Zim Diasporans commemorate the life of adducted activist Itai Dzamara

Manchester -Zimbabweans living the United Kingdom took time to mark exactly two years after the abduction of missing pro-democracy activist Itai Dzamara by suspected state agents close to his Harare home. The commemorations were held at Manchester University’s Martin Harris Centre on Saturday the 11th of March 2017.

Itai Dzamara

The sold out event which was organised by Zimbabwe Citizens Initiative UK Chapter (ZCI) and  Restoration  of Human Rights in Zimbabwe(ROHR), was meant  to   bring  back into  global  attention Zimbabwe’s poor  rights  record  and   to  put  pressure  on the regime  of  Robert Mugabe  to account    for  the missing   firebrand   activist  who disappeared  on March 9  2015.

Artist Silvanos Mudzwova put   up a brilliant performance with his play titled the Dungeon, in which he played Itai Dzamara himself, told a gruesome story of how the ZANU PF government abducts and torture opposition activists.

The   event   also saw the screening   of a short video   on the Gukurahundi massacres that was compiled by Panyika Karimanzira and prominent activist Rufaro Kaseke.

Under the banner of his Occupy Africa Unity Square campaign which comprised a handful youthful firebrands, and, in his smallness, the journalist turned anti-Mugabe activist had caused enough discomfort to President Robert Mugabe’s continued stranglehold on power.

His disappearance further spotlighted the Zanu PF regime’s history of abductions, rape, killings and torture, among a list of brutalities on critics.

Dzamara who was bashed and arrested several times, but that could only fuel his resolve to continue demanding that “failed Mugabe” to step down.

Despite repeated insistence by the State that it knew nothing about his whereabouts, the Harare administration has failed to convince those familiar with Zimbabwe’s murky history of cruelty against opposition activists.

Speaking  after  the event  one  of the  organisers  and  a  member  of the   Zimbabwe Citizen Initiative Mr.  Kingstone Jambawo said  ZCI  will  to put pressure  on the  government  by ensuring  the  Itai Dzamara’s story  remains  on the  global  spotlight until he   is accounted   for.

Zimbabwe Citizen Initiative   was    founded by United   States based activist Promise Sande who also its interim chairperson, now has several chapters across the world.

ZCI is a globally-diverse platform of Zimbabweans with a deep passion for the conditions in our country whose mission is promote participatory democracy by providing technical and financial support to social movements in Zimbabwe and providing a platform for all citizens to openly hold government official accountable.

 

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