...they first make mad. Or so the adage goes.
On 18 April 1980, Zimbabwe scrapped its old name of Rhodesia and became an independent nation, with a new name. Robert Mugabe commemorated it today, the twenty-eighth anniversary of independence, with this speech.
"Our political history is well known, yet with time, we feel more challenged to recall it, especially for those who appear ignorant of it or are deliberately engaged in reversing the gains of our liberation struggle...We, not the British, established democracy based on one person, one vote - democracy which rejected racial or gender discrimination and upheld human rights and religious freedom."
What does not come out of the audio portion, however, is this jingoism: an encouragement for all Zimbabweans "to maintain utmost vigilance in the face of vicious British machinations and the machinations of our other detractors, who are allies of Britain...Whereas yesterday they relied on brute force to subjugate our people and plunder our resources, today they have perfected their tactics to more subtle forms."
Morgan Tsvangirai, on the same day, has been blackballed a "traitor" and British proxy by the Zimbabwean justice minister, Patrick Chinamasa, who cites a (forged) memorandum reproduced in the state-owned Herald. Rumour had it that the MDC would include some ZANU-PF personnel in a new government, similar to recent events in Kenya, in the event that such an option would be put on the table. Military hardliners, alas, rejected any such notions.
One need not emphasize that the electoral results from some three weeks ago are still not known. Does this even matter anymore?
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