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| Africa Subsaharan |
| The true horror of everyday life in Zimbabwe |
| 2009-02-11 |
| A Guardian film smuggled out of Zimbabwe brings home the economic devastation and deprivation Robert Mugabe has wreaked upon his own people. With Morgan Tsvangirai, the opposition leader, preparing to take up the post of prime minister in a unity government, Sam Chakaipa, at considerable risk to himself and as an act of resistance, returned clandestinely to his village, 125 miles from Harare, to document the plight of his former neighbours. The opposition activist has produced extraordinary footage of what Zimbabweans have to do in order to survive in a wrecked economy. As money is worthless -- Zimbabwe is plagued by the world's highest inflation rate -- the villagers are reduced to panning for gold in rivers. Instead of attending school, youngsters from the village scrabble knee-deep in muddy water or dig ever deeper holes in a desperate search for a few grains of gold. These small supplies of the precious metal have thus become a crucial commodity Zimbabweans can trade for food; a loaf of bread is worth 0.1 grams. But only the young have the strength to dig and pan for gold; the village elders must go hungry, unless they have friends or relatives they can rely on. Some parents have been forced to feed rats to their children, and hunger has turned family members against each other. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #12 Not all roses. Botswana still struggles to seal its border from thousands of Zimbabweans who flee economic collapse and political persecution; Namibia has long supported, and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to, plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River at Kazungula crossing, thereby de facto recognizing the short, but not clearly delimited, Botswana-Zambia boundary More at CIA Fact Book HERE. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-02-11 18:02 |
| #11 > Botswana ... is a roaring success The next question is WHY? |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles the flatulent 2009-02-11 17:54 |
| #10 Thanks Phil, I wondered. |
| Posted by: Rednek Jim 2009-02-11 17:16 |
| #9 Botswana by the standards of Sub-Saharan Africa is a roaring success. Per capita GDP is $17,000 (ppp) or $7,000 (nominal). About the same as Brazil. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2009-02-11 16:54 |
| #8 Botswana. Even Kenya, compared to, for instance, Libya. |
| Posted by: Fred 2009-02-11 13:20 |
| #7 AU needs to fix this with extreme judicial prejudice - immediately. I do not care even to have Mugabe alive any longer. |
| Posted by: newc 2009-02-11 12:48 |
| #6 Dammit Alan, I'd forgotten that, what a wonderful thing to taunt "Super Zero' about. Serious question , can anyone name a SUCCESSFUL Black led country? |
| Posted by: Rednek Jim 2009-02-11 11:07 |
| #5 Zimbabwe will always have one. The feckless West has seen to that. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-02-11 10:10 |
| #4 What's so great about having a black president? Zimbabwe's had one for years. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2009-02-11 10:01 |
| #3 Let them drink '61 Bollinger. /Robert "Antoinette" Mugabe |
| Posted by: ed 2009-02-11 08:45 |
| #2 But it's all OK, 'cause Bob has lobsters for his birthday party. |
| Posted by: Spot 2009-02-11 08:06 |
| #1 Okay-y-y, so we're clearly NOT talking about MUGABE's = NOKOR's KIMMIE'S PERSONAL, EXPENSIVE, LUXURY FOOD DIET. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2009-02-11 01:32 |