Dear Mr. Mugabe,
I am not a Zimbabwean, but I care deeply about the fate of the people, who live in your beautiful country famous for Victoria Falls, amazing wildlife, and you: one of the most ridiculed leaders in the world. You are ridiculed, because hate, as you have shown, will not change the lives of those who hate and will only pour more fuel into the fire. You are ridiculed, because you have overstayed your welcome. Wakura baba.
But I do not want to ridicule you today, Mr. Mugabe. I want to thank you. Many people were forced to leave Zimbabwe thanks to you and your policies. My husband was one of them. I would not have met him if it weren’t for you. Who would voluntarily leave paradise? He taught me the history, traditions and customs of Zimbabwe, he showed me the wonderful places where he spent his childhood and I have come to know Zimbabweans as the most friendly, kind and resilient people in the world. I thank you for all my Zimbabwean friends, who have left the country, because your hunger for power is insatiable.
I respect your fight for freedom and understand your reasons for wanting equal rights for your own people. Being an Estonian, I am very familiar with the pride you feel for taking hold of the reigns from a foreign power. You had the chance of remaining in the national consciousness and discourse of history as an honorary freedom fighter, as someone, who selflessly fought for your people’s personal and political rights. Instead, the whole world, including Zimbabwe, will remember you as a senile dictator, who ate his birthday cake in the middle of a starving village while the country was in a state of disaster.
I went to Zimbabwe in December 2012 for the first time. My husband and I were excited to move to Zimbabwe and build a life in your unbelievably beautiful and unbelievably unfortunate country. I started to learn Shona, I wrote my MA thesis on Zimbabwe to learn more; we dreamed of life in paradise, where the community is at the centre of everything and people take care of each other. It is the Zimbabwean way and it is rare.
I went back to Zimbabwe in January 2016. The Zimbabwean way is no more. The new Zimbabwean way is surviving, which means people need to look after themselves first. I am saddened by what you and your ruling elite have done. I am not even a Zimbabwean and it hurts me. Seeing friends and family having to give up hopes of ever moving back home is heart-breaking. Those left are busy finding ways to leave. Where will Zimbabwe be in 10 years’ time without surgeons, engineers, honest businessmen, teachers and transparent politicians?
How can you continue in this position while knowing your compatriots don’t have any sadza for dinner? How can you claim to be a leader when your mapurisa is out of control? Where is the justice you promised for children, who have to work to eat? How can Zimbabweans grow up to take pride in their country when the students of one of your best schools, which is only a stone throw away from your magnificent palace, run barefoot, in school uniforms, on the streets of Harare, in their PE class?
Please don’t tell me about El Niño, the British or any other mascots you have chosen to take the bullets for you. You fought for freedom; you have been an independent country for a long time, yet you have not taken the responsibility for the people of Zimbabwe and the freedom you achieved.
Why do you silence people, who want to speak against you? Are you afraid of dialogue, because it is too late to right your wrongs? Dear Mr. Mugabe, will you die a proud man?
Proudly a self-proclaimed honorary Zimbo,
Katrin
Katrin What a gem of a letter. Passionate objective and provocative. Regards Ian
Sent from my iPhone
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An interesting and thought provoking article written with heart felt passion, thank you for sharing it katrin.
Steve
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Well said Katrin.
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Fantastic letter, and so well put across. You have a lot more passion for Zimbabwe than most Zimbabweans have left for their own country
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We have passion, extreme and deeply felt passion, which unfortunately is paralleled with the unbearable despair that arises from knowing that we cannot live the decent life we long for in our beloved homeland. So in those emotions, we stay silent when there are no words good enough to adequately express the deep and heartfelt passion + despair; and when we can’t stay silent anymore, we express our feelings as eloquently as possible (not trying to be funny but we are super smart and often articulate😉), but this often falls on deaf ears for some of the reasons highlighted in this letter and many, many more.
As peaceful and family oriented people, the thought of war to resolve this situation is unbearable. Hence the vicious cycle of passion and despair continues whilst we try to make a better life for our families wherever we are in the world.
We sometimes have to push this ‘vicious cycle’ to the back of our minds to get on with life and remain sane so perhaps that is what you are perceiving as a lack of passion?
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All we can do is hope that he reads your letter and knows the sentiments are echoed by many, many, people.
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An interesting letter which, however, displays a clear lack of knowledge of the history of the country. He was never a freedom fighter. He did not free Rhodesia from the grip of foreign power – Ian Smith did that. Mugabe and his cronies simply used the most appalling acts of terrorism to gain power for themselves, aided and abetted by the renegade Western countries who had made it their goal to destroy the hopes and futures of Rhodesians of all races, and most of Africa.
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Nice article.
But with respect, you speak of going to Zimbabwe for the first time in 2012 … and then go again in 2016 and say ‘The Zimbabwean Way is no more’.
‘the Zimbabwean way was long lost since the late ’90’s, you cannot know of it if you visited for the first time in 2012
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Been married to a Zimbabwean for 5 years, known him for over 10…
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Well said, insightful!
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Ignoring the previous comments, I believe the principle behind the article could not be more true. Beautiful and well written – it almost brought a tear to my eye.
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Mugabe will not listen even to God. Look at how his advanced age; a natural thing, means nothing to him compared to staying in power. That man ruined our lives and common sense is not so common to him anymore. Just a day ago, Mugabe told journalists that he is a life president. Now, that’s clearly a selfish individual whose eyes can not see a single thing besides self.
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It is the saddest moment in all my life to see my country, once so prosperous and their currency so valued, to be disintegrated to … this … ashes! because of a greedy despot! The people are good and wholesome and he has done everything to eradicate any kind of human compassion and trustworthiness! It breaks my heart! 😦
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Yes Mugabe has ruined Zimbabwe but to say Ian Smith liberated Rhodesia is equally insane. I grew up in Rhodesia as black person it was pathetic how white people were treating blacks. I suggest let’s not compare Rhodesia and Zimbabwe cause Rhodesia was bad in its on way, it was the best for the few, however not as bad as Zimbabwe nowhere
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Well written. Magona. Felt the passion….
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