The carpet’s to blame – ZimVigil Diary: 21st February 2015

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via The carpet’s to blame – Zimbabwe Vigil Diary: 21st February 2015 22 February 2015

Zimbabweans in the UK gathered in force outside the Embassy to mark Mugabe’s 91st birthday. There was a festive atmosphere amid confidence that this would be his last birthday in office.

 

The increasingly confused tyrant was supposed to be in South Africa attending to his duties as supreme leader of SADC (and Africa in general) but seems to have caught the wrong plane and turned up outside the Embassy, where he demonstrated how Mai Mujuru hid under the carpet and almost caused him to fall. ‘This is very underfoot behaviour’ he said ‘This is why we have kicked her out’.

 

The demonstration brought together a wide range of diaspora groups united in a demand that Mugabe must go. Pride of place went to a new banner commissioned by Makusha Mugabe of MDC T which listed all the participating groups: Zimbabwe Vigil, MDC-T UK (also USA, Canada, Australia and South Africa), Zimbabwe African People’s Union UK (ZAPU-UK), Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR), Occupy Africa Unity Square (OAUS UK), Zimbabwe Yes We Can, Zimbabweans United for Democracy (ZUNDE), Zimbabwe Social Democrats and the Swaziland Vigil.

 

Among the speakers was Ephraim Tapa, President of ROHR, who said that, for the sake of Zimbabwe, it was time for the diaspora to come together and ‘sing a new song’. For his full speech see: http://www.zimvigil.co.uk/vigil-news/campaign-news/662-ephraim-tapas-speech-at-the-21st-february-2015-demonstration. David Mbinga of the Occupy Africa Unity Square group said ‘Today we declared total warfare against Mugabe’.

 

Other points

  • Thanks to Fungayi Mabhunu who donned our Mugabe mask and demonstrated Mugabe’s fall to the assembled media. Fortunately, unlike Mugabe, he had lots of friends around to prevent him crashing to the ground. Thanks to Epiphania Phiri for putting an advertisement in her local paper (the Luton and Dunstable Herald and Post) to encourage Zimbabweans in the area to attend the protest.

  • Among the people with us today was the former Zimbabwean diplomat Clifford Mashiri who has written an open letter to the EU Head of Mission to Zimbabwe, Mr Philippe Van Damme, calling for some of the EU’s money going to Zimbabwe to be used to put in place measures to ensure free and fair elections in future. For his letter see: http://www.thezimbabwean.co/opinions/letters-to-the-editor/74897/open-letter-from-the-diaspora.html).

  • We remind supporters to write to their MP calling for a parliamentary debate on Zimbabwe. For sample letters, see: http://www.zimvigil.co.uk/vigil-news/campaign-news/659-letters-to-mps-re-parliamentary-debate.

  • Thanks to ROHR members: Fungisai Mupandira, Sally Mutseyami, Xoliso Sithole, Deborah Harry, Shylette Chipangura, Hilda Gwesele and Patricia Masamba for selling snacks and drinks to fundraise for the Vigil. Thanks also to Cephas Moswoswa for bringing a birthday cake.

  • Thanks also to Mavis Chisvo, helped by Eunice Mucherechedzo, for taking care of the Vigil table on a very busy day.

 

For latest Vigil pictures check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/. Please note: Vigil photos can only be downloaded from our Flickr website.

 

FOR THE RECORD: 98 signed the register but there were many more at the protest.

 

EVENTS AND NOTICES:

  • ROHR Central London Branch meeting: Saturday 28th February at 11 am. Venue: The Theodore Bullfrog, 26-30 John Adam Street, London WC2N 6HL.

  • Zimbabwe Yes We Can meeting. Saturday 28th February at 12 noon. Venue: The Theodore Bullfrog, 26-30 John Adam Street, London WC2N 6HL.

  • Zimbabwe Yes We Can Movement holds monthly meetings in London as the political face of ROHR and the Vigil.

  • ROHR Reading Branch general meeting and outreach. Saturday 28 February from 10.30 am – 5 pm. Venue: RISC 35-39 London Street, Reading, Berkshire RG1 4PS. For further enquiries contact: Information and Publicity Officer: 07888310582.

  • ROHR Executive Meeting: Saturday 7th March at 12 noon. Venue: Strand Continental Hotel (first floor lounge), 143 Strand, London WC2R 1JA. For directions see below.

  • Zimbabwe Action Forum (ZAF). Saturday 7th March from 6.15 pm.. From the Vigil it’s about a 10 minute walk, in the direction away from Trafalgar Square. The Strand Continental is situated on the south side of the Strand between Somerset House and the turn off onto Waterloo Bridge. The entrance is marked by a sign at street level. It’s between a newsagent and Pizza Express. Nearest underground: Temple (District and Circle lines) and Holborn.

  • Zimbabwe Action Forum (ZAF) meets regularly after the Vigil to discuss ways to help those back in Zimbabwe to fight oppression and achieve true democracy.

  • Next Swaziland Vigil. Saturday 7th March from 10 am to 1 pm outside the Swaziland High Commission, 20 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6LB.

  • The Rise and Shine of Comrade Fiasco, a play by Zimbabwean writer Andrew Whaley showing at the Gate Theatre, 11 Pembridge Road, London W11 3HQ from 26th February to 21st March. The theatre has given the Vigil flyers with a promo code for discounted tickets of £5 until 14th March. These can be picked up from the Vigil. Check: http://www.gatetheatre.co.uk/events/all-productions/the_rise_and_shine_of_comrade_fiasco for more information and to book.

  • The Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR) is the Vigil’s partner organization based in Zimbabwe. ROHR grew out of the need for the Vigil to have an organization on the ground in Zimbabwe which reflected the Vigil’s mission statement in a practical way. ROHR in the UK actively fundraises through membership subscriptions, events, sales etc to support the activities of ROHR in Zimbabwe. Please note that the official website of ROHR Zimbabwe is http://www.rohrzimbabwe.org/. Any other website claiming to be the official website of ROHR in no way represents us.

  • Zimbabwe Vigil Highlights 2014 can be viewed on this link: http://www.zimvigil.co.uk/vigil-news/campaign-news/642-zimbabwe-vigil-highlights-2014. Links to previous years’ highlights are listed on 2014 Highlights page.

 

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