Author: alisaadams7

Why we need to address humanity’s history 

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Hello everyone! I hope you are having a great week regardless of the distressing things that are currently happening around the world. For many of us, the Palestinian genocide is taking up a lot of mental and emotional space – as it should be. I considered writing on the topic today but I’ve noticed that the people within my reach (my followers) already seem quite educated on the topic. I think there are enough resources out there that explain what is happening so I would urge you all to look these up if you still feel like you need to know more about what is going on. For an unbiased news outlet, I would recommend Al Jazeera, which provides live updates as well.

Nevertheless, the ‘conflict’ has brought up another topic for me that I would like to discuss with you all in this post. Due to recent events, using the word ‘conflict’ to describe the events taking place in Gaza seems wrong. It is no longer a conflict, is something much darker and crueler. However, when I first learnt about this crisis, it was referred to as the ‘Arab-Israeli conflict.’ The ‘conflict’ can be traced all the way back to 1917 with the signing of the Balfour Declaration. In this declaration, Britain (who had the audacity to think they could do this), pledged to set up a Jewish state in Palestine. After World War II, this was taken a lot more seriously and 700,000 or about 85% of the Palestinian population was made to leave Palestine in order to make room for the new Jewish residents. I am sure to anyone with a morsel of sense, this sounds absolutely ridiculous. Sure, there was a huge anti-Semitic threat in Europe and Jewish people needed aid against such threats. But instead of combating anti-Semitic sentiments in Europe, the solution became moving Jewish people to a country that already had inhabitants. Surely, politicians of the time could preempt that this would cause more problems than it would fix.

Although it does not surprise me that Britain was spearheading this ridiculous solution. This is Britain’s favourite thing to do after all. Claim land that is not theirs, divide local populations and claim ignorance when these local populations start fighting each other. 

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za

For example, The Nigerian civil war, which took place directly after Nigeria gained independence from Britain. This civil war was caused by two different ethnic groups being forced to become one country under the lines that Western powers had drawn over Africa in order to create their own countries. These two groups had different cultures, religious beliefs, languages etc. and would never have been in the same country if they had the choice. Their conflict also ended with an ethnic genocide. Of course, when the conflict arose, Britain turned a blind eye in the role they played and even facilitated the geneocide. Sound familiar? Similar ethnic/territorial conflicts are starting to arise in India as well e.g., Manipur state is on the verge of civil war due to an issue of re-distribution of tribal land that was taken during colonisation. This was land that now two different tribes claim is theirs and the owners of the land became ambiguous after colonisation. Similar ethnic/territorial conflicts have taken place in Cyprus, Somalia and Zimbabwe. 

Let me paint a picture for you. Pre-colonisation, Africa, parts of South America and Asia, were divided tribally/ethnically, rather than by countries. It made more sense to do it this way. People with the same values and beliefs were in the same tribe. These tribal bonds existed for hundreds of years. In 1884, Britain, France, Portugal, Spain, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, and Italy all gathered for the Berlin Conference. At this conference, these countries decided how they would carve Africa up so that each country would get the land they wanted. Of course, there was not a single African person present at this conference. During this conference, they created borders and countries that did not previously exist. Without learning about different ethnic groups and tribes, they put different ethnic groups in the same country and in some cases, divided tribes. 

So, we see the problem here, right? It is no surprise that there has been continued ethnic violence following colonisation. All of which, these Western powers have mainly ignored although they were fully to blame for these groups fighting one another in the first place. They also took indigenous land which had massive significance to local tribes and failed to redistribute it after colonisation. To Western settlers, land was seen as a commodity, something to use and get rich off of so they did not understand the cultural and spiritual significance land had in many of these places. Therefore, did not understand the need for proper redistribution. This has been the cause of so many conflicts, including the Palestinian one now. Britain suggested a Jewish state without having the proper knowledge of what that would mean, the significance of the land they were giving away and the care for the people who were living on the land they were essentially claiming.

https://ifamericansknew.org/history/

Ironically, the West’s imperialism was always driven by deficiencies in their own societies. Most colonisation took place during/directly after Europe’s Industrialisation period. A period that Europeans hail as a huge success and proof of their superiority. In reality though, while the Industrial Revolution did catapult ingenuity and innovation, people were struggling during this period. There were horrible living and working conditions for all workers, there were food shortages and poor nutrition, environmental population caused by larger urban populations and new machinery etc. There was also natural resource depletion as a result of industrialisation. As a result of the social factors, many European countries were on the brink of social upheaval following the Industrial Revolution. In addition to this, they were also running out of raw materials and struggling to feed their own populations. So the solution to this was to go out and loot resources from other countries. New resources would keep their capitalist loom spinning and appease people who were struggling.

“I was in the East End of London (a working-class quarter) yesterday and attended

a meeting of the unemployed. I listened to the wild speeches, which were just a cry

for ‘bread! bread!’ and on my way home I pondered over the scene and I became

more than ever convinced of the importance of imperialism. . . . My cherished idea

is a solution for the social problem, i.e., in order to save the 40,000,000 inhabitants

of the United Kingdom from a bloody civil war, we colonial statesmen must

acquire new lands to settle the surplus population, to provide new markets for

the goods produced in the factories and mines.”

– Cecil John Rhodes

And that is what they did and it worked. However, it worked at the expense of other countries people, land, resources and dignity. It seems that for years, we have been bailing European countries out of problems they have caused for themselves. As mentioned above, the re-settlement 0f Jewish people was also caused by defeciencies within Western societies. The problem was then just relocated at the expense of Palestinians, to save Western countries the hassle or accountability.

It further upsets me that when things go wrong as a result of ignorant Western decisions e.g., what is happening in Palestine, they do not take accountability for the role that they played. So many of the Western countries are in support of a genocide just to save face. My question is why are we still letting these countries police the world? They keep repeating the same nonsenscil, inhumane and selfish actions. It is truly disappointing that these countries are our representation of human development. Humanity should be more than this. I am optimistic though, because I can see that my generation and the one after mine, sees through the facade. We value life more and it is my hope that we turn the world on its head and fix the injustices that have caused so much suffering and death in the world. 

What is happening in Niger?

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Welcome back everyone! Thank you, once again for coming back and reading. In the last post, we looked at some conflicts that have the potential to ignite global sparks. In this post I would like to do the same but with a conflict that is much closer to home. Today the topic I would like to focus on is Niger. For those who might not know, there was a coup d’état in July of this year against the president of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum. Due to Niger’s strategic geopolitical position both locally and globally, this coup has set off alarm bells. For many reasons, the Niger conflict is much more complicated than other African conflicts and that is what I would like to dive into in this post. What those complexities are and what that might mean for the region.

