The whole world is watching

A promising future, a ruined present, but still full of hope. This sums up the plight of Zimbabwe of today. When it was born from the ashes of Rhodesia, it was the bright light of Africa. Now, that light has been shattered by a proud tyrant. But, there is a slim chance that the light could be lit, if the elections currently are any indication. We could see the end of tyranny in Zimbabwe, but nothing is sure till the end.

Robert Mugabe, the president of Zimbabwe ever sicne its birth, has systematically destroyed the foundations of it. Using the past as a weapon as well as to consolidate his power, he has destroyed the promise that Zimbabwe once held. A thriving bread basket, a net exporter of food and minerals, it now has nothing. It only has one thing to boast, a record inflation touching five digits or unofficially six digits. A loaf of bread is worth a years salary for ordinary zimbabweans.

What went wrong? Everything. Mao Zedong once exclaimed that, "In order for (China) to save itself, it needs to destroy itself". Mugabe, being an admirer of Mao, took it to the word. He was perhaps too caught up with Zimbabwe's past, and was too proud of his accomplishments of freeing blacks from white Rhodesian rulers. A freedom fighter, a hero, slowly turned into a villain, when it came to going back to the fundamentals as well as absolute power.

It began with the economy, and it has spread to every fibre of Zimbabwean life. In minerals, it is managing to sustain itself, although barely. In food, it has gone from bad to worse, and the value of its currency is now plummeted so low that the great depression is pale in comparison. The media is under the government, and in sports, notably cricket, it has being nothing short of a tragedy.

Zimbabwe were world beaters in Cricket, although not consistently. They have natural talent, and I as a cricket fan was always tense, because they would be so unpredictable. But, come 2000, when Mugabe's awry economic policies were implemented, many of the white players left the team in protest for the death of democracy. In 2003, a famous incident of a black cricketer, named Henry Olonga, wore an arm-band in the world cup in South Africa. He retired from Cricket, and now lives in exile in the UK.

Leaving Cricket aside, i am stil amazed at the positivity and resillience of ordinary Zimbabweans. Any other group of people would have indulged in anarchy or violence of destructive proportions. But, Mugabe's suppression has even blocked that option out. People are looking to this election for hope, and one that will end the turmoil that Mugabe has unleashed.

Thw whole world is watching, but only the people of Zimbabwe have the right to rid the wrong in their country. A glimmer of hope comes only once in a lifetime, and it is only now that the people can rid the wrong on their own. As someone who cares for Zimbabwe, although i am not one, I hope this election brings Zimbabwe the right results.