- Dear Family and Friends,
-
- This week the privately owned Tribune newspaper lost
its court battle to re-open and became the third Zimbabwean independent
paper to have been closed down by our government in less than a year. The
scope of communication and access to information is getting smaller by
the day and was reduced even more this week when the price of postage stamps
increased by 500%, making even letter writing a luxury most cannot afford.
-
- Our lives are now so filled with propaganda from the
state media that it has become almost impossible to separate fact from
fiction and most of us have absolutely no idea what is true about our country
any more. There has been much talk in recent weeks about whether or not
Zimbabwe is going to need world food aid later in 2004. According to President
Mugabe and a handful of government ministers, we will not, and are apparently
reaping a bumper harvest. The President even went as far as to say that
Zimbabwe did not want to choke on world food aid. This week I travelled
200 kilometres east from my home town through what has always been very
productive commercial farm land and had a chance to see for myself what
the signs were of a bumper harvest.
-
- Frankly. what I saw was shocking and the word that came
to my mind most often on the journey was: nothingness. My head was full
of questions:
-
- Where is everyone I thought. Where are all these newly
harvested fields.
- Where are all the people?
-
- Every now and again along the roadside farms you see
three or four scrappy, tatty huts and occasionally one or two women just
sitting outside in the sun, but mostly you just see nothing except deserted
bush. There is no sign of bustling communities, busy village life, thriving
small holdings or even happy family groups, you just see nothing. In between
the huts are miles and miles of nothing except deserted farms whose once
lush fields are thick with dry grass, rank weeds and thorn bushes and have
certainly not been ploughed or planted for the last year or even two.
-
- Perhaps Zimbabwe's bumper harvest is not visible from
the roadside but the view I had was eerily frightening and with almost
no free press left to describe these scenes, I dread to think what lies
ahead for ordinary Zimbabweans in the coming months, especially as we approach
elections.
-
- I end this week on a sad note. Just six days after having
started the Christopher Campaign to try and get support for Aids victims
and their carers and families in my home town, it was with great sadness
that I learnt that Christopher passed away on Thursday night. When I heard
the news I was bereft that we had been just too late to help him. I was
ashamed that when I had visited him the week before I had only been able
to help in such a small way with just one bag of toiletries. Perhaps those
few minutes and that small bag gave a moment of comfort to Christopher.
-
- The death of Christopher has strengthened my resolve
to help others in such dire circumstances. Well over a hundred people emailed
from all over the world with pledges of support and assistance and on behalf
of our small Christopher team, I thank you all. Christopher is one of 3000
Zimbabweans who die every week from Aids but his name and memory will live
on through the Christopher Campaign. This letter is dedicated to the life
of Christopher.
-
- Until next week, with love, cathy.
-
- Copyright cathy buckle 24th July 2004.
-
- http://africantears.netfirms.com
- My books on the Zimbabwean crisis, "African Tears"
and "Beyond Tears" are available outside Africa from: orders@africabookcentre.com
- http://www.africabookcentre.com
- http://www.amazon.co.uk
-
- in Australia and New Zealand:
- johnmreed@johnreedbooks.com.au
-
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