(www.bbc.com)

Niger is an important country in West Africa, specifically the Sahel region. In 2010, there was a coup in Niger that resulted in a democratic government ruling the country. This was the government still in power in 2023, under President Mohamed Bazoum. Niger was praised for being the only democracy left standing in the region. Niger was commonly referred to as the “great ally of the West,” because of their maintenance of democracy and strong French ties. However, there were still groups in Niger that were/are unhappy with many of the democratic government’s policies. These policies can be viewed essentially as the causes of the coup. They include:

  1. Poverty in Niger.

Much like the countries around it, Niger still remains an extremely poor country, with 80% of the country still living in poverty. This has been a cause for unrest over the last few years and can also be viewed as one of the causes of increasing jihadist threats. Many in the country, including supporters of the military junta blame this poverty, or lack of improvement rather, on the current government. They say that due to corruption and bad governance, the democratic government has failed to lift the country out of poverty. Hence the need for a coup. 

  1. Friendly relations with France.

Niger was officially a colony of France from 1922 – 1960. President Bazoum’s close and friendly relations are seen as a stab in the back by many groups within the Nigerien population, who want to get rid of all French influence in the country. In addition to this, it does not seem to be a secret that France still exploits this relationship for the benefits that Niger can still offer them (e.g., uranium). The military junta made their anti-French agenda very clear – they want Niger to be a truly independent country. 

  1. Bazoum’s policies towards the jihadist threats in Niger.

As touched on above, over the past few years, jihadist threats have become larger in Niger (mainly Al-Qaeda, Daesh affiliates and Boko Haram). As in most West African countries, terrorism still remains a large security threat. Bazoum’s policies towards the growing threat were wildly unpopular with the majority of the population. For example, he relied on Western (French and US) military aid in order to fight the jihadist threat (also related to point 2.). In addition to this, he also instated the ‘Barium-backed demobilisation plan.’ This plan was to reintegrate captured/surrendered jihadists back into society in exchange for open dialogue regarding a truce with the jihadists. Unsurprisingly, this was seen as a risky and weak tactic. As a result, the junta also made it clear that they were stepping in to protect the country from these security risks.

The military junta, named the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Homeland (CNSP), say that they are there to increase stability in the country in the face of increasing Islamist threats and to remove French influence in Niger. These are also the reasons that a vast majority of the Nigerien population welcomed the coup. Many maintain that in thirteen years, the democratic government failed to improve their lives. These groups have said they will take up arms to fight for the coup. However, there are of course, also significant groups within the Nigerien population that are in support of President Bazoum and ‘democracy.’

We just don’t want Macron here. He thinks of Niger as a province of France.

– Oumou Maiga, 47 year old school teacher in Niger who is pro-coup.

Similar to the local divide, there is also an International divide on the Nigerien issue. That is why this is such an important geopolitical issue – Niger could trigger a regional conflict that could destroy the West African bloc and cause further instability for years to come. In addition to this, this coup could mean the end of democracy in the Sahel region. Prior to the coup, Niger was the only democracy left in the region, with all of its neighbours being ruled by military juntas. It is reasonable to assume that if the military junta had to consolidate its power, it would lead to the erosion of civil liberties and fundamental rights. This outcome has already been observed in neighbouring countries Mali and Burkina Faso. 

Moreover, Niger was the last remaining French ally in the region after all of Niger’s neighbours spoke out against France and removed all French presence. This is why France (and the EU), have taken an active interest in the Nigerien conflict and have been pushing for the re-instating of President Bazoum. Although looking at the rhetoric, throughout Niger, I think it is safe to say that even if the democratic government was re-instated, France has effectively lost Niger as an ally.

(https://english.aawsat.com/world/4521851-niger-regime-slams-france-backing-ousted-bazoum)

It has become transparent to the Nigerien population that France’s support is conditional on what they can benefit from Niger. This combined with colonial scars, has left anti-French rhetoric as the loudest and most widely supported in Niger. If there is one thing the people of Niger can agree on, it is that they want France out. On a recent afternoon, tens of thousands of protesters gathered in front of the Niamey military base and slaughtered a rooster, France’s emblem, and carried a coffin they said was meant for President Emmanuel Macron. They brandished boards reading “Death to France” and trampled on French flags reminiscent of similar protests in Burkina Faso and Mali. Therefore, I believe that any efforts by France to gain favour in Niger would be in vain. Some have even described this as ‘The second anti-colonial war.’

However, France is not the only external country that is hoping the coup will not succeed. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), is made up of 15 West African states including Niger. Although ECOWAS was supposed to be an economic body, it has morphed into much more. In the past ECOWAS have militarily intervened in country conflicts e.g., in Gambia in 2017. ECOWAS, led by the president of Nigeria, has made it extremely clear that they are against the military coup. The ECOWAS president has promised a hard line against any coups and he has delivered on that promise. He made a grand speech explaining how he would no longer stand for military coups in the region and mere weeks after the speech, the coup in Niger took place.

Since the coup ECOWAS (barring Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea), have imposed sanctions on Niger. These sanctions have also been backed by the Western powers that are against the coup. There have been import bans into Niger; as a result, Niger is facing devastating food, medicine, and electricity shortages. Niger’s oxygen supply is essentially being cut off through these sanctions and the population is suffering because of these international political struggles. However, even with the blow to life in Niger, the military junta has refused to concede their position.

In addition to this, ECOWAS has also stated that they will intervene militarily if the junta does not reinstate the democratic president. However, Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea, who are all in favour of the military junta, have stated that they will also take up arms to defend the military junta in Niger. So we are looking at both a local and regional war if things were to escalate in any way. 

This, unfortunately, is not the end of the complications in Niger. We still have two more international players with a large stake in how this conflict plays out. The United States and Russia. The US has had troops stationed in Niger for some years now, under the premise of helping Niger fight the Islamist threat. However, following the coup, the US has quite an ambiguous role to play in the conflict. It is clear that they do not want the junta to take power but they also know the chain reaction any direct intervention could cause. The military junta has stated that after cutting France loose, they intend to turn to Russia for support (specifically the Wagner group). For obvious reasons, The United States does not want this outcome. Just like for France, Niger was the last ally The US had in this region. They were a good example of US democratic ideals and a good base from which the US could fight Islamist threats. So the coup introduced many issues for the US and their position in West Africa. Although for now, it seems that the US is biding time to see how things play out before they reveal how they intend to react to the coup.

(https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-09/niger-coup-prigozhin-wagner-exploits-anti-french-sentiment/102696370)

Looking elsewhere for allies after their frustration with France, Niger is turning to Russia, much like Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso. With their rich supply of uranium, gold and oil, Russia has made it clear that they are happy to step in as an ally of Niger. But what exactly would this mean for the future of Niger or the future of the Sehal region?

