Zimbabwe Vigil Diary – 25th August 2007

Zimfest next Saturday, where we want to encourage people to give more support to the struggle. We are having a stand there with banners, petitions and leaflets. Hopefully,
we’ll even be having our usual drumming and singing. Many thanks to Luka Phiri and Chipo Chaya for liaising with the Zimfest organisers to arrange
this. Of course the normal Vigil will be held as usual.
We also discussed the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum event at London’s
Chathan House at lunchtime on Tuesday, 4th September. It is the 10th
anniversary of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace’s account of
Gukurahundi, “Breaking the Silence”. A second edition (with an introduction
by Elinor Sisulu and a new foreword by Archbishop Pius Ncube is being
launched. Arrangements are being made for a group of Vigil supporters to
go.
We firmed up plans for our special literature event at the Vigil taking
place on September 8 as 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 singing. The readings
comprise poems by Chenjerai Hove, Chirikuri Chirikuri and Dumbudzo
Marecharas, and Elinor Sisulu’s introduction to the Gukurahundi book. More
information can be found on http://www.literaturfestival.com/.
For this week’s Vigil pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/
FOR THE RECORD: 118 signed the register. Supporters from Banbury, Bedford,
Birmingham, Bolton, Coventry, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool Manchester,
Newcastle, North Wales, Northampton, Sheffield, Southampton, Stoke-on-Trent,
Wolverhampton and many from London and South East England.
FOR YOUR DIARY:
Saturday, 1st September 2007, 12 noon – 10 pm. Zimfest 2007 (food, sports,
music). Venue: Prince Georges Playing Fields, Bushey Rd, Raynes Park,
London, SW20 9NB. A group of Vigil supporters will be there at a parallel
Zimbabwe Vigil. For more information check: www.wezimbabwe.com.
Tuesday, 4th September, 12 – 1.30 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 in London. Further information on the Chatham House website
at: http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/view/-/id/572/.
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 Weidemann on 01765-607900 or mobile 0779
340 1407
Saturday, 8th September, 2 -6 pm. Special literature event at the Vigil as
part of a worldwide reading for Zimbabwe. Readings have been chosen by the
International Literature Festival of Berlin to be read and broadcast around
the world on 9th September. We have chosen the nearest Vigil to do this.
For details, check http://www.literaturfestival.com/.
Monday, 10th September 2007. The Zimbabwe Solidarity Campaign, 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.
Saturday, 13th October, 2 – 6 pm. Zimbabwe Vigil’s 5th Anniversary followed
by a social event.