So go the lyrics sung by Bob Marley almost 30 years ago at the coronation of the new Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe. The rest of the melody entitled Zimbabwe Marley eloquently sings about the tossing out of the British as colonial power...No more internal power struggle, brother you're right, you're right, we'll have to fight for our rights, divide and rule could only tear us apart, in every man's chest there beats a heart and I don't want my people to be tricked by mercenaries...Africans liberate Zimbabwe.
Sadly Mugabe spent the better part of his 28 year rule spitting on the very ideals expressed by one of the greatest musicians of the 20th Century. Nobody will soon forget his government's crackdown on all basic freedoms desired by the citizens of Zimbabwe, how he allowed inflation levels to reach over 100,000 percent to become the world's most bankrupt economy and Mugabe's incessant election rigging. Many of us remember the world's outrage when video evidence clearly showed he was involved in the brutal beating of his main political rival in early 2007; Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai. Indeed, Mugabe's very actions and his disdain for the democractic process one could almost be forgiven for forgetting that at one point, Mr. Mugabe was a victim of Britain's suppression of democratic rights in the former Rhodesia.
I actually bumped into Mugabe in South Africa back in 2002, and I watched as he addressed a major environmental summit in Joburg. I couldn't get over how often he referenced the evil British Empire, to the delight of most of the crowd. Back then, Mugabe was forcing white farmers off Zimbabwean lands, and this caused global outrage. Given the colonial meddling that occured before Mugabe's fight for the Presidency, I was not opposed to this controversial move as long as forced removal's were gradual and those taking over farm lands be trained in Agricultural production. Of course, this did not happen and Mugabe used the land to reward his cronies, many who had little if any farming experience. No surprise, Zimbabwe became a major recipient of the World Food Programme and food shortages continue to this day.
Election Uncertainty
The march 2008 Presidential election has come and gone. Overwhelming reports indicate Mugabe lost and this is one reason why election results have yet to be released. Nobody forgets what happened in Kenya's most recent election and how delay and fears of vote-rigging sparked massive violence and uneccessary slaughter across the country. Even if he has miraculously won the election legitimately surely Mugabe is guilty of negligence for generating mass uncertainty and panic on the streets of Harare and throughout the country. But his Presidency has clearly been defined by such uncertainties and it would not be a stretch to suggest it charges him up, amplifying the desperation of a man bent on clinging to power at all cost.
Mugabe defends his violent actions by suggesting he is a constant target of a nefarious British plot to overthrow him. Of course this proposed plot would be hard for anyone to prove otherwise, and it plays to Mugabe's key strength as a quasi-revolutionary, a one-time African freedom fighter. Other African leaders have bought into this line and are afraid to 'rock the boat.' As Archbishop Desmond Tutu commented recently "African leadership has not done themselves proud on this one..."
From Past to Present
If he were alive today Bob Marley would agree with the Archbishop's sentiments, and though he would be extremely disappointed in the hypocrisy demonstrated in almost every action of Mr. Mugabe and his followers, Marley held a disdain for the political process because he saw how it corrupted men who once stood for something.
Robert Mugabe needs to face himself in the mirror: WHO rules by divide and conquer tactics, tricks the people with mercenaries, causes internal power struggles and tears a nation apart?