This was the sixth military coup in West Africa in the last three years. So it is clear that the region has been close to boiling point for quite a while now. With the last ‘stable’ country toppling, the region seems to have many potential negative outcomes. With so many players involved in the conflict, it had to see how this conflict could be resolved without bloodshed. Niger symbolises much larger problems that we need to consider moving forward:

  • Imperialism and the role ex-colonial powers still play in the present day.
  • The threat(s) of jihadist movements spreading throughout West Africa.
  • The guise of democracy being used to push political agendas in ‘third world’ countries.
  • Poverty, or the eradication of it rather.
  • Corruption and personal political agendas.

We need to question why Niger still ended up in the situation despite everyone’s best efforts when looking at the best outcome both for the Nigerien people and the West African region as a whole.

War vs. Democratic Independence

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Happy Wednesday everyone! A little while ago, I had put out a call for topic suggestions on Instagram and I received some interesting suggestions that I have been eager to tackle. Some of them, a little out of my comfort zone which made them even more exciting! Today, we will delve into one of these suggested topics. Using some geopolitical knowledge, we will debate the topic of war vs. democratic independece. I should emphasise that with this post, I have focusd on modern day geopolitical issues.

(www.gzeromedia.com)

The suggestion was slightly focused on the Ukrainian war and how other countries in the world should respond to the conflict e.g., should they send weapons? should they help fight? should they stand back? And ultimatly, the suggestion was asking the question of how we should handle the preservation of democratic independence. I will use three modern day ‘conflicts’ to try and springboard this discussion: Taiwan, Hong Kong and Ukraine. Although all of these issues are unique and extremely complex, these countries have had similar struggles with democratic independence albiet with all different outcomes. We have Ukraine, where the outcome was war. Taiwan, where the outcome is still ambiguous and Hong Kong, where the outcome was acceptance.

We will start with the case of Taiwan as it is the case that still has a large question mark looming over its future. Taiwan gained independence from Japan in 1945 and has been considered a ‘free and independent’ state since 1949. However, by way of the 1992 Consensus, China argues that Taiwan is a Chinese territory and should be ruled by The People’s Republic of China (PRC). China argues that in the 1992 Consensus, all parties agreed that both sides of the strait belong to China and as a result all parties were to be ruled under ‘one China.’ But this consensus has lost relevance in a Taiwan that wants to maintain independent from China. Specifically, the Democratic Progressive party of Taiwan (in power since 2016) refuses to accept that Taiwan is a territory of China. This has caused China to speak quite openly on their opinions in the Taiwanese matter and while China has not launched any direct offensives, they have used other economic and political means to back Taiwan into doubling over. Although China has not resorted to physical invasion, many political analysts believe that if Taiwan does not appease China soon then it is only a matter of time before force is used.

This brings us to the question of how should/would Taiwan react in such a situation? Should they fight China back and risk a major war in order to protect their democratic independence? Or should they appease China (much like Hong Kong) to spare escalated violence? While Taiwan does hold more geopolitical clout than Hong Kong, it is not guaranteed that they would receive aid if a war was to unfold. After all, over the years, it is clear that no country has been able to formally hold diplomatic relations with both China and Taiwan and due to China’s power, most major players have diplomatically sided with them. In fact, none of the major powers recognize Taiwan as an independent nation, except for (vaguely) The United States.

The US seems to be taking a policy of strategic ambiguity when it comes to Taiwan and China. While they have acknowledged that Taiwan is a Chinese terriroty, they have also stated that if it came to it, they would help Taiwan defend themselves against China. It has been suggested that the latter is because of The US’s dependence on Taiwanese production of semiconductor chips and the reluctance to give China more power within the region. But, can Taiwan count on these motivations if it were to come to war? It is quite clear that without external support, Taiwan would not be able to successfully fight China back. Does this mean they should not fight at all? Or if they do, do the powers with the means have any sort of responsibility to help Taiwan in order to ensure a fair fight? Lets turn to the case of Hong Kong to see what would be the most probable outcome if Taiwan would not fight back.

Hong Kong was handed over to China from the British in 1997. If Hong Kong was going to fight for their democratic independence, this would have been the time to do it. However, at the time, they already knew that any disagreements would have resulted in a Chinese invasion. So, it was concluded that conceeding with the unification was the best move for them. At the time, China was already preaching the ‘One country, two systems’ model. Under which they ensured Hong Kong that their autonomy would be respected even under PRC rule. Fast forward a few years later though and Hong Kong has suffered a huge decline in economic prosperity and democratic freedoms under Chinese rule. So while they promised respect and autonomy under one country, two systems, recently China has been radically cracking down on Hong Kongnese freedoms to a very severe extent. So at this point, Hong Kongers have lost their freedom, independence and any hope of democratic ideals. This has come after years of protesting and violence against any Hong Kongers standing up for their rights. In many ways, is this not just a one sided war in which Hong Kong can no longer fight back ? It makes the thought of appeasing seem a lot worse than that of fighting back.

Nontheless, the other side of the coin is not a positive one either. We move to the most well known case – the case of Ukraine. As I am sure you all know, Russia invaded Ukraine on the 24th of February 2022. This was years after Ukraine had voted for its own independence at the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. This independce was recognized by Russia in the 1994 Budapest Memorandum.

However, Russia went back on this recognition when they decided to invade Ukraine in 2022. Ukraine decided to fight back in order to protect their sovereignty and democratic independece, however, this began a war that has been going on for the last 1.5 years. Although Ukrainian troops managed to push Russian troops back in September 2022, which signaled that their fighting might be worth something in the end, it has been 1.5 years of the war and there is no end in sight. Both, Germany and the United States have publically sent weapons to Ukraine or helped them financially during the war. This aid is seen by many as necessary because without it, Ukraine would not stand a chance against a full out Russian offensive. However, many also argue that this aid is what is dragging the war out and consequently causing more death and distruction.

Which brings us back to the two vital questions: should countries risk war for their ideals and if so, should other powerful nations militarily assist in these situations. To the first question, I answer yes. This might stem from two personal biases: I come from a formally colonized country and I have never firsthand witnesses war in my life. Nevertheless, I would answer yes, that if a country is being bullied into giving up their freedom and independence, then they should fight back, even if they are the underdog in the fight. Consequently, I believe if the answer to question one is yes then the answer to question two has to be yes as well. Of course, external parties should exhaust all diplomatic options before encouraging further violence. However, looking at the Ukrainian case, the option was never given. Once Zelenskyy chose to fight the Russian invasion, it became the worlds responsibility to help Ukraine protect its independence as well. While it may be argued that sending military aid only prolongs the violence, the alternative would be letting millions of Ukrainian’s get massacred while we all stand by and watch. While war should never be the answer, if a country mounts a violent offensive as did Russia, it is hard for the other party to counter in any sort of diplomatic way.

The national interest is predetermined by geopolitics or the history of a country. Important political leaders never just followed their interests – they were concerned about the interests of their people.

