Prince Gora | Zimbabwe's political environment is, in all honest, a very volatile environment. The price that one pays for being politically active in this country is often times too high a price to pay. For simply being concerned about the affairs of his or her country, a Zimbabwean can easily get arrested, detained, beaten, harassed, abducted and even murdered. Mention names like Takudzwa Ngadziore, Tawanda Muchehiwa, Joana Mamombe and my point need not be made any more clearer.
Unsurprisingly, most of the Zimbabwean citizenry not only shun away from politics but actively, and innocently, encourages others to stay away from the so called 'dirty game'. "Unofira mahara (You will die for nothing)", "ZANU inoponda (ZANU murders people)", "Unopisirwa imba nadzo politics idzi (Your house will be set on fire -by ZANU PF supporters - because of your political participation)", etc, are advises that are freely given to anyone who cares to listen to the average Zimbabwean.
I am not here to rubbish such talk or advise for what my fellow countrymen and women say is indeed the truth. The Zimbabwean political history is littered with more than enough testimonies to validate these claims.
But then, ....
This mentality plays right into the hands of Zanu Pf. If activists of our beloved motherland were not doing and saying the right things, the state wouldn't be spending so much money and resources to pursue them. Isn't it clear then that what the state desires is a citizenry that suffers in silence? A people that sees corruption but remain quiet? And that hears all the evil deeds of their government but still choose to direct their voices and energies elsewhere?
They may rig elections, steal our resources and taxes and harrass us however they want but that's not a victory for them nor a lose to us. Such a thing will only happen if we stop calling them to order, if we stop fighting for justice and our future. We must therefore never tire to raise our voices, we must never lose hope and we must never, ever stop fighting the oppressors.
Every time you raise a voice, every time you speak out, every time you stand up for a brother or sister, you are doing what the regime loathes so you're a champion because you are fighting!
There's nothing to be gained by abstaining from politics and I need not do anything more that just quote the wise words of men who lived a long time before me to prove my point:
"If you do not take interest in the affairs of your government, then you are doomed to live under the rules of fools" ~ Plato
"One of the penalties of refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors" ~ Plato
"The worst illiterate is the political illiterate. He hears nothing, sees nothing, takes no part in political life. He doesn't seem to know that the cost of living, the price of beans, of flour, of rent, of medicines, all depend on political decisions. He even prides himself in his political ignorance, sticks out his chest and says he hates politics. He doesn't know, the imbecile, that from his political non-participation comes the prostitute, the abandoned child, the robber and, worst of all, the corrupt officials, the lackeys of exploitative multinational corporations." ~ Beltort Brecht.
Fellow countrymen, we're lions, we need to roar. Remember no one is coming to liberate us so it's upon our shoulders to liberate ourselves, children, grandchildren and all those who will come after us!
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