Almost every one of them were taken down within the first day up, ha ha. I think that's awful common in the USA.
I'm more prepared for the violence and collapse of the dollar though; but sure hope it doesn't happen for a few more years.
No go areas
Saturday 27th February 2010
Dear Family and Friends,
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the commencement of farm invasions in Zimbabwe. For me it started with a mob of men who came to the farm gate. Wearing blue overalls and carrying bricks and sticks they whistled and shouted that this was HONDO (war) and that they were taking the farm. The events that followed are history and the seizure of that farm and theft of home, business and assets have been repeated thousands of times across the country in this last decade.
There are thought to have been a million people directly affected by Zimbabwe's land seizures, including farm owners and their employees and extended families. None of these one million people have yet been compensated for what was taken from them or for injuries and abuses inflicted upon them in the process of the seizures. It wasn't only those million that paid the price. It is widely believed that a further four million Zimbabweans had to leave home in the last 10 years. There is not a family in the country who does not have relations living in political or financial exile in this massive place called 'diaspora' which encompasses most corners of the world where abused, dispossessed, and disenfranchised Zimbabweans now live.
Tragically, 10 years later farm invasions are still going on and the inclusive government does nothing to stop them - unable or unwilling to stop the lawless monster unleashed a decade ago. Zimbabwe now imports almost it's food including the most basic of staple goods such as wheat, maize, cooking oil and sugar.
Farms, once the show-piece of Zimbabwe and the life blood of the economy are now no-go areas. Why? What is it that the beneficiaries of the seized farms have got to hide? What are they ashamed of? What have they being doing these 10 years that leaves our shelves barren of Zimbabwean food?
Perhaps one person who knows is Gertrude Hambira, Secretary General of the General Agriculture and Plantation Workers Union of Zimbabwe (Gapwuz). Mrs Hambira was in hiding again this week days after she'd been called to a meeting and interrogated about a documentary and report published by GAPWUZ recently. The report called 'House of Justice," exposes evidence of human rights violations against farm workers in the decade of land seizures and details the involvement of senior government officials.
This week I had the privilege of going for a walk in the bush - a rare treat these days after everything that has gone on here. Tall, thick vegetation, lush grass heavy with raindrops and drooping with seeds. Everywhere you look there is another delight to see and for me it was like meeting old friends: exquisite mushrooms of every description from thin stalks with delicate ivory heads to bright orange spikes erupting from a bare sandy patch; red toadstools, brown balls, little white beads glimmering in the grass and huge brown and orange bracket fungus clinging to trees.
There is so much to do out there in the Zimbabwean bush, so much to preserve, conserve, protect and so much for our children to learn - if only the politics and greed of a few could be stopped.
Until next time, thanks for reading, love cathy
I’ve got an old high school acquaintance - was a US Marine, turned leftist looney (I know, go figure). On election nights he walks around the neighborhood knocking down Republican campaign signs. n his on words, “hefting a 10 pound slede I like to call ‘the wind’”. Then he complains about Republicans stealing elections.