about how the group was assisting them in realising their own career aspirations despite the various hardships they both face. For more information, please check out their website and their twitter account is @Izwi_Africa.

SIFE – MSU (Midlands State University)

This group got the crowd pretty excited from the onset. In summary, they’ve found a way of turning 60 kgs of plastic into 60 litres of diesel. The project has actually been entered into the Dell Social Innovation Challenge and the link to their page is Boost SIFE. It is presentations like this one that reiterate the point I’ve been making for over 2 years now. Our nation needs to have a conversation. It is conversations like these ones that highlight how important events like this are to the community. I spend a lot of time reading and researching what is happening in and around me and I didn’t know about this project. Well done to the TEDx organisers for providing an outlet so the MSU team could showcase their project. I am thoroughly excited about the future of the MSU team and what this project can do for Zimbabwe, especially when all you need to do is find an open space somewhere in the urban areas and you will notice huge piles of litter which incidentally includes the plastic these guys require for their project. For more information please contact them via email on mboostsifemsu [at] gmail [dot] com.

A 10 minute break followed the Boost SIFE short Q&A session. The break is always an interesting period of any event like this I believe. It gives an opportunity for the speakers to mingle with the audience and have a one-on-one chat regarding their respective projects and/or presentations. Given the presentation by the SIFE-MSU team, there was great interest in their project so the break saw them inundated with various queries from the audience.

Following the break was this interesting and honest TED video from Theo Sowa: We Need The Voices of African Women. I URGE you to stop reading, watch this video and come back to the blog afterwards. So much truth packed into that video and once again it reminded me that us Africans need to be well represented at various worldwide forums so our voices are heard. I was once again reminded that it is often so easy to ignore the African voice.

It was very strategic that the next live speaker was none other than: -

Fungai Machirori

I finally got to meet the woman behind www.herzimbabwe.co.zw. Her presentation resonated with many in the audience and it was well timed given the previous video (which I hope you’ve watched). According to the TEDx info brief : – ‘Fungai Machirori has worked in HIV/ AIDS communication since 2006. She is also a published author and poet. She also maintains her own blog: Fungaineni. Most recently Fungai released a poetry anthology with three other Zimbabwean women titled ‘Sunflowers in you Eyes’. She is the founder of HerZimbabwe, an online platform for young women to share their personal stories’. Fungaineni resides here.

Fungai spoke about how HerZimbabwe was born and what she hopes to achieve with this special project. Some interesting facts – when the website was launched, it crashed after over thirty thousand hits on its first day. Since then, it continues to make inroads and they receive various correspondence from Zimbabwean women planted across the globe.

Limbikani Makani

Limbikani is someone I’ve known ‘virtually’ for a few years now. IF you’re interested in Tech in Zimbabwe and you don’t know what he does and/or his involvement, then you need to follow him personally on Twitter and check out the website he runs – Technology Zimbabwe  also known as TechZim on Twitter. Limbikani is someone I would and often probe about what’s going on within the technology arena in Zimbabwe. He has and continues to provide information on the local landscape and have a wealth of knowledge to share. Please subscribe to the TechZim newsletter (I have).

His presentation revolved around the internet and urged us to collaborate more with our various projects. He spoke passionately about open source solutions and how useful it is to access information via the internet and how it is changing the way Zimbabweans view the world and indeed vice versa.

In Summary

I walked away from this event and felt that I gained a new perspective on various projects that are going on in and around the community. I was really inspired by what I saw and heard. One aspect resonated for me, and that is change (in the non political sense), doesn’t require that much effort. As people, I find we often over complicate things. I learnt change starts with you first. Naturally it could affect the members of your family and then the wider community. I believe that is one effective method of changing a community – start at home. Don’t be afraid to run with that ‘crazy idea’ you have or become the changemaker you were destined to be. You have no idea where this path will take you until you try.

I learnt that we need each other. As much as I have tried (and trust me I have), I cannot achieve as much I do without the other people around me. I need them and whether they admit this or not, in some way they need me too. Together we can. I firmly believe that collaboration is vital if Zimbabwe is to truly achieve its potential.

I encourage those who can, to attend the next TEDx events. This is only one of the national conversations currently taking place and you’re all invited to participate.

Till the next TEDx event….

Aluta continua

The future is not fixed. We all have a hand in how it plays out. TEDxChange is a partnership of TED and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, designed to act as a catalyst for global conversations on ideas worth spreading on health, development, and education issues.

TEDxChange 2012 is convened by Melinda French Gates and hosted by Chris Anderson

The current economic climate has drawn our focus to immediate needs closest to home. But now, more than ever, it’s critical to keep sight of the fact that we are part of interdependent, global community. And too many within that community cannot meet their most basic needs: food, clean water, life-saving medical treatment and vaccines.

We can’t proceed with business as usual.

On April 11, 2012, we’ll take a step back and look at the big picture: Why should we, as a society, continue to invest in global health and development? How can we work across borders and political boundaries to make positive change? And what returns can we expect on our investments?

For more details on the speakers and the event itself please visit this link: -http://www.facebook.com/events/265185083571226/

Venue: - Alliance Francaise, 328 Herbet Chitepo Avenue, Harare, Zimbabwe

Time: - 6pm to 9pm

Harare, March 14, 2012: The U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Section (PAS) is supporting Zimbabwe’s first ever ‘ladies night’ at Harare’s premier journalist meeting place, the Quill Club, on Thursday.

“The Quill Club is an institution in Harare and we are eager to see the women journalists have their say there,” says Sharon Hudson-Dean, Counselor for Public Affairs at the U.S. Embassy. “This ladies night is part of Women’s History Month and will include a panel discussion of gender in the media. It is also part of our year-long mentoring program for young women journalists to help them improve their reporting skills and take on higher-level responsibilities in their professional work.”

Since September 2011, PAS, in partnership with local NGO Humanitarian Information Facilitation Centre (HIFC), has been supporting a unique one-year program – the Women Journalists Mentoring Program (WJMP) – for young Zimbabwean women journalists to develop better professional writing and leadership skills. Program activities have included on-on-one pairing with experienced mentors; group meetings and discussions with seasoned journalists from Zimbabwe and the United States; and specialized training sessions within and outside the country. There are thirty participants in the program drawn from various media houses, including ZBC, Zimpapers, Alpha Media, the Daily News and regional newspapers.

Panellists at the event will include Barnabas Thondlana, former Quill Club chairperson, veteran journalist Grace Mutandwa, and Hudson-Dean. The Quill Club is the prime meeting place for local and foreign journalists in Harare and hosts regular discussion sessions with business, political and civil society representatives. Stanley Gama, editor of the Daily News, chairs the current executive and is deputized by documentary film maker Richard Mashave- ZimPAS© March 14, 2012

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…

Mrs SirNige suggested that I share the ‘Why I love Zimbabwe…’ Series with others which I thought that was a brilliant idea. You see Mrs SirNige travels regularly and these are some of the photos she took on her recent travels. They make me want to travel throughout Zimbabwe and see it for myself! Here are some of the reasons why Mrs SirNige loves Zimbabwe…

As the sign suggests: Welcome to Antelope Park in Gweru

The Dam at Antelope Park

The Lion Cubs at Antelope Park

Elephants crossing the river at the Antelope Park

Welcome to the Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls

Another angle – Victoria Falls

Dinner choices at The Boma in Victoria Falls

Examples of the kind of art (sculpture) found at Chapungu Village in Harare

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…