;migrant –
the other morning we heard our first Piet My Vrou (the Red Chested
Cuckoo),
that unmistakable call of the summer migrants. In other instances it is
the
new flowers and early spring foliage. In the dry tropics it is most
often
the early flowers – well before any new foliage. Right now our dry
golden
veld is starting to stir, first the Knob Thorns – great swathes of
white and
cream down the dry riverbeds and spread across the open bushveld. Then
small
shrubs with their brilliant yellow flowers, the wild Wisteria, pale
purple
and blue showers of blossoms on the most unlikely looking trees and
shrubs.
Perhaps it is because it is so dry and arid that we notice these things
more
than the emerging greens of the wetter lands of the north. What always
moves
me is the resourcefulness of these early flowering trees and shrubs.
They
must dig deep to find the water for this end of winter celebration and
certainly they do it to signal that soon the rains will come and life
will
start a new cycle. The veld is almost completely bare at this time of
year –
the past summers foliage has fallen and everything waits for the rains.
For
the Giraffe the early flowers are more than just a signal of change,
they
are life saving.
Zimbabwe is just like this at present – our shelves are bare; our
factories
silent and empty, people forage for anything to eat and keep their
homes
supplied. What is available is poor quality and expensive. Choice is
non-existent. We are like Impala scrounging fallen leaves and spent
seedpods
to fill our stomachs. Only digging in the sand or walking long
distances to
an isolated drinking point finds water.
But these severe conditions do not suggest to the wild life or to us
that
there is no life – in fact this is a time of expectation. We know that
change is coming just a sure as day follows night. These severe
conditions
do not deter the migrants – they arrive as scheduled, flying in from
their
sumer homes in Europe and central Africa. Some making flight of over 10
000
kilometers from the lush green plains of Europe to travel to the harsh,
dry
open veld of Africa. They know that the rains will bring richness to
this
wilderness that is not found elsewhere and here they will grow strong
and
fat in preparation for the next flight to Europe.
For me I have always known that one day the season will change here.
The
rains might fail but we still go out and prepare for the next season.
This
time I can see lots of signs that a real change of season is about to
burst
on us. Like the bushveld, you have to be aware and to look closely for
the
signs.
Often in Africa we have to search in far places for sign that the
coming
season is going to be a good one. We look at the El Nino conditions in
the
Pacific Ocean, we study the monsoon rains in India, we watch the early
rains
in South Africa and the rainfall patterns across the tropics. This year
all
the omens are positive. We have seen good early rains in South Africa;
heavy
rain in the tropics and India and the El Nino in the Pacific is benign.
In politics you can see the same indicators – those who know what is
happening behind closed doors are saying that change is under way – not
as
in previous seasons, but this time real change. If I look into the
corridors
of power in the USA or the EU, I see the same spirit – a burst of new
flowers signaling a new season. If I look south, I see the same signs.
I
even see the first migrants – young people returning home, suddenly
restless
for the dry open spaces of Africa, for the smells of dust and cattle
manure
and the red sunsets and the cry of a fish eagle high in the sky above
us.
New investors with cash to spend and fences to build before the grass
comes
through the dry pastures.
Crazy? Yes – if you do not know your seasons, simply good judgment if
you
do.
The question I ask is what is Zanu PF doing about all this. They
embarked on
a strategy that assumed they could handle the SADC leadership using
their
traditional allies in the group. They assumed they could ring fence
Mbeki
and his team and ensure that their power and influence over events
would be
muted and distorted in their favor. They were wrong on both counts;
SADC has
acted on the basis of an agreed principled consensus and Mr. Mbeki has
proved to be a wily opponent and clever manipulator himself.
Zanu PF suddenly find themselves in the Kraal at the diptank and are
milling
about trying to find an exit where there is no exit except over the top
and
that is simply too high for them at this stage. I hear that Mr. Mugabe
threatened to leave the SADC recently – that fits. “Stop the world, I
want
to get off!” he was saying. His colleagues simply told him to stop
being
silly and eat his porridge.
The MDC is in there as well – we know what is coming and are now
preparing
for the dipping. We do not have the parasite load that the Zanu PF
people
have and have little to fear. We are just working to make sure that the
dip
is the right strength for those bugs!
I said to a group of students the other day “are you ready for this
battle –
the final battle, have you got your gun and is it loaded?” What I meant
was
that this time and in this struggle our only weapon is our vote, we can
defeat tyranny with the pen – that is our weapon. I said to the
students, if
you are not registered to vote you are no use to us, you cannot help in
the
fight. We do not need people who can throw rocks, we need people who
can
vote and vote intelligently.
I see that one of our military leaders has repeated the nonsense that
they
will not accept an MDC victory – another sign that spring is on its
way! He
needs to know that if the people of the country vote overwhelmingly for
change, it will come no matter what they say. MDC is working flat out
to get
ready for the final battle – are you ready to participate. We will be
ready
for the dip tank – are you?