This piece-, is a train of thoughts inspired by the speech made by seasoned journalist and human rights defender Mister Hopewell Chin'ono. In this piece, I shall consult various reactions from various commentators and then weigh in on my views based on their reactions. First things first that have to be established in this regard are that under the sun, sourcing from the universal human rights. According to the Universal Declaration of the Human rights, Article 19, "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression, this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers". Article 19 of the Declaration of Human Rights serves as the north star in developing the thought process founded around the notion of expression. There are a number of nuances that come around the notion of "expression", the essay shall seek to explore unpack, uncover, and deduce what is expression and how do we quantify expression.
What has to be established before one dives further into observing this point of conversation is that do not be fooled by their silence like a magician. They can whip out a crocodile from their hats, they gambled with their lives when they operated and tailored the coup in November 2017. At any moment or second are they not prepared to let go of her, this means that they are prepared for an all-out assault and invest all hooks and crooks to consolidate their gains. In gains, I explicitly point out to them where they intentionally removed-, and deleted the old Mugabe government and they are in the process of building their own government fashioned against their visions and perspectives. Which has resulted and led Mister Hopewell Chin'ono and other free thinkers to be critical of the governance of Zimbabwe. This has then led Mister Hopewell Chin'ono to speak at the Human Rights Geneva conference about the deplorable state of Zimbabwe.
In weaving the whole conversation around free speech, and freedom we get to note that when critical thinkers and speakers then decide to trade in their time to speak their minds. In many cases, they would have witnessed and observed a conflict that is before them juxtaposed against the mass's ideals. That is to get to converse about the contextual complexities that have derailed the visions of access to justice, electoral reforms, and social reforms.
Let us get into detail by looking at Mister Chin'ono's speech in Geneva, at the Human rights conference. In order to understand where the conviction of Mister Chin'ono, I propose and submit his award-winning documentary called, Pain in my heart. Mister Chin'ono mentions the documentary in his speech. Putting into context the essence, of this documentary into perspectives conjoined with Article 19. Knowledge is anchored on understanding, and understanding is anchored on human interest. In that same cloth, we get to understand that the body of work that has inspired the award-winning journalist is to at least in his and everyone's lifetime witness the true potential of Zimbabwe. Thus in my understanding that is where the fire comes from and that is his source of inspiration. Focusing on the integral role of journalists under the precincts of democracy journalists are the lifeblood of reasoning in any free-thinking state. This is founded on the three pillars that inspired the French revolution, a historical monument that set out the precedence of the modern world, the tenents of democracy are Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette led a state that had sunken to depths that no mortal being in its right sense may allow itself to struggle with dignity. In turn understanding, the responsibility of journalists is, to tell the truth as it is. The onus befalls the people to decide which route they deem to take and there should be no internal or external interferences when a state or country or people then decide to choose its own path. On the same whim, the British monarchies-, and neighbouring monarchies had to enact swift reforms so as to avoid any cross-pollination of revolutionary ideas across Europe that would mark the end of monarchies in Europe. Fast-forwarding to 2012, when the Arab Spring started in the streets of Tunis, many dictatorships were toppled in a matter of months or weeks the likes of Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, Ben Ali of Tunisia, Muammar Al Gaddafi (though there are conflicting debates around the demise of the Libyan leader, which in time I shall return and discuss at length my views). Some monarchies across the middle east sought to reform, not explicitly but some reforms were implemented in states such as Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and The U.A.E. among other states. In that same whim, journalists were at the forefront to tell the story of the people by the people for the people. Unfortunately, this then meant the work of the journalists led them to become public enemy number one automatically and unintentionally. One such critic saw its fate at the mercy of authoritarian regimes in the late Jamal Khashoggi. In essence what I am building upon here is that journalists play an integral role in weaving, maintaining, and consolidating mass consciousness on matters that matter or are of national interest. In that same breath Article 19 then comes to the fray in protecting humanity, based on the unanimous reasoning that it states it safeguards the propagation of information from one point to the other. This then leads one to mention the accelerated consolidation of information from yesterday to today.
