Zimbabwe's "Coup" Brings Hope, Free Speech And Business

By Paul Shalala in Harare, Zimbabwe

President Emmerson Mnangagwa -Picture
Courtesy of 263 Chat

Landing in Harare, Zimbabwe´'s capital, was supposed to be a short 45 minutes flight.

But in their usual fashion, Kenya Airways delayed the flight.

"We are sorry to announce that we will be shutting down the engines because one of our computers has malfunctioned. We need to reboot them," said the flight captain as we anxiously sat in our seats in an Embraer 190 jet at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka.

Shortly afterwards, all lights went off, the aircon too was switched off.

Then it downed on me that the plane was really shut down.

Ten minutes later, the plane was switched on and in no time, we took off from Lusaka, headed to Zimbabwe and that was on Monday.

In the next 50 minutes, a lot of scenarios came in my mind.

Won’t I be arrested upon arrival at the airport? Zimbabwe is not known for being warm to journalists.

On a normal journalistic assignment, foreign reporters are required to register with the Journalism Council of Zimbabwe, which I didn't do.

To make matters worse, my passport has journalism as my occupation.

Like Bembas like saying "Fili Oko Tuleya" meaning we will see what happens ahead, I tried to forget about what would happen with Immigration officers at the airport.

As we started our descent on the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, thoughts of either being turned away or being arrested again hit me.

Bruce, Paul and Fanta at the airport

Again the "Fyalaisova" (We will sort it out) mentality gripped me.

With fear in my body, I walked down the plane after we landed and boarded the shuttle to the arrival terminal.

As we entered the terminal, we were greeted by a huge banner written ZIMBABWE IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS with a smiley face of the new President Emmerson Mnangagwa staring at us.

Upon seeing the President's image, I remembered his nephew Jackson Mnangagwa who was my peer at Mumbwa High School from 2000 to 2002.

Interestingly, President Mnangagwa was also a pupil at the same school decades earlier when he lived in Lutondo Village which is just 15 kilometers away from my home village Lubanze in Mumbwa District.

Actually, we the people of Mumbwa lay a claim on the Zimbabwean President, he is one of us.

As a coward, I made sure that my friend Bruce Chooma, who is also a journalist, stood ahead of me on the queue as we waited to be cleared by the Immigration officers who were all females.

Bruce, who is also a blogger, stepped forward and presented his passport and the invitation letter from the KAS Media Africa office.

The gentleman was questioned for over 10 minutes.

This scared me even more.

Later, I was ushered to another officer and i presented my papers.

"Neimwi uyu journalist shamwari (there is another journalist my friend,)" said the Immigration officer as she informed her colleague who was attending to Bruce.

After a few questions, the officer asked me to sign a form which only gave me five days to stay in Zimbabwe without the possibility of an extension.

"Keep that paper safe, you should hand it over to the Immigration officer the day you will leave the country. If you lose it, you will be charged $100," she warned me.

Zimbabwean bloggers Takura Zhangazha (right)
and Blessings Vava (middle)

At this point, I got more scared, but she allowed me to proceed to the luggage bay and finally I exited the airport.

As we jumped on a taxi, I breathed a sigh of relief.

My Senegalese friend Fanta Diallo (a fellow blogger), Bruce and I boarded a taxi and we were driven to a hotel in Msasa area of Harare,

For your own information, in the local Shona language, Harare means a place which does not go to sleep.

In the new Zimbabwean era, we were freely allowed to move around Harare without minders trailing us.

This was not common a few years ago when foreign journalists were not welcome in the country.

But since the Zimbabwean Army overthrew Robert Mugabe and installed his deputy Mnangagwa as the country's third President, the country has seen a number of changes.

Back to my trip from the airport to the hotel, we tried to engage the driver in conversations of politics and current affairs but the man must have still been living in the Mugabe era where people were engulfed in a climate of fear.

Upon arrival at Cresta Lodge, we were greeted by a smiley lady whose name tag had a Banda surname.

Immediately I greeted her in the Lusaka version of Nyanja but surprisingly, she answered me in Tonga and we started talking.

We spent some 10 minutes chatting and Bruce, who is Tonga himself, was at home.

That evening, we went to have dinner in the restaurant.

We found a number of Zimbabweans taking some beers and were loudly discussing how ZIMBABWE IS NOW OPEN TO BUSINESS.

