With no signs of a political settlement in sight, cholera still mercilessly dissipating desperate Zimbabweans, starvation still a reality, with Mugabe's intransigence showing no signs of abating and increasingly becoming calamitous, Zimbabweans, helpless and hopeless have nothing good to look for in the starting new year as agony, despair and strife extend into 2009
Carrying their sullen, wrinkled and forlorn eyed faces and emaciated bodies, Zimbabwean women have struggled and struggled for the past ten years. Theirs has been a lifetime of struggles, a life full of empty promises. A life whose meaning and destiny is not in their hands. A sad life where husbands become refugees in neighboring countries and never look back again. A life full of hardships, full of despair, full of agony, full of tragedies. A painful life, a directionless life, a worthless life. A life when you are a double victim. Victims of politics, victims of political consequences.
From 2000 up to 2009, Zimbabwean women have endured what many men cannot bear for a day. From ever then, they have suffered as a result of men's stupidity, they are only victims, sorry victims of political nuisance. Victims of political struggles, victims of power fight. Victims of intransigence, victims of sheer cruelty, victims of royal gradual genocide. Victims of the world's defeaning silence.
Since then they have been political tools. Tools for work, Zanu pf works. Tools whose worth is known only during election times. Mugabe and his thugs have used them and disused them over and over again. They have been priced, the only people the world over with prices. Surely, they have been forced to carry price tags inscribed Zanu pf voter. They are voters, not electors. Once you elect, you invite the full wrath of the political Demigods of Zanu pf. A parcel of rape, molestation, torture, beatings and abuse will come your way.
From the beatings of the farm invasions era, the abuses, rape and torture in the subsequent elections up to 2008 run off and the current abductions, women have borne the full-scale burden. Children have suffered as well. The world was shocked to hear from our own leaders here that a 2-year-old child could recruit bandits to unseat an unelected government lead by an 84 year old! That is a tragedy in every sense, a double tragedy for Zimbabwean women and children.
It is unthinkable and way unimaginable even in a madmen's paradise to hear that a 2 year old baby can together with its mother be accused by anyone mad or normal of recruiting and training bandits to topple a government which is not there, or topple an unelected group of people masquerading as government. If that happens, then it's a tragedy. That happened here in Zimbabwe. A two-year toddler was arrested together with its mother for a crime as above! May God forgive all who are doing this in Zimbabwe.
The year 2008 saw a lot, from elections in March, through the killing spree in June, up to the Cholera and abductions era. Throughout these times, women and children were silent victims. Still they remain victims up until the world learns to deal with ghosts in government. Victims of crimes they know not, the end they see not. After the June one off in which Mugabe and his killing machine did a through job in making sure women became political tools, victims.
The year stretched as hunger, starvation, cholera and diseases added more misery to the already dire situation. For the kids, the year 2008 saw no schooling as all schools closed citing lack of personnel. The year is in terms of academics, a tragedy, a complete write off. Time wasted, time lost. Back home, the kids faced cholera, persecution, they faced starvation, and they faced death. Many died as a result of the tragedy, a man made tragedy. Those who survived death by arson attack from Zanu thugs, faced cholera in a country whose health system is collapsed; those that saw off cholera now face a sure death by starvation.
In 2008, hope was rekindled when the political deal signed. Women and children were the happiest. They were happy to hope for the end to their decade of misery, agony, hunger, strife, persecution and strife. Surely the deal, they wished it to be a deal, their deal. For months they held their breath, praying, panting and exasperating but still hoping for the deal to deliver them from the jaws of strife. Waiting anxiously for the deal that will deliver from the prison, lead them out of the treacherous valley of diseases, hunger, poverty and wholesale death into the smooth, warm plains of hope, ambition, plenty, health and life. Surely the deal was supposed to mean an end to a daily life of tragedies.
 For women and children, 2009 is but an extension of strife. An extension of 2008, an extension of misery, despair and agony. There is no hope. There is no zeal. There is no ambition. No dreams. There is all but tragedy after tragedies, surviving by the grace of the one above. The life ahead of women and children in Zimbabweis full horror unless something happens. Unless and until the world knows what's going on as far as women and children are concerned. Until when the world rethinks about Mbeki, SADC, Zanu pf and Mugabe women and children will continue to sing the one song, a song of despair from the hymn book of daily tragedies.
Women watch helplessly as Zimbabwe's spoiled political protagonists call each other names fighting over ministerial posts. They watch in horror, as the leaders take no notice of all they face daily. They are silenced by the lack of urgency in all the leaders; lack of seriousness, lack of heart is all-good to describe them from Mugabe to Morgan. All of them have put the whole nation to ransom, surely putting women and children to ransom for power. What more of tragedy one needs?
Zimbabwean children are still speechless on Mbeki. One man they know contributed to their misery, their tragedy. He, to their shock said Zimbabwe was not a crisis. They wonder even today how one leader of a nation can say that ours was not a crisis. What they failed to understand more is how more than fifteen heads of state still believe that same back can solve a crisis he can not see in the first place. Surely there can be a worse tragedy a child can find itself in Africa.
Agony, despair, hopelessness, disease, starvation and wholesale deaths made 2008 for us here. Still, they show no signs of abating. Even at least showing signs of slowing down. Desperate no longer describes the situation. Despair too does not match what's happening. Ours is no longer a crisis, it's a calamity. A man made calamity. Surely, the world watches while all of us here perish. We perish in the hands of a serious plague, a cancer like junta masquerading as a democracy. A group of death messengers who knows no value of humanity, the sacredness of life is but nothing near the value of power and riches. Their love of money is both root and stem to evildoing.
Its 2009 and still the world watches us burn in a fire one man and his shenanigans stoke mercilessly. Its 2009, still the guilty remain unprosecuted and freer than the tormented. Surely, it pains us when we ask why the world has remained satisfied with shouting and barking here and there. It boggles the mind how the world, the whole world seeks to win against mad dogs by just whistling louder. Its 2009, the crisis continues. The voices of despair hazy as their lives set like a sun. The yells of agony from the children get fewer as many perish, decimated by cholera, hunger or other. For Zimbabweans, agony and despair is still theirs into 2009.
All vaults of hope are dry, as dry as our food reserves. Our cries for help get fewer as many are silenced forever to rest eternally. Streams of bitter and hopeless tears pierce through the plains of ambition and wish in our hearts. We stare and still stare the valleys of bones, as the bones get drier and increasing. Our food reserves are empty, very empty. What is there, we cannot afford. Those of us who claim to own us made us poorer, each day we get poorer. They cannot feed us anymore. Nobody is coming. Its 2009, a year we all hoped will be better, far better than the crisis laden 2008.
This is a cry for help, a cry to heard. A loud cry from victims of tragedy. A cry from the land of Zimbabwe. – The Zimdiaspora