Joseph Nye

So while all of these cases are very different and nuanced in their own way, all of these countries, like most around the world wanted to maintain their independence and autonomy. Each serve as good geopolitcal lessons to us all. They help us understand what might be the outcome of future conflicts if: 1. Agressive action is taken that threaten the democratic independence of a nation; 2. Counter attacks are made against said aggression or not; 3. Military aid is sent in conflicts with a largely unequal balance of power or not.

I answered these questions with what morally to me seem like the best answers, but I would love to hear what you all think on this topic(s) and how you might pontificate over these geopolitical issues so please do share your opinions with me by either commenting or reaching out to me via e-mail/my social media channels.

Sparks of Hope in Humanity

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Hello everyone! Thanks for joining this week. Finding a piece for today started out like all the other times I have written: I go through the list of topics I already have, do some light research and decide what would be the best thing to write about for today. However, today, I realized that all the topics I had written down were all negative topics. No surprise…I am drawn to these topics because where I see issues and injustice, I always want to speak about them. But I realized that this might also be quite overwhelming for you as my audience – to only hear about our societal problems. So instead of picking something from the list that I already had, I combed the internet for some positive socio-political stories. Which believe it or not, is a lot harder to find than you would think. Nonetheless, I did find a few stories that sparked my interest that I would like to share with you all.

  1. Scientists have found a naturally occurring strain of bacteria which can help stop the transmission of malaria from mosquitoes.

In an experiment conducted in Spain, scientists tested a new drug (unrelated to Malaria) on mosquitoes. They started this experiment at the beginning of the year and by the end of the year, they had noticed that these mosquitoes were no longer contracting and carrying Malaria. Once they examined the mosquitos, they discovered the presence of a specific type of bacteria (TC1), caused by the drug that was tested. They concluded that this bacteria stopped the development of the malaria parasite in the gut of mosquitoes.

This story was one I wanted to share for two reasons. The first is that living in the West for the past few years (or even living in the suburbs of Zimbabwe), the threat of Malaria is often downplayed. However, to put it into perspective, Malaria still kills around 620,000 people per year, most being children under the age of 5. Malaria kills a child every minute. According to the World Health Organization, in 2021 nearly half of the world’s population was still at risk of contracting Malaria. So, it was optimistic to see that we might be one step closer to eradicating a disease that is killing so many people and perpetuating poverty cycles. The second reason I liked this story is because these scientists found this out by accident. Although there is active ongoing Malaria research, this story was a good reminder of the ingenuity we have as humans. If you look at how far we have come in terms of medical innovations, it has been incredible! However, we tend to take all these strides for granted. Whether we had been looking for it or not, we have come up with amazing innovations that have spared many lives and it was a reminder that while it is easy to get caught up in the negativity of human history, we have and will continue to do much more to improve each other’s lives.

2. ‘The Audacious Project’ has given away $1 billion to 10 recipients who have projects that will make social impact in their communities.

The reason I chose this story is not about the Audacious Project itself or the $1 billion dollars they are donating, but it is because of the projects they are donating to. Reading the goals and business models of all the recipients was extremely inspiring. Much like the first story, it reminded me that there are people all around the world who are coming up with ingenious ideas to make the world a better place. Some of the recipients include:

  • CAMFED (Campaigning for female education): serves girls in Sub-Saharan Africa working in the intersections of poverty, education and gender. CAMFED has developed a model that gives these vulnerable females financial and material support as well as holistic coaching for their futures. It not only helps with education provision but also with employment provision. CAMFED understands the importance of female education, empowerment and leadership and harnesses this to help create our future female leaders.
(From goodgoodgood.co)
  • Canopy: is dedicated to protecting forests and advancing the rights of indigenous communities. One of the ways Canopy has already created an impact has been by reducing the demand for wood pulp (which has been what most companies have been looking for in forests). They reduced the impact by creating a wood pulp alternative made from straw waste and recycled textiles. The creation of this alternative has 88 – 100% less land usage impact than traditional wood pulp. Canopy will continue coming up with such innovations to ensure sacred land and species are spared from being destroyed. Not only are they trying to protect endangered ecosystems but they are also advocating the importance land has to different indigenous communities around the world.

“Why are we making pizza boxes out of endangered trees?”

Nicole Rycroft, Founder of Canopy

While I only highlighted two initiatives, you can find the full list of inspiring recipients here. This was a good signal that at least some of our financial resources are going towards creating a positive impact for sectors of society that need it. I hope that we continue to spotlight such initiatives and highlight the importance of such initiatives for the progression of humankind.

3. UFC fighter, Themba Gorimbo used his entire fight gains to build a borehole and water pump for his village in Zimbabwe.

This story has been circulating on social media quite a lot this past week but it has been focused towards the headline of Dwayne Johnson buying Themba Gorimbo a house in Miami, USA. However, this is not the part of the story that caught my attention. The previous two stories I spoke on focused on groups/collectives making a positive impact in their society. But, there are so many individuals such as Themba Gorimbo who perform selfless acts daily that remind us about the goodness of humanity.

So, I am going to take the story a little further back, to the place I think should be getting all the media attention. Themba was born in Masvingo, Zimbabwe. By 13 years old, he had lost both of his parents and had to consider the different ways he could make ends meet for himself and his family. His first attempt was to dig illegally for Marange diamonds. This was an extremely dangerous path and Gorimbo admitted that he is lucky to have made it out alive, even though he was eventually caught by the police. His second attempt was to illegally emigrate to South Africa for better job prospects. Which again was not an easy journey. Eventually, however, Gorimbo made it and started his fighting career in South Africa. Three years later, he had already become a pro fighter.

Prior to his winning fight in Las Vegas, however, he had been sleeping in a conference room near his gym in Miami and only had $7 in his bank account. After winning his fight in Las Vegas, he became the very first Zimbabwean to win a UFC match. Themba then sold his merchandise following the fight and found himself with $7,000. Instead of using this money to house himself, he sent it all to his village in Zimbabwe to help them build a borehole and water pump because he said he did not want other children to grow up the same way he did.

Gorimbo’s story is an inspiring one because it reminds us that no matter who we are, what we have or what we have been through, we still have the ability to be selfless and make the world a little better for the people around us.

Although very short, I hope these stories remind you that amidst all the chaos and suffering that his happening around the world, there are an equal number of good deeds happening on a daily basis. I hope they remind you that we, as humans, are all in this together and should always aim to help each other out. It is very easy to focus on the negative and the things that are getting worse around the world (I have been quite stuck in this frame of mind). But I have noticed that this mentality stops us from truly appreciating the good things that are happening and also hold us back from positively contributing ourselves.

“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.”

