Zimbabwe: Death Plot Mars Election

Tsvangirai cancels return over ‘death plot’
Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has been forced to cancel plans to return home after being informed of a plot by Robert Mugabe to have him killed. The MDC leader has now said he will not return to contest the presidential election run-off in June unless he is given personal security by the Southern African Development Community (SADC). He has also called for peacekeepers to be installed to enable Zimbabweans to be able to vote without fear. (Sunday Times)

You Can Rig an Election but not an Erection

Zimbabwe: You Can Rig an Election but not an Erection

Posted by Ndesanjo Macha, Global Voices

In countries such as Zimbabwe where media freedom is extremely restricted, new technologies have become powerful tools for political campaigning, communication, advocacy and mobilisation.

Since Robert Mugabe turned the country into a dictatorship, bloggers and civic organisations have resorted to using new tools and applications such as blogs, Flickr, Facebook, SMS, YouTube and mashups to fight for democracy, media freedom and good governance.

SMS
If you are in Zimbabwe and your phone rings, you might be receiving news headline from SW Radio, election update from Kubatana.net or a political joke about Robert Mugabe. Widespread mobile phone access in Africa has made SMS a powerful and useful tool for activists.

Zimbabweans are using SMS to send each other political jokes. Comrade Fatso writes about this particular use of SMS:

Anyone know someone with a truck? There's a guy wanting to move all his stuff from State House to Zvimba. The jokes spread as text messages refer to our aged dictator relocating to his rural home. People really do believe this is a general election - because our generals decide who gets elected. Another joke walking the streets of Harare is that the only difference between an election and an erection is that you can't rig the latter.

The UK-based SW Radio uses SMS to send news headlines to mobile phones:

We now have an SMS news headline service sent to mobile phones.
If you have a friend or relative in Zimbabwe who would like to receive this service please email their mobile phone number to: talk@swradioafrica.com

Robert Mugabe is twittering! He joins the Kenyan President, Mwai Kibaki, on the popular microblogging site, Twitter:

meetings, meetings, meetings. very boring. 12:03 PM April 04, 2008 from web
Ooooo, nervous morning. Sending the wife shopping. She is getting on my nerves. Thinking of shutting the electricity down for laughs. 09:21 AM April 01, 2008 from web
Thinking of live blogging the election results. Good idea? 06:42 PM March 31, 2008 from web
Forcing people to eat election posters. Hey, at least they get fed this week. :) 01:49 PM March 29, 2008 from web
just voted. Guess who I voted for? 01:49 PM March 29, 2008 from web

Zimbabwe Democracy Now has a Zimbabwe Humour page on its website:

A selection of cartoons, movie posters and e-cards about Zimbabwe. These images are presented in the belief that the designers want to reach a wider audience. Thanks to everyone who contributed, you know who you are…

Chinese Troops in Zimbabwe

CHINESE TROOPS IN ZIMBABWE

Olympic thugs to protect Mugabe?

Image courtesy of the irrepressible Beau Bo D’or

It is only a matter of a number of days ago when we witnessed the sight of blue track suited Chinese thugs (as described by Lord Coe) pushing their weight about in Downing Street as the Olympic Torch bade a fiery welcome to the UK. Men chosen from the same division of the National People’s Liberation Army that suppressed political protests in Tibet are making sure that the rest of the world doesn’t get too close to the flame that burns in the hearts of the free competitive athletes from around the globe.

These blue suited marathon running highly trained policemen probably know the identities of the Chinese troops who have been reported as being seen on the streets of Mutare in Zimbabwe, after checking into a hotel resplendent with nice shining pistols.

So why are the Chinese there? Have they been sent to protect and supervise the shipment of 77 tonnes of arms that is sitting off the coast of South Africa, waiting for someone to be brave enough to unload it? Are they the vanguard of a larger force that will help keep Harare’s streets quiet while Mugabe and the Zimbabwean electoral commission “officially” fiddle the result of the recent parliamentary and presidential elections?

It worries me that for all intents and purposes the British government appears to sit back and watch whilst Africa becomes an important outpost in the Chinese sphere of influence (just think of Darfur). It worries me too that we should give the Chinese international behaviour and alliances legitimacy by sending our Prime Minister to Beijing to collect the Olympic torch, if the (reputed) world’s fastest growing economy is intent upon the continuing oppression of it’s own, and other nations’ people, then the Prime Minister ought to dither again, and decide to send his Sports Minister to Beijing instead.

Besides, the torch probably has “made in China” stamped on the bottom anyway.

Links:
[1] http://curly15.wordpress.com/2008/04/19/chinese-troops-in-zimbabwe/

Buying Toilet Paper in Zimbabwe

Comrade Fatso, Global Voices

Comrade Fatso on the situation in Zimbabwe: "The parallel realities we live in
have become the only reality now. The other one is paralyzed. So bread is now
hustled on street corners for two US dollars. Like an illegal drug. Milk has
also joined the list of 'goods' that are sold in our parallel economy. Not in
the shops but on the streets. And if you're looking for toilet paper then just
drive to the nearest 'Give Way' sign, a Zimbabwean 'Stop' sign."

Links:
[1] http://comradefatso.vox.com/library/post/bread-milk-and-toilet-paper.html