History repeats itself and the men of new cease to learn from the men of old. When the Nazi party rose to the summit of power they had a minister of propaganda Josef Goebbels. He was the mastermind of the image and ideas of Adolf Hitler. That saw the manifestation of concentration camps in places like Auschwitz where millions of Jews-, and Romani people were murdered, fast-forwarding to the era of the soviet union under Josef Stalin the media was consolidated to best serve the views of Stalin, where persons such as Tomas Schuman akaYuri Bezmenov defected to America. The war on terror in Iraq when and where the whole world stood by and witnessed Iraq being invaded in 2003 and agreed with American propaganda that saw the collapse of Iraq and saw the rise of ISIS. Trickling down to Africa Mobutu Seseko maintained a firm grip on what was to be said about him and his administration. In the same breath from 1998 to date under the Mugabe, the regime arrested the media and was consolidated under one blanket no an Iron curtain that saw the bombing of the Dailynews headquarters in Harare then led to the banning of the media house for almost a decade in Zimbabwe. The above cherry-picked historical incidences play or sum up the perspective that suggests and explores the role of independent media. Furthermore, the above point explores and raises the point that notes that people in power will consolidate the media or the journalists and nudge them to narrate a tale that best fits and meets their expectations as they are institutions of power and power has been arrested from the hands of the people and have been rested in the hands of a few elite persons. They believe they have an unwarranted and undebated responsibility for the destiny and determination of a country. Which is then at odds with contractual expectations of the trident of democracy. In essence, journalists play a role and should play a role in telling like it is-, as is and how it should be without fear or favour or any allegiance. This then leads one to raise the conversation around the role of Mister Chin'ono as a journalist that has seen it fitting to use his skills to conscentise the people of Zimbabwe of the true reality of Zimbabwe. Understanding the reasoning behind the above segment one suggests that we pay attention to the November coup of 2017. It is undoubtedly and undeniably the statesman "Mugabe" had fallen short of the support from everyone, the nation, the army-, and even his closest allies all shunned him. It was a matter of time to witness the fall of the then once-revered leader that fell short of being an immortal. Thus the public of Zimbabwe and the whole world witnessed a power struggle between the old guard and the new guard. Which then resorted to the old guard to spurn and act as if they are giving Zimbabweans the freedom that they yearned for. Alas, Zimbabweans were dupped only to realise we ended up holding a pound of fools gold, what happened in Egypt happened in Zimbabwe. What is being woven in this body of mental conversation is that Mister Chin'ono among others that have dedicated their time, efforts, and energy to safeguarding the remaining remnants of the 2017 euphoria use their hard-earned platforms to raise mass consciousness. From one's view is the echo of article 19, thus we are witnessing the remnants of information being wrestled by those in power and those that want to be free thinkers.
From one's point of view, I perceive and understand that Mister Chin'ono's speech in Geneva serves no harm or ill to anyone. As it serves to spread the information about what is actually happening in Zimbabwe. Therefore in any whim of inspiration based on the platform that inspires the advocacy of democracy, it is important for those that are skilled in extracting accurate information to do so without fear or favour they have woven or yoked themselves against the responsibility of telling the truth and tell it as it is. Thus giving the people the onus of deciding what to absorb and not to absorb. It is not up to the state or its media or any arms it has to restrict the masses to decide on what to listen to or hear but to decipher on their own. This then means intimidation should be off the cards, threats must be off the cards, and intentional harm to another has to be off the cards. The focus in this regard is to build or break down further and raise the following point. The truth is inexcusable, unavoidable, and cannot be removed as it must and should serve the people. When people in power decide to harass those that have the sole responsibility of doing their job or fulfilling the code enshrined in Article "19". It then becomes a problem, one of the pointers that I have noticed is that when one seeks to harm another. In which they know that what they are doing is wrong and they must not undertake any activities that seek to harm anyone. The truth yokes at the same time it liberates.