Mahatma Gandhi

Gukurahundi

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Welcome back everyone! Today, I come to you with a more historic/informative post. I belive that as Zimbabwe approaches elections (in August 2023), it is important for us to remember historical events that have shaped the political state of our country. One of these extremly important events is Gukurahundi. Which, regardless of the impact it had on how Zimbabwe developed, is a period, either, not many of us know about or is one that we choose to not discuss. However, it is a huge part of Zimbabwe’s history that should get much more attention.

(Good Governance Africa – Llyod Coutts)

Zimbabwe gained independence from the British government on the 18th of April 1980. This was after a 15-year war known as the Zimbabwean War for Liberation. The end of the war signified freedom and the end of the deaths experienced by the Zimbabwean people. Independence was ushered in by an inspirational speech by President Robert Mugabe in which he promised to uphold the rights of all Zimbabwean citizens:

“Peace and stability can only be achieved if all of us, first as individuals and secondly as part of the whole Zimbabwean national community, feel a definite sense of individual security on the one hand and have an assurance of national peace and security on the other.”

“Our constitution equally circumscribes the powers of the government by declaring certain rights and freedoms fundamental. We intend to uphold these fundamental rights and freedoms to the full

Robert Mugabe’s inaugural speech in April 1980

However, all of these promises were violated mere months later by a politically driven massacre orchestrated by our own government.

In the liberation struggle, two political parties fought for Zimbabwe’s independence. These were ZANU-PF, led by Robert Gabriel Mugabe, and ZAPU, led by Joshua Nkomo. The former represented the Shona majority of the country and the latter, the Matabele (referred to locally as the Ndebele) minority of the country. Historically, Zimbabwe has been divided into these two main ethnic groups. The Ndebele people were introduced to the dominantly Shona country when an ethnic war broke out in South Africa between 1816 and the 1840s. As a result of the war, the Ndebele were driven out of the region of South Africa into other areas of Africa, including Southern Zimbabwe. Upon their arrival, the Shona and Ndebele lived separately. The Ndebele tend to stay in the South-West of the country, in the province called Matabeleland and they see Bulawayo as their epicentre. Whereas the Shona occupy all parts of the country except this one. Moreover, the Shona speak Shona as their primary language and the Ndebele speak Ndebele.

After the public promise of a democratic government, the new political party actually wanted to create a one-party state. Thus, the Mugabe government created the North Korean-trained 5th Bigrade, whose primary responsibility was to weaken the ZAPU opposition. The brigades killed around 20,000 people in Matabeleland. As well as this, many Ndebele people were marched into reeducation camps and tortured. People were forced to dig their own graves in front of their family members before being shot directly into the graves. This period caused a great deal of hidden and generational pain for the Ndebele people that has never properly been recognized.

(Nehanda Radio)

This genocide of the Matabele people is referred to as Gukurahundi (which translated in Shona refers to the cleansing spring rains that wash away the chaff).

Shockingly, as I spoke to many people about this period, most admitted that they did not even know these massacres were even taking place. A man who lived in the area where they took place recalls hearing gunshots and having to stay away from certain areas, but he was never told why. Even now, this is a period people tend to not speak about, usually due to fear. The government underwent many soft and hard campaigns to ensure that Zimbabweans maintained collective amnesia on this matter. The monstrosities of this period were only brought to public light in the late 1990s. At which point, the government still maintained plausible deniability. Due to the skill of the 5th brigade and the lack of public outcry, the ZANU-PF party succeed with their aims through Gukurahundi. After mass murders, Nkomo’s ZAPU joined the ruling party to avoid more death towards his people.

(Mthwakazi Independent)

The reason I bring up this event now is for multiple reasons. Firstly, ZANU-PF is still our ruling party and our current president had a large role to play in these massacres. At the time of the Gukurahundi, Emerson Mnangagwa (Zimbabwe’s current president), was the minister for state security and oversaw the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO). He is widely believed to have played a central role in the massacres. He now not only occupies Zimbabwe’s top job, but has brought other key figures accused of leading the massacres with him.

Secondly, with elections coming up, it is expected that behaviour like this will resurface, as did in all previous election periods. While it may not be mass murder of 20,000 people, it is likely that we will experience election intimidation, violence and death. Therefore, it is imperative to be aware of the tactics that will be used during the election period. The violent killing and intimidation of citizens for political purposes seems to be a trend of our government, which started with Gukurahundi.

Not only must we not forget what has happened and the injustices that people were made to endure – for both human decency and our own safety, but we also need to hold our government accountable for these actions. It happened in 1983, 2003, 2008, 2013, 2018 and we shut our eyes to those losing their lives and facing torture at the hands of the government. We cannot turn a blind eye again if this behaviour repeats itself in 2023.

Get over Colonialism

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Hello everyone! I would first like to start by thanking those who sent in topic suggestions. A lot of the suggestions were ones that I would not have thought of exploring myself so I am quite excited to dive into these topics and hopefully do them justice. Today, I’d like to touch on a topic that I have wanted to for quite some time now.

“Get over Colonialism”

I have heard this statement more times than I can count when I engage in a political discussion about the state of the world. And each time I hear it, I want to scream because it seems like such an ignorant statement. Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980 albiet as the last African country to gain independence (not counting Namibia’s independence from South Africa). This was only 43 years ago – still 18 years shy of the average life expectancy in Zimbabwe. That means a great deal of the Zimbabwean and African population as a whole had first-hand experience of colonisation. Although we like to paint this period as ancient history, the impact of colonial rule is still fresh in the minds of many people.

It is still nearly impossible (for me at least) to discuss the state of African countries without the mention of the scars that were left behind by colonisation. However, I have been met with people who say that this is history and that African countries need to start holding themselves accountable and get over colonialism. But today, I want to share with you all the reasons we cannot just ‘get over it’ and move on. I would like to share a bit about the damage that was done and why it is not so easy for an entire people to move on from years of foreign rule. (This post is focused on Africa but could be easily representative in Asia, South America, The Caribbean and Eastern Europe).

(South African History Online)

  1. It created a wealth and education gap between different groups within each country.

Granted not much is known about most countries pre-colonisation because this history was erased from most of our books and memories – there is no denying that colonisation created an entirely new premise for inequality. At the beginning of colonial rule, most of the fertile land was taken from black residents and given to white settlers. As the new owners of this land, white settlers could begin their amassing of wealth while the black majority was prohibited from owning any (fertile) land. The black majority had both land and earning restrictions that guaranteed them poverty for most of their lives. In addition to this, there were laws that allowed employers to refuse employment to indigenous people simply because they were not white Europeans. The black majority was also prohibited from participating in any civil society and received a far inferior education. Algeria was colonised in 1830 – that means 132 years where the French had all of these privileges over native Algerians. 132 years where Algerian’s could not earn a fair wage, vote or own land. 132 years where Algerian’s were reminded of their inferiority and killed for simply existing. And all of this should be forgotten and let go in the 70 years that Algeria has been ‘independent’ (most of which Algeria has been at war with herself). Which brings me to my second point.

