Opinion / Columnist
Mnangagwa is making Zimbabwe proud again
27 Sep 2018 at 11:17hrs | Views
Watching the news, I was reminded of the following teaching of the holy Bible "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" (Psalms 133:1). Let me explain: The goal of the United Nations General Assembly is to gather all the political leaders of the world, peacefully and in good terms, so they can discuss and solve their problems in a civilised manner and work together on the prosperous development of all humanity. Unfortunately, history teaches us that too often, and especially in Africa, this has not worked out.
Yet, there is still something uplifting about the family of nations trying and striving to fulfil this lofty ideal. In the past few years, whenever it was our turn to speak, our former President Mugabe used the podium for theatrics of the cheapest kind, allegations and accusations against imagined foes, causing tired frowns at best from the international diplomats and journalists assembled.
What a difference to this year's show by President Mnangagwa! First, he blitzed the international media outlets, giving interview after interview and presenting the new Zimbabwe to millions of people around the world, through global channels like CNN and Bloomberg. He continued to pin-point his outreach to maybe the two most important communities he could have possibly met in New York City: the diaspora and a selected group of investors. We need both of them to get back on our feet! The cherry on top was his speech at the General Assembly. No theatrics, but a clear and sound message: The new Zimbabwe has arrived on the global stage, there is no turning back, and the way forward is paved by democracy, openness and international cooperation.
Finally, we have a President we can loop up to, and who is making our country proud again!
Yet, there is still something uplifting about the family of nations trying and striving to fulfil this lofty ideal. In the past few years, whenever it was our turn to speak, our former President Mugabe used the podium for theatrics of the cheapest kind, allegations and accusations against imagined foes, causing tired frowns at best from the international diplomats and journalists assembled.
What a difference to this year's show by President Mnangagwa! First, he blitzed the international media outlets, giving interview after interview and presenting the new Zimbabwe to millions of people around the world, through global channels like CNN and Bloomberg. He continued to pin-point his outreach to maybe the two most important communities he could have possibly met in New York City: the diaspora and a selected group of investors. We need both of them to get back on our feet! The cherry on top was his speech at the General Assembly. No theatrics, but a clear and sound message: The new Zimbabwe has arrived on the global stage, there is no turning back, and the way forward is paved by democracy, openness and international cooperation.
Finally, we have a President we can loop up to, and who is making our country proud again!
Source - Joice Tsitsi
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