via Zimbabwe:The Battle Has Only Begun | ZimEye. By Vince Musewe : August 11, 2013
The seat of that fear is in your heart and not in the hand of the feared.
I can only imagine the moment thousands of Zimbabweans decided to leave Rhodesia in order to join the struggle.
It must have been a very excruciating but an indispensable and predictable occasion after years of hopelessness and oppression. They left all they had behind and went into the unknown with no suspicion of the consequences or what they would encounter. They must have been driven by an indescribable emotion that they could neither control nor understand. I am persuaded that they must have been inspired by something bigger than them; something worthy and something within us that attracts and unleashes greatness in our lives.
In making that decision, I do not think they were driven by self interest at all or a promise of personal advantage or benefit after independence, because some of them would not even come back and see a new Zimbabwe. They still went.
I think that Morgan Tsvangirai and those with him also felt this same emotion at some moment in the past, when they took the unpleasant and dangerous risk of challenging the status quo in Zimbabwe 14 years ago. I think we are underestimating the dangers they faced and the fact that even the possibility of death was always a clear and present then, and yet, they did what had to done.
For that, none of us can ever repay them. This includes all those who may not be prominent in our minds today, but paid the ultimate price. It also includes those who have lost everything in pursuit of our freedom and liberty. I honor and respect them. They are my heroes.
Of course it is now easy and fashionable to point out Tsvangirai’s mistakes and to even blame him for the failures of MDC in achieving the monumental and seemingly impossible task of deposing a despot through peaceful means. But we all know that this task is never easily done.
In the last few weeks, I have read thousands of analyses, theories, critiques and rather intriguing scenarios of what Tsvangirai should have done or not done. I have seen men who stood by and watched and did nothing being quick to condemn and offer solutions to what is past. Not once have I heard people thanking him for taking us where we are today. Not once have I heard people showing their gratitude, concern or love to all those who fought the fight. The apathetic, the cowards and the charlatans have come out in their numbers. How shameful.
As for me, I have seen a glimpse of a better future for Zimbabwe. I have seen that we can indeed become a better society and that we can be a free people. In the last few months, I have felt lifted and hopeful that, despite the circumstances we face, we can indeed overcome.
I have seen hope in the eyes of the poor, expectation from the destitute, the old and the idle. I have seen a twinkle of hope in the eyes of little children in the ghetto who deserve a better future and a fair shot at life. Although it was but for a brief moment, yes I saw it and I like what I saw.
For all this, I just want to thank Morgan Tsvangirai and those men and women who have taken us to where we are today. I truly think that because of their efforts and sacrifice, although it may not appear so, we are indeed closer to freedom in our country than ever before. Freedom is coming tomorrow.
I am saddened by the news that deals are being made and that offers being thrown at some MDC cadres to participate in a government whose credibility and legitimacy remains questionable.
I hear that some of our MDC leaders who may have dipped their mouths in the trough during the GNU and found it so sweet are now reluctant to let go. I encourage them to hold fast and stand firm. The devil is a liar. Yes, the trough, like sin, may taste so sweet and yet it defiles. Our country needs people and leaders who are dedicated to the cause of freedom and cannot be swayed or easily moved by promises of material gain or riches or position.
I have become melancholy and am beginning to understand that; until we are all truly dedicated to freedom with our whole being as Nelson Mandela was, we cannot and will not be able to create democracy in Zimbabwe and Africa as a whole. This dedication must come from within us, must be unshakable, nonnegotiable, invariable and utterly obsessed and gripped with the aim of freeing Africans from themselves. The battle has only begun.
I leave you with some lines from Kahlil Gibran, from his book; “The Prophet” in which he speaks on freedom;
“And if it is a despot you would dethrone, see first that his throne erected within you is destroyed. For how can a tyrant rule the free and the proud, but for tyranny in their own freedom and a shame in their own pride? And if it is fear you would dispel, the seat of that fear is in your heart and not in the hand of the feared”
Asijiki, vele asijiki.
Vince is an economic analyst in Harare and you may contact him on vtmusewe@gmail.com
COMMENTS
Thank you Vince for an excellent and moving article. I agree absolutely that it is time to thank Morgan Tsvangirai and all of those many other courageous people who have fought so hard for democracy in Zimbabwe for so many years and at such a terrible cost. It is time to acknowledge and to stand up to support the people of Zimbabwe, when their election has been stolen from them. You will see the details of the petition for democracy that is being compiled here, with grateful thanks to those who have assembled this detail elsewhere:
The people and president of Botswana have already spoken out against the electoral process in Zimbabwe, calling for an independent audit of the results.