(Institute for Policy Studies)

2. It created a culture of self-hate amongst black Africans.

The sad reality is that after gaining independence, many African countries started fighting with either themselves or each other. This has a lot to do with the fact that Europeans came in and created borders that did not exist and separated tribes on the continent. As such, many people who did not identify with one another were forced to reside in the same country. So when independence was gained, consensus could not be reached on how a country should be run because different tribes, cultures and religions had just been shoved into one territory. So many people in the same country dispised each other and wars ensued shortly after independenc e.g., in Nigeria.

In addition to this, Europeans came to Africa with the discourse of us being inferior and uncivilized. They mocked our lionskins and huts and compared it to their cotton clothing and boots without acknowledging that their clothes made zero sense in our climate. They called us uneducated and illiterate when Ethiopia had two languages and full literacy from as early as 1BC. We had medicine, we had architecture, we had culture. But we were made to feel as though everything we had was inferior and the only way to become civilized was the Western way. Unfortunately, this logic still exists quite dominantly. And so we fight each other and look down on each other. It is hard to see how we can get over this culture of self-hate and trust ourselves and each other to rule better countries.

3. There was a lack of preparedness/education for independence.

All African countries gained independence through a fight against their colonial rulers. As a result, we quite abruptly inherited entire countries without an iota of knowledge on how to keep these countries functioning. Colonizers had securely set up systems, legislation and economies that only they knew how to sustain. Systems that we could not reverse but also could not sustain. In this way, it is very clear that we were set up for failure from the very beginning. So how do we get over colonialism when we are still living in countries built by our colonisers – policed by systems that we still do not understand now, let alone 43 years ago when independence was granted?

“Modern history, both early and late, was made by Europeans, who “built a world around Europe”, as historians “know”, according to Braudel. That is indeed the “knowledge” of the European historians who themselves “invented” history and then put it to good use. There is not even an inkling of suspicion that it may have been the other way around, that maybe it was the world that made Europe.” 

–André Gunder Frank, ReORIENT: Global Economy in the Asian Age 

4. It created the world that we live in.

Europeans and Americans built all the systems the world currently functions on e.g., capitalism, liberalism. And the success of each country is measured by how well they fit into and make use of these systems. As a result, colonised countries will always be lagging behind – we are living in a world that we did not help create. For many African cultures, we are actually living in a world that opposes our intrinsic values. But in order to prove ourselves, we have to remain in these systems that we are opposed to and try to succeed in them. In a way, we can say colonisation is over but Western imperialism is not.

This is not even going into detail about the years of cheap/free goods and labour that colonial countries gained to progress and develop their own countries. Many Western countries were built from the privileges attained during colonisation. And yet, it is still a mystery in the Western world why we just cannot just make it work ‘get over colonialism.’ This is not an incredibly detailed post but even with the surface-level information, I ask, how? How are we expected to move forward from these things? Education? – Which would be education that re-enforces the Western way and more deeply embeds our feelings of inferiority.

Many people then ask me: ‘well what do you want then?’ And that is an incredibly difficult question to answer because I am sure none of us knows what would be the best way to move forward from the damage that has already been done. One thing is for sure, lack of acknowledgement and a ‘get over it’ mentality is the worst way to deal with what took place. We need to work together to find ways to move forward and empower ourselves and each other to create systems that work for us. We do not need to simply ‘get over it,’ and continue this narrative that we are ill-equipped to rule ourselves. Instead, Africa specifically needs to embrace a pan-African movement and find ways that work for us to continue to sustain ourselves instead of forcing ourselves into a world that was clearly not meant for us. We can focus on ourselves and what we are able to do well without forgetting what has happened and what we have had to overcome as a people.

Welcome back!

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Hello everyone! I struggled with starting this post because I haven’t written in about a year. This includes blog posts and academic writing – I have been completely out of it since handing in my Master’s thesis in June 2022. It’s funny because in my last post I proclaimed that after handing in my thesis, I would have a lot more time to dedicate to the blog and then proceeded to not post anything for a full year.

Honestly, after finishing my Master’s, I was quite fatigued with thinking about the problems of the world and specifically, the problems of Zimbabwe. So, I decided to give myself a little break. However, the more time went on, the more I procrastinated writing something because I felt that my next post would have to be something profound. So I just got trapped in a cycle of producing nothing at all. In addition to this, I also had a quite demanding job during this time and I wanted to use my spare time to rest my brain rather than wrestling with the problems of the world. However, I do not think I got much rest from the topics I like to post about – even though I was not writing, I did not stop thinking about the different things that inspired me to start this blog in the first place. So after some time, I finally got the courage to come back and write again.

However, part of the reason I also struggled to start posting again is because I was not too sure what to write about. For people who have been following this blog from the beginning, it is no secret that my area of interest is Zimbabwe. I am uniquely invested in the country and everything that happens there but the reality is that I have not lived in Zimbabwe for the past five years. During my studies, this was easily overcome because I wrote almost all of my essays on some Zimbabwean issue so I was forced to do research and keep up with the ongoings in the country. However, when I stopped studying, I found it a lot harder to maintain my connection to my country and as a result, I felt ineligible to write about Zimbabwe. Although I can still conduct research like I did before, topics are not getting prompted to me as easily as they were while I was studying. When I was in university, with everything I learnt, I would think, ‘I wonder what this is like in Zimbabwe.’ That would lead me to research and then I would have a concrete topic to write about. This inspiration just seemed to be lacking in the past year. So, I am coming to you guys for some inspiration for upcoming posts. What interests you right now? What topics are you confused about? What issues are making you nervous? What would you like to learn more about? What do you think needs to be spoken about more? Do you have an interesting take on a public affairs issue? My DMs (its_liisa) and e-mail (alisaadams563@gmail.com) are open to any and all suggestions for future topics so please send them my way. (This is open to worldwide socio-political issues and do not have to be specifically focused on Zimbabwe).

I plan to be a lot more involved moving forward (in ways that I will reveal soon enough), so you can trust that all your suggestions will be taken seriously and I will do my best to research them and put out stimulating content. For those of you that are new here, I would urge you to read some of the earlier posts to get a bit more familiar with the topics and tone here. I am happy to have you onboard!

I look forward to exploring these different topics with you all and thank you for staying on as a reader and contributor of this space.

My people are Afraid 

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Hello everyone! It’s been almost four months since you’ve heard from me! I am sorry about that; things have been rather crazy for me. The reason I do not like to write posts when I am busy is that these posts take me a long time to think up and articulate. When I do not have the time to sort my thoughts, I can barely pick a topic to write on, let alone research it and present clear content to you all. Luckily, I have finished my master’s now so, I have a lot more time to dedicate to this blog. 

