Zimbabwe
I don't know how many of you follow the sinking fortunes of Zimbabwe, the southern African nation that won its independence though a bloody struggle in 1980. At the time Robert Mugabe, elected president by a surprising majority in a nation deeply divided along tribal lines, reached out to all the minorities, tribal and racial, in what looked to be the most promising development in Africa in our lifetime.
Our family spent a sabbatical there in 1984 and, despite the grumbling of the white minority who had enjoyed royal lives before independence, it was one of the most wonderful places we had ever experienced.
Since that time - really since the death of Mugabe's wife Sally - Mugabe has become a ruthless dictator whose only interest is in clinging to his power. In his desperation to do that he has brought the country from one of shining promise - Samora Michel said to him at his inaugeration in 1980, Zimbabwe is the jewel of Africa, take care of her - to a train wreck.
Inflation appraoches 1000% and people are starving.
The problem of virtually all the productive farm land being in the hands of white farmers needed to be addressed. Mugabe probably had a chance to make a creative run at that when the farmers, finally seeing the handwriting on the wall, offered to give up some of their land and at the same time teach Africans how to farm.
Instead, after he fared badly in elections, Mugabe decided to hang on to power through demagoguery. He turned loose his militias of thugs to invade white farms and either kill of throw the farmers and their families off the land. Now Zimbabwe, that once exported enough grain to feed most of southern Africa, can't feed herself.
Recently a Zimbabwean exile asked an American friend, "Why don't you invade Zimbabwe, where you could actually do some good?"
Though it does have some rich minerals, we have no compelling interest in Africa, like oil. So this lush land, where our species emerged from the primal ooze, is left to the devices of a tyrant every bit as ruthless as Saddam Hussein.
Our family spent a sabbatical there in 1984 and, despite the grumbling of the white minority who had enjoyed royal lives before independence, it was one of the most wonderful places we had ever experienced.
Since that time - really since the death of Mugabe's wife Sally - Mugabe has become a ruthless dictator whose only interest is in clinging to his power. In his desperation to do that he has brought the country from one of shining promise - Samora Michel said to him at his inaugeration in 1980, Zimbabwe is the jewel of Africa, take care of her - to a train wreck.
Inflation appraoches 1000% and people are starving.
The problem of virtually all the productive farm land being in the hands of white farmers needed to be addressed. Mugabe probably had a chance to make a creative run at that when the farmers, finally seeing the handwriting on the wall, offered to give up some of their land and at the same time teach Africans how to farm.
Instead, after he fared badly in elections, Mugabe decided to hang on to power through demagoguery. He turned loose his militias of thugs to invade white farms and either kill of throw the farmers and their families off the land. Now Zimbabwe, that once exported enough grain to feed most of southern Africa, can't feed herself.
Recently a Zimbabwean exile asked an American friend, "Why don't you invade Zimbabwe, where you could actually do some good?"
Though it does have some rich minerals, we have no compelling interest in Africa, like oil. So this lush land, where our species emerged from the primal ooze, is left to the devices of a tyrant every bit as ruthless as Saddam Hussein.
posted by Blayney at 9:32 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home