A group of students are meeting to protest outside South African parliament to demonstrate their objections to South Africa’s endorsement of this election on Wednesday the 14th of August at 1pm.
If enough of us join together, we can pressure South Africa and SADC into calling for the same!
Can as many of you as possible pls try and sign this urgent petition (IT WILL ONLY ALLOW YOU TO SIGN ONCE so no rigging possible !!).
Avaaz have made a difference in the world. It will be presented to SADC on Wednesday. The protest is only 3 days from now. IT’S OK JUST TO PUT YOUR FIRST NAME.
At the bottom of the page you can also copy and paste the link to your facebook page, etc. Pls let all friends and family know and get them to petition. Thank you. http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Democracy_in_Zimbabwe/?cDJWmfb
AMEN: God is with us throughout this struggle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFXRQKYFbXE
Zimbabweans everywhere have faith and courage to support your people.
Well said Vince. Now is the time to focus on the many, many achievements of these incredibly brave people and make sure that they are strengthened, encouraged and not torn down. So easy to sit on the sidelines and criticize. Maybe they have made mistakes but no one is perfect in this world especially in the fight against dictatorships. Their commitment to peaceful pressure should be lauded and not shot down. I have signed the petition and promoted it.
This article is so long and meaning less
Why should Morgan be thanked, come people of Zimbabwe why are we so blind
What was wrong with Zimbabwe before the birth of MDC , their ethics were so bad and allowed themselves to used by the west .
U seem to be a disgruntled element. Zimbabwe had no economy to talk about in 2008, food shortages were common, your currency was worthless. In 2008, you couldnt even mention mugabe name without lookin over your shoulder. And yet today, you bread, mealie meal, you have sugar etc and you think all tjhis is nothin. SDhame on you. may be you are mugabe the devil himself.
The election was stolen and real, real fool can think otherwise. Going into Zim bias courts
may seem hopeless but it gives the golden opportunity to expose all that was done by the enemy.
If Tsangirai was foolish, I was foolish too. I did not expert tha magnitude of theft. Even
the is shocked by the size of the loot. The worst we can do is to blame each other. Those from
our side who won despite all this, we do not blame them. I suggest they should be allowed to resign from the Party and go in as independants, so as not tarnish the name of the Party.
Well done Mr Tsangirai and all freedom loving people of Zimbabwe.
Good article and very relevant quote from Kahlil Gibran, Vince. I have also signed and passed to facebook the above petition from Avaaz.
What’s good about this long boring article shame Vince the real rubbish
Thank Morgan , for what?
Good on you Vince, the only way is to stand together, there is always strength in numbers.
Thanking you for a well written article, thanking all the people involved directly and indirectly to achieve democracy and freedom in Harare. Morgen actually averted a genocide in Zimbabwe,thank u for saving lives..
The only mistake made in this struggle was trusting South Africa to mediate and SADC being a lame duck that it was always was and will be. No respect for decomcracy, peoples rights, corruption, money laundering etc etc…Mugabe is the only leader who was given a mandate in 2008 to rule Zimbabwe despite losing an election. Wat the ****. SADC u r a disgrace?
Vince, you are A star. You have NAILED it. I remember those years in particular the day I met Paradzi Zimondi in Harare when he told me he was leaving for Moza the following Tuesday. I think that feeing is almost there now.Vanhu vaneta.
Thank you Vince. Thank you Morgan and all those brave people who have risked their lives for democracy in Zimbabwe. You are indeed liberation heroes.
this article is of note its the timing is early
Good article. Thanks to all those who have stood up against illegal acts of injustice, often at great risk to themselves.
All those who could not vote for whatever reason – be ready to claim your rights under the Constitution. These are enshrined rights – that every Zimbabwean has a right to be able to vote. Human rights.
People are fighting to free themselves from themselves.WHAT A SHAME.Long live Dr Morgan,long live MDC, Long live Freedom fighters,long live the CHINJA SPIRIT,LONG LIVE!
Well spoken, Vince – have felt this for so long. The battle has truly just begun. These iniquities have to be disclosed so all can see what they have been supporting. Now more than ever must we stand together for freedom. Thank you Vince and more than that thank you to the countless people who have bravely given their lives for this freedom and to those who have lost their all, and to Morgan in his quest for justice.