I am currently in Zimbabwe (yay!). I will be back in The Netherlands soon though to continue at my new job! I have been here for six days and I have already seen and heard so many things about what is happening in Zimbabwe that have left me utterly gobsmacked. You know when you look at a situation and think: well things surely cannot get any worse? Well, Zimbabwe is a constant reminder that things can always get worse. I said this exact sentence to myself last year and the year before around this time and even wrote a blog post about it. I looked at the situation in Zimbabwe and thought ‘well, this is it, things cannot possibly get worse…people are going to do something about how things currently are.’  And yet, I find myself looking at an even more desperate situation and even more desperate people.

I’d like to take you back to a post I wrote two years ago, on the 27th of July 2020. If you have the time, I implore you to reread it at: (https://unsungperspective.com/2020/07/27/july-31st/). If you do not have the time, that’s all right, I will give you a brief recap. In August 2018, with an equal mix of skepticism and jubilation, Zimbabwe swore in a new president. Unfortunately, four years later, we have seen the country fall faster than we ever thought possible. Already by 2020 (the time I wrote the post), people had seen that the government was running the country into the ground. People were starving, dying, and being driven to dangerous measures just to stay alive. All of this anger and frustration led to a buzz around July 31st (2020). It was believed that there would be a huge protest against the government in Harare on July 31st. I wrote with excitement and anticipation about what this protest would bring about. Sadly, two years later, I have to say that the July 31st protest did not even make a dent in Zimbabwean history.

Unfortunately, our inability to do anything two years ago ushered in this period of even worse circumstances. It is two years later, and things have only gotten worse. We are now experiencing a devastating economic crisis, with an inflation rate of around 600%. A loaf of bread in Zimbabwe is RTGS$600. I have no clue what the average salary is but it is definitely not keeping up with the inflation rate. I heard from one person that they are earning USD$30 per month and she seemed to believe that majority of Zimbabweans (lucky enough to have a job), are earning around the same amount. Healthcare has failed and education is failing. The youth of Zimbabwe are out of school, out of jobs, and out of options…

When I wrote in 2020, something despicable had also just happened which was leading people to saying enough is enough. Ironically, I am going to tell you guys about something eerily similar to what happened then. In 2020, female activists Joana Mamombe, Cecilia Chimbiri, and Netsai Marova had been abducted and tortured for speaking out against the government and highlighting the issues the country was facing. On the 24th of May 2022, Moreblessing Ali was gruesomely murdered for her activism against the current government. Moreblessing was a member of the Citizens of Coalition for Change (CCC) and after speaking out against the government just like Joana, Cecilia and Netsai, she was targeted and found to be a victim of extreme violence. The family of Moreblessing has spoken out about their devastation regarding the incident and CCC members and supporters have taken to the street to protest her murder. Unsurprisingly, the current governing party has denied all allegations of their involvement in this incident, just as they did with the 2020 one. They even further exacerbated the situation by arresting Moreblessing’s lawyer, Job Sikhala on the grounds of “inciting violence.” Which is their most famous go-to allegation when they want to arrest someone. There is always a systematic pattern of torture that occurs when the current party is under threat.  So, while this story is devastating, it came as no surprise to anyone in Zimbabwe. The CCC has come out though (at the beginning of this week) stating that they are tired, and they will fight back against the violence this time. With the 2023 elections quickly approaching, I would say, once again, Zimbabwe is a volcano on the verge of erupting. I once again find myself plagued with the same feelings I felt two years ago. Feelings of anxiety, excitement, dread, and anticipation. 

I was quite annoyed when I realized that there was not even a morsel of change the last time I felt these feelings about the future of my country. However, looking at the violence and intimidation that has already started a year ahead of the elections, I understand why. I was actually afraid to post this post while I am still in Zimbabwe because it is a scary place to be outspoken. In addition to this, while I am politically outspoken and despise the way Zimbabwe is currently being run, I actually have no political affiliation in Zimbabwe. I do not support any party, but I simply support the betterment of the country. I (like many Zimbabweans) distrust all political parties because none of them seem to really be rooting for the people of Zimbabwe. Therefore, while change seems to be looming, I am terrified of what that might even mean. All I know is that if things remain the way they currently are, more of us are going to die. Whether it is by the hands of those who want to stay in power or by starvation, Zimbabweans will continue to die if we do not seize the feeling in the country right now. Despite it all, for now, we still remain a happy and peaceful people and it is up to us to protect this and to look towards building a country that we can be proud of. 

So, I hope this upcoming year is the year that Zimbabweans are able to stand up for themselves. Politics aside, Zimbabweans standing up for themselves is now a matter of survival rather than political affiliation or gain. I want those who are standing up for themselves and their communities, like the brave women mentioned above, to know that I support you. We all support you in creating a better Zimbabwe, even if we are afraid to show it. There is light at the end of the tunnel for Zimbabwe.

On being African

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Happy Tuesday everyone! What a week this past week has been! It looks like as a generation, we can’t seem to catch a break – there is something tragic happening every couple of days. Regardless, I hope you are all doing ok and trying to see the positive in any given day. Each morning, my routine is to wake up, pray then check social media (because it’s the only thing that can slowly but surely wake me up), then get out of bed. When I woke up today, I was in a really good mood – I went to bed at a reasonable hour the night before and I do not have much to do today. So, I felt relaxed and calm. I prayed and after doing so, I felt very grateful for the day ahead of me. But, already at 7:30AM, my mood was ruined and instead of feeling grateful and relaxed, I started my day feeling extremely angry. When I went on Instagram, the first thing I was reminded of was how absolutely devastating it is to be an African person in this world.

As I am sure you have all seen, racism is at it again and honestly, I cannot help but be angry with what is going on. When Russia invaded Ukraine last week, I was devastated for both Ukrainian and Russian citizens who were all innocent and had to deal with a war because their politicians decided that for them. I saw dozens of other Africans (most of my followers are African), posting about the crisis, sharing donation pages and attending marches. Nothing was strange about this – this is how we are, when there is injustice around the world, we speak out… for all oppressed people without any thought of if those people would speak out for us if the roles were reversed. Let me take you all the way back to the BLM when my mom asked me why I was so adamantly supporting the movement when black Americans would not bat an eyelash at African suffering. Even though I knew it was true, I still continued to do all that I could for the movement – along with many other Africans because wrong is wrong and we should support those who need our help right?