It cannot be debated nor may it be denied that ever since the nation of Zimbabwe founded its independence it has been marred, tainted by corrupt officials. Officials traded the camouflage for the suit. The project Zimbabwe was never intended to build a nation, one nation; the project Zimbabwe was forged against the notion of maintaining the old order that was established by the Smith regime. Then forged to benefit the newer custodians of the farmhouse. In order to be in the house, you have to kiss and shine their boots to the extent that they recognise your activities-, and you are given a morsel or two of bread from their inherited table. The rest of the nation we all become infinite versions of Boxer the horse. Work for the state, build the state, ask no questions, the reason no more, do as you are told-, and build the windmill until you die. Then replaced by another boxer the horse version two-point-eight, a system that carries on and on until time decides to collapse. This then meant that a fertile breeding ground for corruption, nepotism, and kleptocracy took a firm foothold within Zimbabwe. In one's proposal though debated as is one might suggest the roots of democratic decay started in 1982 when Gukurahundi started. Due to the fact that no one is willing to discuss the actual causes of the "violence". So far what can be submitted before the counsel is this hypothesis, "Gukurahundi was a politically inspired move that had the intention of establishing a party state, the common enemy was removed however there were two bulls in one kraal. Each party had a dagger hidden behind the back and it was a matter of time before the masses' observed in Mugabe was the first to make his move, again it is a hypothesis that is still being developed with time hopefully a conclusive submission shall be made public". The capture of the judiciary in the 2000s with the firing of Anthony Gubbay meant that the appointments that were and are to be made were all anchored around a spoiled, polluted appointment system which in turn all witnessed 2002, 2008 violence that saw the death of many MDC supporters.
In the focus of maintaining political control of Zimbabwe and economical control of Zimbabwe, it has to be understood forthwith. In Zimbabwe, those that run the politics of the country are the same people that are running, monopolising, and controlling unabatedly the commerce of Zimbabwe. This then means that the politics and economics of Zimbabwe are forcibly conjoined. Therefore there is not much nor there is much autonomy in Zimbabwe both politically or economically for any Zimbabwean to self actualise. This in turn means that the masses are at the mercy of the elites of the country that have instead kept a state, they in turn have privatised a state. Thus making Zimbabwe a feudal state in the twenty-first century. A distant cousin of Eswatini, if the economic opportunities are limited the chances of self-actualising for any person in any field of profession is either non-existent or slim "unless you are part and parcel of the system". In one's observation, this then reverts one to pinpoint and observe that the government of Smith has reincarnated itself in the twenty-first century in essence Zimbabwe is haunted by the ghost of the future past. Basically ever from 1979 to 2022 the country has never seen or witnessed any growth that establishes its original vision, "Of making Zimbabwe a Black Eutopia". The consolidation or gatekeeping of every facet of the industry that comes to mind has resulted in Zimbabwe devaluing and becoming one huge ass-backward state, that still yearns and suckles on yesterday's rhetoric about itself. When in actual terms that rhetoric belongs to the Smith regime as they formulated and designed an economy that best served the white minority. In Zimbabwe, the economy has still been designed to serve the elites with the same vision as Smith. One might suggest and submit the reasoning as to why the powers that be want to establish a victoria falls stock exchange ie creating a parallel stock exchange from the Harare Stock exchange. The elites seek to maintain and consolidate and create two ajar perspectives of a country. Therefore defeating the ends of the reasons that inspired them to go to war in the first instance. This is my suggestion if you have a point and reasoning to share with me and the rest of everyone go ahead, the purpose of this body of work is to trace and try to figure out the reasoning behind Mister Chin'ono's efforts that have led him to present the case of Zimbabwe before the world in the year 2022 in Geneva.