One of the rare voices of reason,we are so quick to judge,blame and criticize,from the comfort of our offices,houses etc and offer advice what should and shouldnt have been done,forgetting theory and reality can be poles apart.Tsvangirayi and many men and women working with him took a big risk in a den of dangerous and ruthless lions.They have been beaten,arrested,persecuted,threatened and they are still standing strong facing the Giant enemy with courage and humility,they derseve encouragement and a huge THANK U,THE STRUGGLE continues dont despair millions are pinning their hopes on you
This is good for MDC people not for Zimbabweans who know what junk and rubbish Morgan and his school boys are
We will never sell our land for sugar
Vince please if want us to read your stuff please post natural articles than your matrix thinking
You think Zimbabwe is a movie, the war you talking about you have never seen it or even been part of it like some of us who had family killed by those so called Rodies an todate I have never said sorry
We, the majority of ordinary Zimbabweans whose right to self determination was rigged by ZANU – pf, a criminal cabal bent on self preservation because of their decades of treating us as third class citizens, we do understand where people like you come from. We’re not asking you to stop whatever you doing as your head is stuck in the feeding trough. Do what you do, and we’ll do what we feel is necessary in the course of our journey. Just stay away, out of it, it’s not for greedy pigs who don’t look at the bigger picture. We fear no man born of a woman!!!
What of people whose relatives were killed by zpf thugs? If you were given land, it was because of MT.your party was using land as a tramp card after having realised that people were no longer interested in zpf.
You chose an excellent quote from Kahil Gibran’s ‘The Prophet’. Unfortunately the MDC leadership did not heed the prophet’s sage advice. Your effusive praise of Morgan Tsvangirai is generous, but misplaced. It is difficult to express our sense of betrayal when he joined Mugabe in government, holding hands with him, and referring to him as part of the solution and not the problem. It was pitiful to see him pleading with Western democracies (on Mugabe’s behalf) to lift sanctions targeted at Mugabe and ZANU(PF), while Mugabe didn’t lift a finger to implement a single democratic reform. And, what kind of example did Morgan Tsvangirai set with his sordid affairs? In truth, he and MDC have fallen from grace. We must now start afresh. It is up to a younger generation to build a new political culture based on personal integrity and an abiding belief in constitutionalism and democratic values. Having had the honour and privilege of working with just such young Zimbabweans, I have no doubt that Zimbabwe will one day see its place in the sun.
Thank you, Vince we indeed have to thank Morgan for taking us this far. Despite the challenges Zimbabwe will never been the same because of Tsvangirai. He has impacted positively to the development of democracy. Bravo Morgan. Continue the struggle, we are together.Even ZANU PF will never do things the old way.
Nice article, even if naive. Look around you Vince. Corruption is an international standard……UK, Saudi and BAE, France and Rwanda, Sweden and SAAB…….USA and Iraq, The list goes on and on.The moral high standards that we all strive for are based on western standards. Why are these always correct? Obviously they are not.
Maybe its time for us all to re learn our own traditions, follow them and construct our country accordingly. Only then will we have no one else to blame for our collective wrong doings. I challenge the person who has done no wrong to throw the first stone at ZANU PF. That person will certainly not come from MDC.
Keep writing
Good and positive thoughts Vince.Brave men ideed Morgan and his team. Prayers for people like Collin Mackenzie – they need redemption from themselves.
Tsvangirai doesnt fight for democracry. he fights to plz the so called international community. the problem of most zimbabweans is inferiority complex towards the americans and europeans,it there was no mdc,zimbabwe will be far by now…you said the devil is a liar,its true and the word of God says it, the only problem is you dont see its you who have been lied to. read the word of God and then read the mdc policies and zanu pf policies. come and comment which is close to the word of God..most people have their own personal hate towards some leaders and you want to nationalise your hate. zimbabwe is still the breadbasket of africa. go in every country and find a zimbabwean ,they are leaders in every field. is tht not feeding these countries.
This article is right on the money and has moved me to tears.Thank you Vince for saying what a lot of forward thinking Zimbabweans are thinking.Morgan Tsvangirai is a hero as far as I am concerned.If it hadn’t been for him Zimbabwe would be much worse off than it is now.We must now continue the fight for a better Zimbabwe for all.
thank you Morgan Richard Tsvangirai for bringing democracy peace and sense of oneness . now is the time to lead by passing the stick to a younger leader
A very thoughtful and touching letter Vince. Many of us are disillusioned by the unjustifiable criticism meted out to Mr Morgan Tsvangirai and those very brave men and women – standing tall, whilst we are silenced by the brutality of it all. The least we can do is to acknowledge their courage and bravery and give them our wholehearted support – which we do.