  • In November 2022, the Ethiopian government launched an attack on the country’s Tigray region. There has been genocide being committed in this region since then with an estimation of 2,408 – 2,978 deaths. You tell me if you have seen more than a day’s worth of media coverage on this tragedy? Or if you have seen your American or European (Eastern European included) friends post about the thousands of people dying in Ethiopia? In all fairness, African’s themselves have not been posting about it either but that is a conversation that needs a lot of explaining which hopefully I can do in a follow up post.
  • The Central African Republic (CAR) has been embroiled in an ongoing war from 2012. Ceasefires were signed in both 2014 and 2016 but violence continued to erupt after both. For 10 years, residents of the CAR have been running from conflict with no access to clean water, food, stable homes or healthcare. Since the beginning of the war it is estimated that over 1.1 million people have been displaced. I have not seen a single person post about this or start a ‘the world is tragic’ conversation about it.
  • In December 2013, a violent war broke out in South Sudan, where as many as 50,000 people have died. While many people believe that the violence in South Sudan has ended, a UN report in 2021 showed that there were still violent killings and displacements taking place on a daily basis. But with little to media coverage on this tragedy, I could barely find any recent data on what is happening in 2022 – but it is definitely not peace.
  • Mozambique ongoing war – 800,000 people displaced.
  • Democratic Republic of Congo ongoing violence – 629 people killed.
  • Cameroon
  • Somalia

That is not the end of the list but I think I have made my point. I had to deep-dive on the internet just to find this information because none of it has been important enough to be shown on mainstream media. Out of all of these conflicts, the only ones that I actually knew details about were Ethiopia and Mozambique because just like you, I gobble up Western media and forget that my own continent is struggling to stay afloat. Millions of Africans are dying and no one really cares… So yes, it hurts to see the death and it hurts even more to see us protest for the oppression and violence others face when our own is ignored. And yes, although it doesn’t come as a huge surprise, it hurts to see how African’s are being treated in the Ukrainian conflict right now. Denying someone safe passage simply because they have darker skin?! I will never understand racism so I will not even try and ask for the reasoning behind such inhumane treatment.

So researching all of this and writing it up for you did nothing to alleviate my anger (expectedly). But, I do know what can alleviate my anger – I do it all the time when I see/hear someone being prejudiced towards an African person. I think to myself, “Imagine not being African?”

Contrary to what other people may believe, the thought of not being African is more devastating than being African in this world actually. Yes, there is mass suffering and a lot wrong with our countries but I would never trade my Zimbabweaness in for anything. Regardless of what I have just told you, being Zimbabwean actually feels like one if my biggest blessings and I try to remember that when I look at the way the world treats us. Imagine not having the African-vibe – that we all know we have. I cannot imagine that nor do I want to. So while I know it is easy to get angry and disheartened with the way the world treats us, we need to remember who we are and why we are proud.

I understand that the Ukrainian conflict has the potential to have worldwide consequences but I believe that there is no death on this planet that holds more weight than another. So if we are going to protest and have outcry about this conflict then, so should we about those in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Americas. There is enough wrong with the world and layering hierarchy onto tragedy only makes us hypocritical in our cries for change. 

“My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.”

– Desmond Tutu

A Healthcare System in Disarray 

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Happy New Year everyone! (A little late, I know but I have been enjoying the desperately needed time off). I hope you all had a great holiday period and are ready to give 2022 your all! Having entered the new year quite differently to last year, I was reflecting on the place in my life I had been just a year ago. This brought me to the topic of today. 

https://mg.co.za/article/2017-04-06-00-how-to-fund-a-failing-health-system/

This time last year, unsurprisingly, I was in Zimbabwe. However, very surprisingly, I fighting to keep breathing. In January 2021, I tested positive for COVID-19 and for many reasons this alarmed me and those around me. For one, I am chronically asthmatic, but I also have always had quite an unreliable immune system. So, from the beginning of COVID, it was a running joke with my friends and family that out of everyone, I would be the least likely to survive COVID. Consequently, as you can imagine, my test result caused quite a bit of panic. Long story short, it was one of the worst experiences of my entire life and there were a few nights that I confidently thought that I would take my last breath. Luckily, I was surrounded by a lot of love and support and my body fought it’s hardest to heal and recover.

When I first got sick though, my personal circumstances were not even my main worry. My main worry was that I was in Zimbabwe. I thought to myself, at least if I had gotten it in The Netherlands, I would have a fighting chance… Imagine having this little faith in your country’s healthcare system. 

“In recent months we have seen a dramatic deterioration of our health-care system. Virtually everything to do with health is failing to perform at even the minimum expected standards”, said Douglas Gwatidzo, chairman of the Zimbabwe Doctors for Human Rights.

The above quote was from as far back at 2008 and things have only deteriorated since then. In 2010, there were 1.6 doctors for every 10,000 people in Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, Human Resources for Health information sheet, 2010). I am not sure of the statistics now, but I would bet that this ratio has gotten even pooper from 2010. In isolation, this statistic is already staggering, but just for comparison, The Netherlands has 39 doctors per 10,000 people (2022 statistic). Compounded on top of this is the fact that the doctors and nurses who are still Zimbabwe are barely paid. – That is the story behind the image above.  In June 2020 (amidst the COVID-19 pandemic), nurses went on strike in Zimbabwe because they were not being paid whilst they were risking their lives on a daily basis.

But that’s not all, compounded on top of this, there is the issue of lack of hospital infrastructure. Let’s even put COVID-19 aside and look back at 2019. Already then, the country did not have enough basic facilities to support people with life threatening illnesses. Nearly half of the people diagnosed with cancer in Zimbabwe die because of the lack of radiographers and chemotherapy treatments. When the pandemic hit, there was less than 20 (I have gone high because I don’t remember the exact number), ventilators in the entire country. Hospitals are unable to undertake basic operations because of a shortage of anaesthetics, sutures and so on… In the times of modern medicine, Zimbabwe still has an extremely worrying rate of women who die during child labor because of the state of hospitals. So really, any contact with the healthcare system is like a death sentence. What I don’t understand, is our government’s lack of regard for this crumbling infrastructure. If COVID taught us anything, it was that rich or poor, you are in danger. In a situation like this, money or political affiliation means very little if there are simply no means of help in the country. But still, the government is letting the healthcare sector fall further and further into disarray. Although yes, there is no ignoring that the huge economic gap in the country fuels the government’s indifference towards the decaying healthcare system. As is clear, I made it out alive but that was after spending hundreds of dollars on medications, inhouse doctors’ visits, hospital visits, new equipment to help me breathe etc. This was possible because I am lucky enough to have the means and still, the cost of my survival was exorbitant. Majority of people in the country cannot afford even a fraction of these costs. So, they watched loved ones slip away because they were powerless to a system that has failed us terribly.  

“The hospital advised us to take the patient to a private hospital nearby. But before we could find the money to pay the $25 appointment fee, he had already died.” (Anonymous) 

Healthcare is a basic Human Right, but majority of Zimbabweans do not have access to it. I am utterly terrified of any of my loved ones getting sick in Zimbabwe (even something mild) because looking at the state of things, it seems that the chances of survival in a Zimbabwean hospital are slim.