My good friend Hope
The outcome of the recent Zimbabwean elections has left a hole in my heart were hope used to reside. Hope and I have been friends for a very long time she has always resided in me, but somewhere along the line when I moved to Australia I stopped paying attention to her or maybe just she realised that I was not interested.
But I spent the first 4 months of this year in Harare and once again Hope grew in me. With every smile I saw hope grew. With every pothole I saw filled, Hope grew every Mazda BT50 overloaded with bricks Hope grew. Every time I went to Dzivarasekwa and I saw wells being dug hope grew, seeing people moving from a plastic shack to dzimba dzemarata, to their brick and mortar houses hope grew. In those months hope set up a permanent residence, she moved in it felt good.
When the results came out , wow, the very moment Rita Makarau said our old new president had achieved 61% of the vote. Hope vacated, she packed her bags as she was walking out the door she passed out and slipped into a coma. I mourned, I thought I would never get Hope back.
But Hope is a stubborn bitch and although she has been knocked down she is once again rising like a giddy boxer from the mat. Hope intolerable in her tenacity has begun growing again. This time she is not naive, she refuses to look outwards, upwards to those in lofty places to protect her. Instead Hope is helping me work, Hope is encouraging my friends, Hope is whispering nyika ndeyedu tese. Hope is reminding me that one day they shall sail on, sail on.
Sail on, sail on Oh mighty ship of state To the shores of need, past the reefs of greed, Through the squalls of hate Sail on, sail on, sail on, sail on.
It’s coming to Africa, the cursed, The cradle of the first and the worst It’s here they have arranged the philosophy for change And it’s here they have the spiritual thirst It’s here the family’s broken and it’s here the people say That the heart has got to transform in a fundamental way Democracy is coming to Zimbabwe*
*Check out Leonard Cohens original this is just paraphrase. The concept was put forward by one of the mail and guardians thought leaders.
**This picture is not actually my friend hope she is sitting right next to me, you probably can't see her though.