While sipping the locally prized Zambezi lager, these Zimbos kept talking how the business environment had changed and how they wished the General elections could quickly pass so that investors can pump in the much needed foreign exchange.

These are the kinds of discussions Zimbabweans I met over the next four days had.

It struck me that Zimbabweans were now hopeful of the future, they no longer lived under fear of what tomorrow was to bring, Mugabe was now relegated to his house without any role in the country.

Bloggers who attended the #AfricaBlogging
conference in Harare

The following day was the first day of the #AfricaBlogging conference, an annual gathering of bloggers from Sub-Sahara Africa to discuss trends on the continent and learn more about the field of information sharing.

In the 37 years when Mugabe was at the helm of the former British colony's government, such a conference would not have been held.

Even in an unlikely event that it was held, state agents would still have kept a close eye on it.

"If it was in the Mugabe time, we were going to see people who are not employees at this hotel, suddenly start repairing these windows while listening to proceedings. They would take more time than necessary to assess what’s going on," said KAS Zimbabwe Resident Representative David Mbae.

The Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) is a German political foundation which promotes good governance and media development across the world.

The organisation has a Johannesburg-based media office which runs a number of projects in Sub-Sahara Africa.

One of such projects is #AfricaBlogging which brings together political bloggers from Anglophone and Francophone countries on an annual basis to discuss the growing appetite for independent voices on the continent.

"We chose Zimbabwe for this year's #AfricaBlogging conference because of the political transition we witnessed late last year. And the fact that we have been freely welcomed and held this workshop in Harare is testimony to the new freedoms that have come to Zimbabwe," said KAS Media Africa Sub-Sahara Director Christoph Plate.

Christoph Plate addressing the bloggers

Plate, himself a long serving Africa correspondent for several German publications in the 1990s, said despite the failure by a handful of West African bloggers to get visas to attend the conference, the atmosphere in Zimbabwe in the post-Mugabe era was promising.

Prominent Zimbabwean bloggers and political analysts Blessing Vava and Takura Zhangazha shared their perspectives on the new era.

"This year's election is the first where we don't have Mugabe on the ballot. It is also the first election where Mugabe's arch rival (Morgan) Tsvangirai is also not on the ballot. In previous elections, you would not see Zimbabweans express themselves on social media, but today, we even have hashtag movements," said Blessings.

The University of Johannesburg PhD candidate went on to explain that after Mugabe's overthrow by the military in November last year, social media has opened up and it has become a big source of information for the masses.

He also said due to the influence of social media, President Mnangagwa had also been forced to open Facebook and Twitter accounts to canvass for votes and interact with voters.

His colleague Takura however said very little has changed in Zimbabwe after the November coup.

He said cyber security is still a challenge in the country just as it is in the Southern Africa region.

"We have a law on cyber security which is still being held on. We are likely to see it pass after the elections in July," said Takura.

On the day the #AfricaBlogging conference opened, Nelson Chamisa, the firebrand presidential candidate for late Tsvangirai's MDC party led a march across the streets of Harare to press for electoral reforms ahead of the July poll.

MDC supporters marching through Harare

The peaceful march, which Police officers sanctioned, would have been unheard of if Mugabe was still President.

But in the new dispensation, the opposition painted Harare as they made their voice heard.

That afternoon, we visited 263 Chat, a social media company which delivers news to over 20,000 of its online subscribers.

The company, which is located on Batanai House in the central business district of Harare, uses social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn to deliver its news to ordinary Zimbabweans at home and abroad for free.

263 Chat was founded by Nigel Mugamu, an accountant who was based in the United Kingdom.

"I got fade up with the way BBC and CNN used to report about Zimbabwe. They were only reporting on Mugabe, Joyce Mujuru and Tsvangirai. So I came back home and came up with an idea of starting up conversations and tell the story through social media," said Nigel

Today, the company employs 16 people, mostly youths who document news using their mobile phones, professional cameras and other gadgets and then use social media to disseminate the news.

Nigel Mugamu (in white shirt) interacts with
Christoph Plate and some bloggers

"After the Coup! No Coup! people are now free to dicsuss issues they were afraid of talking about. Today you can hear people discuss Gukurahundi and other forbidden topics. Even us, we no longer get visits by state agents, we are now free to do our work. Stories we were scared of writing, we now write them. Business wise, we are even getting more clients calling us to deliver invoices. The change is there," said Nigel in response to a question from this blogger.

