- Dear Family and Friends,
-
- Parliament re-opened on Tuesday this week but all attempts
to watch the full event on state run TV were in vain. There was a power
cut just a few minutes after the special repeat broadcast began and the
night went dark and quiet - again. Those few brief minutes however had
been more than enough to raise eyebrows. A number of "cultural reforms"
have been undertaken by Zimbabwe's parliament which now resembles a safari
lodge. A stuffed leopard and two antelope heads hang on the walls and a
leopard skin adorns the ceremonial chair used by Mr Mugabe. Two enormous
elephant tusks now frame the Presidential chair and it was between these
two great teeth that Mr Mugabe stood to address the House. Near him sat
Mrs Mugabe on a high backed green leather chair which had been carefully
placed on a striking zebra skin. Hardly had these images registered and
before the speech began, the electricity went off.
-
- The images of our leaders sitting amongst elephants and
kudu, zebra and leopard are particularly ironic now as the country plunges
back in time and people ravage the environment in order to survive.Our
lavishly decorated safari parliament is about as far away from the reality
of life in Zimbabwe as you can possibly imagine.
-
- Every morning the sound in urban and rural Zimbabwe is
that of wood chopping. All day every day you see lines of women walking
with bundles of great long tree branches balanced on their heads and men
with hand carts and wheel barrows piled high with newly chopped indigenous
wood. All day, every day and in every direction you see smoke. Some is
from urban householders cooking outside on open fires. More is from incessant
uncontrolled fires streaming across the horizon, consuming everything in
their path.
-
- Seeing the massive amount of wood collecting and looking
at horizons permanently smudged with smoke, you cannot help but wonder
how Zimbabwe's wildlife can possibly survive this unrelenting attack on
the environment. Grass for grazers is reduced to ash, leaves for browsers
is burnt out and trees for shade, shelter and habitat are felled. Undoubtedly
the abundance and variety of birds, reptiles, mammals and insects is under
severe threat as the assault on our envirnoment continues unchecked.
-
- The reality of life in Zimbabwe has been shocking in
the last week. In my home area the electricity was cut for over 29 working
hours during the week. The price of a loaf of bread shot up from one to
two hundred thousand dollars overnight. The foreign currency rate soared
on the black market with one British Pound selling for one million Zimbabwe
dollars.
-
- Appreciating cultural reforms of elephant tusks and leopard
skins is a world away from bread we can't afford, bills we can't pay and
hours and hours on end when we cannot work or conduct our business as the
electricity is off. Reality in Zimbabwe draws ever further away.
-
- Until next week, thanks for reading,
-
- love cathy
-
- 29 July 2006 Copyright cathy buckle
- http://africantears.netfirms.com
- My books "African Tears" and
- "Beyond Tears" are available from: orders@africabookcentre.com
;
- www.africabookcentre.com
|
