Tsvangirai's remarks at the launch of his book - At the Deep End

I consider myself, like most Zimbabweans, a very unfortunate person. From the day I was born, there has always existed a huge disconnect between the stories often told by the elite and those I hear from ordinary people about our country although we live in the places; and witness the same events around us.

I am sure my background is known to all. So my story takes off from the point of a very ordinary person. I am one of the few to have used a small privilege to provide a way through which a complex set of struggles can be visible within a nation, which is by telling my personal story as I experienced it.

In our millions, both before and after Independence, our experiences have remained firmly inside our chests, leaving the task to numerous distortions of the Zimbabwean reality to crooks, dishonest politicians and heavily censored official channels.

When I hear the people tell their stories countrywide, I often wonder why what happens on a daily basis seems to escape the attention and official mention in its true form as part of a rough draft of our unfolding history. There is something sub-human about the way we communicate officially and the manner in which we hear and receive the reality and experiences of ordinary Zimbabweans.

As I said, I see my story, in my own eyes, as a tiny contribution to wide collection of what it is to be a Zimbabwean, especially given the larger power struggles we all took part in, now for more than a century.

These struggles are anchored on our desire for common sense; our desire to be part of a wider world; and our desire, simply, to be human -- against all odds. For this reason, I urge all of you to think seriously about documenting your own stories to enrich our collective history and for posterity. We have lost a lot of knowledge and wisdom, across generations, because of lack ocumentation about what happens to us; and what happens to those around us.

Pursuant to this call, I shall avail a copy of my book, freely, to all public libraries in Zimbabwe, in the hope that someone, somewhere will add their life stories to what already exists in this information-starved country.

You may ask: what did I put down in "At the deep end"? I explain – what I know to have happened in my life; my experiences; my dreams and my aspirations. After going through the book, you will understand its title fully.

I don't think it is Morgan Tsvangirai alone at the deep end; I think the whole nation is – hence my desire to have the people to speak out without official hindrance. Our nation needs the truth in order to swim to the shore; to heal the wounds; and to free itself!