Happening in Zimbabwe

Armed with smartphones
and memes, Zimbabwe's
protesters find their voice
online
Activists say social media has given
them the collective courage to speak out
against Robert Mugabe’s 36-year rule

Zimbabwe’s protest movement is
gaining momentum as social media
provides citizens with the collective
courage to speak out against president
Robert Mugabe’s government.
Online discontent has been growing
since April after Zimbabwean pastor
Evan Mawarire posted a video rant
about his economic struggles using the
hashtag #ThisFlag.
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A movement was soon born as
thousands joined Mawarire in tweeting
their frustrations about Zimbabwe’s
tanking economy directly at Mugabe’s
Zanu-PF party, which has led the
country for more than 35 years and is
known for its intolerance of dissent .
The protesters then organised a strike
last week using the hashtag
#ZimShutdown2016, and are promising
another two-day shutdown if their
demands are not met.
So why have Zimbabweans started
speaking out? And is a new form of
protest politics emerging in the
country? We asked activists to share
their stories.
‘Breaking point’
Kudakwashe Pfende from Harare says
he has been tweeting to “let the
establishment know that we are not
voiceless. Everyone has reached
breaking point [and there is] no going
back, only forward,” he says.
Lindani Chirambadare, also from the
capital, says the popular mood has
fundamentally shifted, and that “the
people’s psyche is now collectively
conditioned for revolt.”
Another resident, who asked to remain
anonymous, says that before “everyone
was frustrated but afraid to speak out.
But this gave us courage. Now most
people won’t care if they get arrested,
beaten or abducted... [we’d] rather die
for a better tomorrow for our children
than to make them go through the same
suffering.”
Our weapon of mass
destruction is a smartphone
and $1 data bundle
Fuzzy Goo, cyber activist
For cyber activist Fuzzy Goo, the
sharing of memes and images mocking
the country’s leaders in a new weapon
against the regime.
“Their usual strategies don’t work
because the weapon of mass destruction
is a smartphone, plus wifi or data
bundle that only cost $1,” he says.
“Social media has opened democratic
space where we can directly confront
officials and disseminate information
quickly.”
There were reports of government
attempts to shut down social media sites
last week, but citizens quickly started
sharing details of VPN (virtual private
network) sites and encryption methods
to get around the alleged ban.
Some activists have set up specific
Twitter feeds to record and share what
is happening.
One of these is Concerned Zim Citizen .
The activist behind the account explains
that this movement is different because
“we are not a single group... we have
many unhappy Zanu-PF supporters
behind #ThisFlag”, who are all united
by the fact that “things have hit rock
bottom”.
Demands
From the streets of Harare, where civil
servants haven’t been paid this month,
to the rural areas where farmers are
struggling to survive one of the worst
droughts ever seen in southern Africa ,
the protesters’ demands are wide
ranging but rooted in a failing economy
they say is caused by corruption at the
heart of government.
One Harare resident told the Guardian:
“I am well educated but I’m struggling
to take care of my small family because
of the selfishness of a few people who
are architects of our country’s failure.”
Amanda Atwood, who also lives in the
capital, said the city is grinding to a
halt due to the financial crisis. “There is
no cash in the banks and we have to
queue for hours to get $100 of our own
money. There are no jobs [and] police
roadblocks stop us everyday and make
up things to fine us for,” she says.
But the most frustrating thing,
according to Atwood, is that the
“government seems more interested
protecting themselves than in actually
doing anything to attract investment,
build productivity, restore
infrastructure or protect the poor.”
I’m struggling to take care of
my family because of the
selfishness of a few architects of
our country’s failure
Harare resident
The hashtags
Like many others, Atwood talks of being
“humbled” by the collective power of
the the #ZimShutDown2016 action,
“organised over social media, with
barely 48 hours notice and not called by
a political party, trade union or civic
organisation, but by a collection of
citizen voices.”
Others were keen to point out that, in
stark contrast to the government’s
record on brutal crackdowns, the mood
has been that of peaceful defiance.
“Our demonstration was 100% peaceful
and it will stay that way,” promised one
protester from Victoria Falls. “[It] is
now the time to stand up to the
government and eliminate this poison
peacefully,” the protester added.
Other hashtags that have also been
capturing the public mood, explains the
Concerned Zim Citizen.
“We have #Tajamuka which means ‘we
are now awake’, referring to the fact
that as Zimbabweans we are now aware
of our rights. #Hatichada, meaning ‘we
no longer want’ which refers to how we
feel about our government. And
#Hatichatya meaning ‘we are no longer
afraid,” the activist explains.
There is also a growing sense of the
power of the collective voice. Concerned
Zim Citizen adds that “they have posted
many threats of arrests but it doesn’t
work anymore. We protest knowing that
our lives will be in danger because the
idea of dying does not sound bad when
you think of continuing in Zimbabwe as
is.”
Share your stories
We’d like to continue to hear from you
as the protest movement develops.
Please share your stories using the form
below or get in touch on email vitalist94@gmail.com