‘Thank you’ is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot. Thank you expresses extreme gratitude, humility, understanding.
Alice Walker
To you too – for articulating what we feel.
Well said. Thank Morgan, Biti, Chamisa and the rest of the team
Thank u Dr Tsvangirai we alwyz behd support u
Thank you Vince. Indeed it is always easy to assess a decision with the benefit of hindsight. I have painfully read many armchair critics rip Tsvangirai apart for doing this today and for not doing that the other day.I have had the privilege to interact with him and has been left to conclude that he is a great, humble man. He is a rare breed of a fighter…always chooses the path of peace. I have traversed the breadth and length of our country and has been left with no doubt that Tsvangirai brought promise for a better Zimbabwe, hope and self belief in the young, the unemployed, the downtrodden, the victims of Zanu PF hegemony, mothers and fathers, the old, those in towns and the urban folk that indeed Zimbabwe can turn the corner and be prosperous and rewarding to ALL (not the connected or chosen few)its citizens.
It is Tsvangirai and him team that has made Zimbabwe a better place today. Those who preach that he has done a shoddy job must think first and take account of what they (themselves) have done for Zimbabweans. Most have done NOTHING.
To Save i would like to say thank you for taking us this far. May the Lord give you more strength as we move forward. The struggle continues.
Great article Vince. They are brave in what they done (taking on the tyrant), but like myself and over a million Zimbabweans that have emigrated, we and everyone in Zimbabwe always knew and will always know the outcome of elections. Mugabe and his party, the military and all his cronies will never ever cede power to anyone, therefore there will be no change in my lifetime unless there is a revolution. What the MDC have done is legitimize this dictator and his cronies. Meanwhile the rich get richer and the poor get poorer so the exodus continues. It’s good trying to be positive, but i can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel.
Very interesting article.thank God for Morgan tsvangirai.
Dear vince you seem to forget that war was fought in 1970s,freedom and democracy is a product of that war where was your hero Mr Tsvangirai then.There is one thing you ought to understand brother no one is fighting Mr Tsvangirai or MDC but Africa as a whole is against the Westen demon of degradation and colonisation and Mr Tsvangirai is caught in between as a suspect who want to facilitate the Western interest.His excellent comrade RG Mugabe is an African Defender and a true Hero who brought freedom and democracy to Zimbabwe.If the British were good they could have given us freedom without a fight.
what a brave man MT. to imagine that not anybody including those from the liberation struggle could stand up against z.p.f and survive the challenge
Brilliant article. Well done Vince.
A well thought out article. Just an addition: Mugabe is so cruel, once he realizes that you challenge him, he will do everything to make sure you are dead. Ndabaningi Sithole died a pauper (treated badly), Canaan Banana (accussed of sodomy), Former Chief Justie Dumbutshena, Rev. Pius Ncube (set up for adultery) and now Cry the Beloved Country for Tsvangirai…..Mugabe will slowly rip him apart ! See the systematic start of the drama with the infidel stories a few days ago ! A lot of cases will be built upon him and Tsvangirai will end up a pauper also. The CIO are at work 24 hours to do that. His houses will be sold, stories of corruption whilst in government will be cooked up…..Not only to Tsvangirai will it happen……even to his fellow lieutenants (Chamisa, Biti……) Mugabe will destroy them (least you forget what happened to Learnmore Jongwe). This new chapter that has begun needs brave men…..Amadhodha Sibili….fearless, principled men of unquestionable integrity to take the battle to another level.
It is high time brave men take up ranks and sarife everything and stand up to the despot. This revolution will eat a lot of our children….those that remain will tell the happy-sad story. Let the battle begin.
Charles I don’t need prayer I need peace and tranquillity, to prevail within the next generation.
People like Vince write movie lines and post them and think we so stupid .
Only those brain washed and have been made to feel like the only think that make Zimbabwe a great country is if you have to work with the same people, the imperialist British fools.
I will never ever like the British nor the Americans
I will be the first person, if war broke in Zimbabwe to stand up for Zimbabwe.
I hate them to much, finish.