17;S FIFTH ANNIVERSARY – Saturday, 13th October 2007
The first Zimbabwe Vigil was on 12th October 2002. Since then we have been outside the Zimbabwe Embassy every Saturday afternoon. We are commemorating our 5th Anniversary on Saturday, 13th October 2007. We can’t celebrate the need for 5 years of protest against human rights abuses so this is not a celebration but is perhaps a cause for congratulation that we have kept our protest going all this time. We are planning a social event in the evening and will send out more information once we have a venue finalised.
Other events
· Zimbabwe Vigil at Zimfest – Saturday, 1st September 2007. Zimfest 2007 (food, sports, music) runs from 12 noon – 10 pm at Prince Georges Playing Fields, Bushey Rd, Raynes Park, London, SW20 9NB. For the first time we are running a parallel Vigil at Zimfest – A group of us will be there with banners, petitions, flyers and drums for singing and dancing. Our support has increased so much this year that we are able to run two Vigils on the same day. THE VIGIL OUTSIDE ZIMBABWE HOUSE WILL RUN FROM 2 – 6 PM AS USUAL. For information on Zimfest and how to get tickets, check: www.wezimbabwe.com.
· “Gukurahundi” – Chatham House Meeting – Tuesday, 4th September 2007, 12 noon – 13.30 pm. The International Liaison Office of the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum will be hosting “Zimbabwe’s Gukurahundi: Lessons from the 1980-1988 disturbances in Matabeleland and The Midlands” at Chatham House 10 St James’s Square, London SW1Y 4LE. This is the title of the second edition of ‘”Breaking the Silence: a Report on the Disturbances in Matabeleland and the Midlands. This meeting marks ten years since the original publication and launches of its second edition (with an introduction by Elinor Sisulu and a new foreword by Archbishop Pius Ncube). Speakers include: Mike Auret, former Director, Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace, Eileen Sawyer, former Director, Legal Resource Foundation, Nokuthula Moyo, Chair, Legal Resources Foundation, and Noel Kututwa, Chair, Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum. For information on how to attend the meeting, check the Chatham House website: http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/view/-/id/572/.
· Vigil Special Literature Event – Saturday, 8th September 2007. This is part of a worldwide reading for Zimbabwe organised by the International Literature Festival of Berlin. Our event will take place between 3.30 and 5 pm. Several Vigil supporters have volunteered to do the readings which will be interspersed with music. SW Radio Africa have agreed to cover the event. The readings comprise poems by Chenjerai Hove, Chirikuré Chirikuré and Dumbudzo Marecharas, and Elinor Sisulu’s introduction to the Gukurahundi book. More information can be found on http://www.literaturfestival.com/.
Events further afield
· Ripon North Yorkshire – Friday, 7th September 2007, 6.30 pm. Debate on human rights opened by barrister James Keeley. Discussion on Zimbabwe led by Albert Weidemann. Venue: Ripon, North Yorkshire, Address: YMCA, Water Skellgate, HG4 1BQ. For more information, contact: Albert on 01765-607900 or mobile 0779 340 1407 .
· Belfast – Monday, 10th September 2007. The Zimbabwe Solidarity Campaign in Belfast , as agreed with Ian Paisley Jnr, are presenting a petition to Stormont. They plan to do a presentation to the assembly members in the long gallery and then get as many members as possible to sign the petition in front of the press. Contact: Mark Marais, 0771 424 6769 , mark@chakatravel.com
Ordering “The Zimbabwean” Newspaper – if you live in an area where there are a number of Zimbabweans, why not ask your local newsagent to stock copies of The Zimbabwean. The Zimbabwean is distributed around the UK by the same companies as distribute all the UK national newspapers. Newsagents gets the papers at around 32% discount and return what they do not sell to the distributors. They do not pay for unsold papers so they can’t lose. Let’s help the Zimbabwean to reach as many readers as possible.
Vigil co-ordinators
The Vigil, outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429 Strand, London, takes place every Saturday from 14.00 to 18.00 to protest against gross violations of human rights by the current regime in Zimbabwe. The Vigil which started in October 2002 will continue until internationally-monitored, free and fair elections are held in Zimbabwe. http://www.zimvigil.co.uk