Gukurahundi, which Nigel mentioned, is a term used to describe the massacres of about 20,000 Ndebele speaking people in Matebeleland and the Midlands region by the Zimbabwean Army in the early 1980s.

The massacres were a hot topic which Zimbabweans were forbidden to discuss for fear of being arrested but with the fall of Mugabe, citizens are now discussing it.

Some point the finger on Mugabe while others accuse President Mnangagwa of being part of the people who planned and executed the killings.

But all this talk has only come now that the ZANU-PF strongman is out of the picture.

And from the close to two hours chat with Nigel, it was clear that the people of Zimbabwe had been freed from the fears they had in the Mugabe era.

They are entitled to their opinions which they are now freely expressing without the fear of being arrested.

The streets of Harare 

And a stroll through the streets of Harare revealed that the usually heavy Police presence was gone.

The only Police officers present where those deployed at major intersections to control traffic during the morning and evening rush hour.

Countrywide, it is reported that the 16 checkpoints which were usually mounted between Harare and the city of Masvingo where all scrapped off after the ascendance of President Mnangagwa and motorists now drive freely without the fear of being pulled over by traffic Police.

All these signs of relative change have given hope to Zimbabweans.

They look towards the post July elections era to see if the promise of change President Mnangagwa gave will continue irrespective of who wins the poll.

As I left the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, after handing over that paper which the Immigration officer had given me earlier, I said a short prayer, asking God to help Zimbabweans to manage this newly found freedom.

I asked God to ensure that the July elections go on without violence and the people's candidate wins the elections so that Zimbabweans can live in peace and rebuild their shuttered economy.

My prayer involved asking God to help them bring back money to the empty ATMs which are currently unused and to help them bring back the Zimbabwean dollar as opposed to the current use of the South African Rand and the US dollar as the country's legal tender.

After the prayer, I shouted in excitement "Pamberi Ne Zimbabwe (Forward with Zimbabwe)" as the Kenya Airways plane took off for Lusaka.

Goree Island: From Slavery To The Promotion Of Reconciliation

Bloggers from 13 Anglophone and Francophone countries
board a ferry in Dakar en route to Goree island
- Pictures by Bruce Chooma, Paul Shalala and Brigitte Reed

By Paul Shalala on Goree Island, Senegal

It is a famous, or is it infamous, island which is well known for slavery, death, human suffering, sexual exploitation and inhuman behaviour.

Goree Island in Senegal is one of three centres where the African Slave Trade thrived. 

But Goree was the epicenter.

According to historical records, the tiny island, which is off the the coast of Dakar, was responsible for up to 20 million slaves who made their way to the Americas from the 1400s until slavery was abolished in the 1800s. 

Six million of those who passed through the island did not make it to the Americas, they died of starvation, disease and others were through overboard. 

But why was Goree chosen as the headquarters of the trans Atlantic Slave Trade?

"The island is at the western tip of Africa and it is positioned directly with the United States. Also, the island was surrounded by sharks, so slaves could not escape once they were brought to the slave houses," said Mamadou Sall, a tour guide who has spent the last two decades showing tourists the historical areas of the island.

Mr Sall. who shares the same surname with the Senegalese President Macky Sall,took a dozen bloggers from across the Africa on a tour of historical sites across the island.

Bloggers from Africa and KAS Media Africa Director
Christoph Plate pose for a photo at the Goree Institute

The bloggers from 13 Anglophone and Francophone countries were attending their annual two day #AfricaBlogging conference on the island under the auspices of the Johannesburg-based KAS Media Africa, a German non governmental organisation.

The island had 28 slave houses which housed thousands of slaves at any given time.

A visit to the only surviving slave house shows how cruel the treatment of the slaves was.

In a small room with little ventilation, 300 slaves would be held for up to three months as they waited for ships to arrive from America.

The outbreak of diseases and deaths were common on the island.

"There were occasional outbreak of diseases on this island. People used to die. Even on their way to America, some people would throw themselves in the ocean while others would actually be thrown by slave owners," said Alione Kabo, a government conservation curator who is based on Goree island.

In those years, the Slave Trade was conducted through batter system.

Slaved were bought using different kinds of goods depending on their body size and stamina.

According to historians, the most expensive slaves were the Yoruba speaking people of Nigeria who were said to have been very energetic and strong in working in the cotton fields.

