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| Picture courtesy of Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition |
My heart is bleeding. But that’s
an understatement. The truth is my heart has been savagely ripped out of my
chest.
I’m an emotional wreck right now,
consumed by pain, anger and dejection.
It’s 16 days before a decisive
national election in my motherland, Zimbabwe and I’m confronted by the brutal
reality that my dream of determining the future of my country and exercising my
right to self determination is just that - a mere dream.
I was reading a contribution to
the Feya Feya blog from a very good friend on her hopes for a ‘feya feya’
election in Zimbabwe. The article, together with
constant questions from my other friends on whether I’m travelling back home to
vote, triggered the emotional roller coaster.
Not that I’m anxious over the
possibility of Zimbabwe witnessing an un-feya feya election but because I’m
unable to participate in a very crucial national process.
Crucial in that elections play a
key role in reaffirming the right of the people to self- determination and
provide an opportunity for the people to decide who governs them - a decision
which will impact on their lived realities.
Together with hundreds of
thousands of Zimbabweans in the so called ‘diaspora’, I am forced to be a hapless spectator. I’m forced
to ponder on the question: “Where do I stand in shaping my country’s future?”
I am 100 percent Zimbabwean, a
Manyika from Tanda in Rusape.
Honourable Elton Mangoma is my
outgoing Member of Parliament while Chief Makoni is my traditional leader.
My totem is Shumba (lion) ‘maSibanda’.
I was born and bred in the capital of
the Midlands Province, Gweru, educated at Cecil John Rhodes Primary School then
St Dominics Chishawasha then Thornhill High School and finally the Midlands
State University.
I’m fluent in Shona and speak a
bit of Ndebele.
I am Zimbabwean - fully fledged.
Fortunately or unfortunately (it depends
on how you look at it), I am betrothed to an Angolan. I find myself attempting
to fit into a society which is so different from mine. They drive on the right side of
the road, use left hand cars, speak Portuguese, consider lunch their main
meal, eat cassava meal instead of maize meal (sadza in my mother language) and
have no problem buying meat from what we call flea markets back home.
The differences are so many. I am
called ‘estrangeira’ (foreigner in Portuguese).
Yet, for some reason my
government chooses to ignore these facts labelling me an ‘enemy’ and virtually excluding
me from any electoral processes.
Anyone living outside Zimbabwe
will tell you that it is not easy assimilating into a new culture but the lure
of money and escape from poverty drive one to accept the painful transition. I have met Zimbabwean men and women
who travel from Zambia in open trucks, through the rain and sunny weather and
once in Angola, move along the streets with large bags of wares. They do not receive much, but
they get enough for subsistence and to send back home. On any given day, these
people will trade anything to return home because life in these foreign lands
gets so lonely and sometimes so difficult to bear.
The only reason why they continue
slaving away, earning minimum wages is because there are very few opportunities
back home mainly due to a man-made economic disaster. But does this make them
less Zimbabwean?
It’s simple.
Regardless of where one stays -
Angola, South Africa, the United Kingdom, China or with Santa Claus in the
North Pole, they remain citizens of our beloved country.
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| Am I not Zimbabwean? |
Regardless of where I am
domiciled I still carry a green passport engraved with the court of arms and
boldly inscribed ZIMBABWE.
I still have to renew my
residency every year and I still can’t vote in Angola. Bottom line is, national
identity is something which no one can decide to take away at the snap of their
fingers (although it seems the current establishment has tried so hard to do so).
Not everyone is privileged enough
to travel back home in order to participate in the election. It is my belief
that a government’s job is not to make life difficult for its citizens but rather
to facilitate unrestricted citizen involvement and engagement in key processes
regardless of where they are.
What is the role of Zimbabwe’s
foreign missions?
Participating in an election is a
RIGHT and not a privilege which can only be enjoyed by a select few. The notion
that those who work at embassies are the only ones entitled to vote is erroneous
and is a reinforcement of the segregation and deprivation of rights which our
forefathers fought against.
A government is tasked with
putting in place economic, social and political policies which have an effect
on every citizen regardless of their place of residence.
Most Zimbabweans abroad have
economic interests in the country and have persistently supported the economy
since 2008, the era of hyperinflation and empty supermarket shelves. Some are
business owners, others own assets and whichever government gets into power can
either protect or destroy their investments.
In addition, lessons learnt from
the past when the government changed the citizenship laws show how much
policies affect the ‘diaspora’. So why not allow them to vote?
At this juncture, there is
nothing, I or any other person can do or say to give me back the right which
the government has brutally taken away from me but I hope that whichever
government assumes power, in August or September or even October (with ZEC you
never know when the results will come out), will address the challenges faced
by Zimbabweans living outside the country.
My prayer is that the government
will rethink the decision to treat the ‘Diaspora’ as enemies but as ‘vana
vevhu’ (children of the soil).
As for now, like a foreigner, I
find myself watching the progress (or lack of it) of the electoral process on ENews, Al Jazeera and any other news channel I can access.
I’m forced to cross my fingers
and hope that the decisions my family and friends make regarding the leader of
our country will reflect my views and positively influence my future and the
future of my children.
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| Can my family and friends vote on my behalf? |
From a distance, I continue to
watch, to wait and to hope. At the same time I continuously find myself asking
- Do I really have the right to parade my green passport and claim that I am
Zimbabwean?
Where do I stand?