In one's observation thus far the privatisation of a country such as Zimbabwe has created a system that disregards the ethics that are woven against the hallowed garment of access "democracy". The simple word "access" has become more valuable than gold in Zimbabwe. This means the access to education has become expensive, the access to health has become expensive, the access to food has become expensive, the access to justice has become expensive for the ordinary, however, if you are part of the one-percent access becomes a simple word as simple as reciting the vowels "a,e,i,o,u". In one's suggestion, the Covid19 pandemic had its perks of being a negative catastrophe and also being a positive catastrophe. In this, I mean that if it is a positive catastrophe the ineptitude and the tomfoolery of the elite came into the full glare of the public. Triggering a surreal experience that leads one to question what is Zimbabwe, are there parallel perspectives of Zimbabwe. In turn Journalist, Chin'ono served as the sacrificial lamb that exhibits and proves the social experiment to be true. The state of Zimbabwe has become no, has been a kleptocratic state, a kakistocratic state. Where virtually if you know someone at the top, you can get any tender you deem or wish to own or want at that point in time. In essence, this means that instead of opening the due tendering process that welcomes everyone that is willing to serve their country the government of Zimbabwe. According to The Sentry Organisation during the Command Agriculture program. Sakunda Holdings were given the task of providing the services that the government needed to get the program moving. The red flag according to The Sentry Organisation report is that the tendering process was not followed which then raises concerns around the appointment process of who would be persons are supposed to service the country's needs. What this means is that if there are any loopholes or errors or any fault such as inflated prices for services there are no records of that. Furthermore, what was the reason to grant the contract to Sakunda holdings when a private company is meant to be in full access to taxpayer's money? Let alone the owner of the company Sakunda Holdings is the advisor of the President another red flag that affects the processing of clearing and making sure that the interests of the public are best protected in essence what can be understood. Observing to the report is that the failure of following due processes has resulted in corruption to have an uncontrolled, unmonitored, unjustified enrichment of persons that have never gone through the processes that must be followed when hiring any firm to do a job for the government. This then affects aggressively the livelihoods of 15 million Zimbabweans. Legal Tender? - The Sentry
In 2020 during the height of the Coronavirus Journalist Chin'ono uncovered a corruption scandal that was afoot in Zimbabwe. The scandal was centered around the procurement of Covid19 equipment and the Ministry of Health had acquired the services of a company called Drax. Subsequently resulting in the scandal being called "The Draxgate"Zimbabwe Health Minister Draxgate article, the case resulted in the Minister of Health Obadiah Moyo and a series of arrests were made. To of no success to this day, however, Journalist Chin'ono became a person of interest to the institution and he was arrested based on frivolous charges that have not been resolved. The reason being-, is that the journalist was doing his job of exposing the elites of the country that are and were in business with shady characters. The price for speaking his truth the journalist spent forty-five days in prison without trial and then spent twenty-three days in prison without trial and then spent twenty-one days without trial. The Highcourt eventually threw the case away, in total Mister Chin'ono spent at least eighty-nine days in prison without a trial which is almost three months of a year in prison without a trial.
Corruption in Zimbabwe is not only a scourge it is a pandemic that has destroyed the very fabric of a country, instead of awarding people based on merit. The system has become deplorable to the extent the people awarded key posts are based along party lines and who can slob on the boot the most. The appointment of ill-equipped candidates has not only resulted in the country to further downgrading its key potential it has opened the floodgates of ineptitude and inadequacy.
The endemic corruption in Zimbabwe has not only resulted and exposed the country to the wolves it has left the life of millions of Zimbabweans to be at risk. It will not be a shocker if critiques suggest that Zimbabwe is a failed state, or it has already achieved that unflattering achievement. Since 1980 Zimbabwe has not achieved any resounding achievement that ensures the progress of a country, cyclone Idai came and went people are still destitute, Covid19 came is about to go children have lost three years of schooling. The children that depend on public and mission schooling-, therefore. The honest question that would rise to the floor would be must Zimbabweans blame sanctions for the inadequacy that has incapacitated the whole nation. According to Journalist Chin'ono, "two-thousand five hundred Zimbabwean pregnant women die each year from childbirth". Furthermore in an alarming article Seven babies stillborn in one night in one hospital indeed there are various causes that affect mothers to experience stillborn babies. However, in all fairness, there are outside factors that do play a significant role in leading women to have stillborns. One of the many significant factors that can be suggested in this essay is the lack of infrastructure development over the past forty-two years and counting. There is a gap between institutions and those that are running the country. The ones that assumed and believed that saving the people is their duty when actuality they are saving themselves "the people".
"The voice of the people is the voice of God", so it was spoken to this day the voice of God has been morphed into the voice of a mouse housed in a church.
A journalist becomes a public enemy number one when they speak out of context when speaking of the contrary not the contrary of the national direction. So they speak their minds, so they face wagging tongues. In conclusion, a journalist's role is to inform the people of what is going on in the country. It is up to the people to decide what they want to consume based on their own reasoning capacities. Therefore skills such as reading at any age must be emphasised in order for people not to be misled or misinformed. The basis of this essay is to highlight the importance of journalists in today's society where misinformation has been at an all-time high and is never stopping.
You choose your truth.
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