In those days, slave owners would buy the whole family including parents and children.

"Sometimes, a whole family would be brought here on the island. They would be separated in the slave houses. When time to be shipped comes, the father would go to America, the mother to Brazil and the child to the Caribbean islands," added Mr Kabo.

However, small girls who were brought here suffered sexual exploitation.

A former slave house

According to Mr Kabo, there was an unwritten rule that slave owners had a right to have sex with small girls and once they got pregnant, they would earn their freedom back to the continent of Africa.

Despite its portrayal as a white man's activity, the African Slave Trade was actually done with the consent of African chiefs.

Some of these chiefs benefited a lot by selling their own subjects. 

And today, every visitor to Goree island does not miss the opportunity to visit what is commonly known as 'The Place of no return.'

Of the 28 slave houses on the island, only one remains in its original design and one famous door remains intact to teach the current generation of the past activities.

One door, which is still open today is believed to have been where millions of slaves passed to board ships to America.

Mr Kabo disclosed that: "In this door, any slave who passed through would never return to Africa. it was a gate way to slavery in America. Behind this door, ships docked to load hundreds of slaves at a go. We had sharks swimming around this area because some slaves used to risk swimming away."

Zambian blogger Bruce Chooma at the 'door of no return'

In 1992, Pope John Paul stood at 'The Door of no Return' and apologized for the role Catholic Missionaries played in the slave trade.

He also worshiped in one of the former slave houses which has now been transformed into a Catholic Church.

And in 2013, then United States President Barack Obama visited the island and gave an emotional speech encouraging the protection of human rights.

Since the 1444, Goree island has been ruled by the Portuguese, the Dutch, the French, the British and finally by the French again,

A huge canon with two huge barrels is a reminder of the battles of control fought by the European powers on the island.

Being an island, Goree depends on fish for its survival.

Many residents are fishermen.

Art is also another big business and a major tourist attraction. 

Wherever you go, you will find artifacts, paintings and all kinds of art.

Senegalese blogger Fanta Diallo (Right)

The abundance of sand makes the work for artists easier as they are able to mould or paint anything and sale to the millions of tourists who visit the island annually.

This industry has been in existence for hundreds of years.

Today, Goree island is a thriving community of 1, 200 residents 80 percent of whom are Muslims and the remainder being Christians.

"In Senegal, Christians and Muslims mingle easily. Here on Goree island, the majority of residents are muslims but interestingly, the Mayor is a christian and he is a prominent lawyer," said Fanta Diallo, a Senegalese blogger who is also an elected ward Councillor in the capital Dakar.

Despite its dark past, Goree has moved on and its residents live normal lives.

To preserve its past and promote reconciliation, stakeholders have formed the Goree Institute Center for Democracy, Development and Culture in Africa.

The institute engages various sectors of society and offers courses on democracy and how communities can co-exist.

"The Goree Institute does a lot of things. One of them is the promotion of democracy and reconciliation on the continent of Africa. Despite the history of slavery, we are using Goree as an example for reconcilition. We want to also promote democratic values," said Goree Institute Executive Director Doudou Dia.

As a way of putting the past behind, most slave houses have been transformed into different institutions.

For example, the island's only Medical School is a former slave house where thousands of slaves used to be held.

Every year, descendants of freed slaves from the Caribbean islands come to Goree to commemorate their liberation from slavery at this monument.

The Statue of Liberation on Goree Island

A huge statue has been erected where this event is usually held.

However, one would wonder why everywhere you focus your eyes on, everyone is walking.

Senegalese authorities have declared the island a 'No car area' in order to preserve its historical places and due to its small size.

But you can occasionally see donkeys pulling carts.

In the northern part of the island is a female secondary school which wa closed during our visit.

The school hosts some of the best 200 female pupils who are selected across Senegal and most of them proceed to prestigious universities such as Oxford and Havard.

Access to the island is provided by a boat which ferries people from the city of Dakar to Goree and vice versa.

The ferry is run under a Public Private Partnership and it moves between the island and Dakar for over six times a day.

As I left Goree island, I was reminded how fragile human life can be when those in authority do not respect the rights of those they lead.

For centuries to come, Goree island will continue being a symbol of death, sexual exploitation and cruelty against humanity.

But for those who seek peace and progress, Goree will also be a place where forgiveness and reconciliation can be found.