Green, black, yellow, red, white: belongs to all of us
Dear Family and Friends,
While everyone has been watching ordinary Zimbabweans protesting, demonstrating and trying to free themselves from joblessness, poverty, corruption and oppression, our government have reacted in the same predictable way they always react: arrests, tear gas, threats, intimidation and angry voices. Of course the usual rubber truncheons have also been ever present; they are called baton sticks here but were famously mis-spelt as “button sticks” on a recent police search warrant adding humour to even the darkest of times in Zimbabwe.
Green, black, yellow, red, white. Those are the colours of our national flag and it is this one simple, obvious, symbol that has started a massive citizen groundswell calling for change in Zimbabwe. As each week passes Zimbabweans are taking to the streets: banging pots, holding placards, singing, praying, sitting down, walking. No single clear organizer but just ordinary people united by green, black, yellow, red white: the flag that belongs to all of us.
In countries around the world Zimbabweans have been gathering and demonstrating, adding their voices to ours; voices from afar giving courage to us at home. Wow! Thank you! What else can we say to Zims in South Africa, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, America! We haven’t forgotten you and you haven’t forgotten us!
While ordinary Zimbabweans voices grow louder and louder at home and abroad, the unthinkable happened back in Harare. It all started last week when war veterans held a meeting to discuss: “The state of Zimbabwe’s economy, the ZANU PF leadership and the way forward.”