Opinion / Columnist
'Back to the blankets for Zimbabweans'?
05 Aug 2013 at 05:39hrs | Views
When I was still at college over a decade ago, I read a very interesting and touching story titled, 'Back to the Blankets'.
I don't remember the author but the story was about an American Indian girl who was taken under the wings a white missionary family and was taught the white man's way of life. She was taught about dangers of drinking water from unprotected sources and the dangers of exposing food to flies. She was taught to dress and cook the white man's way. She also attended the missionary school among other things. And her life changed- for the better that is.
But when the girl visited her Indian family back in the village, the visit triggered her former self. She started drinking water from open wells; she started drying meat on an open space exposing it to flies. She went back to her Indian clothes. It was "back to the blankets" according to her missionary family.
And the events of the previous week triggered my memories of this story. As I watched Zimbabweans voting overwhelming for Zanu PF during the July 31 harmonised elections I could not help but ask the question: "Is it back to the blankets for Zimbabweans". With the horrors of the cholera outbreak still fresh in my mind I could not help but asking myself: "Is the repeat of such the cholera outbreak what Zimbabweans want". The election result triggered the sad memories of the Zanu PF (mis)rule since independence in 1980. The sad memories of the Gukurahundi era in Matabeleland back in the 1980s, the sad memories of Operation Murambatsvina in the 2000s, the sad memories of years of the brutal political violence, empty shops and an unimaginable inflation rate. As a journalist I also started to think about thousands of journalists who were haunted out of the country by the Zanu PF regime in the past decade. Are we bracing for the same exodus?
While the previous inclusive government formed in 2009 between Zanu PF and the two MDC formations after the 2008 sham elections, had its shortcomings, it had managed to stabilise the economy and bring back reasons for living for many Zimbabweans. Hospitals and clinics, schools and other general amenities were brought back to life. There was hope and that hope came crumbling on July 31 2013 as Zimbabweans voted back Zanu PF into power. It was an election result which many people did not anticipated. Even Zanu PF stalwarts were equally shocked by wining "resoundingly". What really happened or what has Zanu PF done in the past five years, which has turned the hearts of the electorate? Did Zanu PF rig the elections? If so how? These are some of the many questions people have been asking.
A friend came to me as soon as the results of the elections started trickling in and asked: "You're a journalist and you might know, what is really happening or has happened that Zanu PF is getting such support". I only shock my head and said: "I am as baffled as you are". And baffled I was!
But I took the same question to an MDC official who however felt that complacency cost his party. "And we spent alot of time squabbling after the primary elections while Zanu PF was campaigning". But that could not convince me. But did electorate fell for the Zanu PF indigenisation policy or the outgoing local government minister Ignatius Chombo's directive for councils to cancel debt for residents?
Source - Andrew Mambondiyani
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