Africa-Europe Relationship

International Day of the African Child

The Day of the African Child has been celebrated on June 16 every year since 1991, when it was first initiated by the Organisation of African Unity now African Union. It honors those who participated in the Soweto Uprising in 1976 on that day. It also raises awareness of the continuing need for improvement of the education provided to African children.

In Soweto, South Africa, on June 16, 1976, about ten thousand black school children marched in a column more than half a mile long, protesting the poor quality of their education and demanding their right to be taught in their own language. Hundreds of young students were shot. More than a hundred people were killed in the protests of the following two weeks, and more than a thousand were injured.

On June 16th every year, governments, NGOs, international organisations and other stakeholders gather to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the full realization of the rights of children Africa. For 2014, the theme chosen returns to the roots of the movement: A child-friendly, quality, free, and compulsory education for all children in Africa.

38 years after the death of the Soweto youth little change has been seen in the education sector. The learning environment in most rural schools in Zimbabwe are deplorable. Students learn whilst sitting on floors,Government not properly funding the sector and moreover the sector is facing brain drain as human capital is migrating to other countries. Free education is yet to materialise. The Sowetan Youth are still turning in their graves asking themselves " Is this what we died for". There is urgent need for African leaders to now walk the talk and stop politicising the youth's march.

A Letter I Value So Much

Hey Nyasha!

How is Masvingo? And more importantly, how are you? Isu we are ripe and ready to rot and iwe you are green and about to mature into something great. My wife and another couple went out a few weeks ago. I absolutely love water sports, but I cannot swim. I spend lots of time on the ocean, lakes and seas. We agreed to play some water sports (bad idea).

The ladies did some stuff on their own and we did Speed boat together. As the boys we did jet skiing as well.

My wife and I then went onto two separate tubes drawn by a speed boat. The adventure was so nice until the speed boat driver decided to make it into even greater adventure. He increased speed and our tubes started colliding. On the second collision, mine capsized right in the middle of the dam. I gulped a few sips of the dirty greenish water. I still had my hands on the tube except that I was no longer inside it, but under it.

I was wearing a life jacket and so all the good swimmers including my wife kept on saying, Brian let go of the tube. In my head, the tube is what was keeping from drowning – the difference between life and death. But in reality the tube is what was precipitating my drowning. The experts kept saying let go and just lay back the life jacket will keep you afloat. The power of fear is such that I refused to heed conventional wisdom.

On reflection, this event taught me something that I wish to share with you as a brother and friend. There are comfortable things in life that we all need to let go of in order to stay truly alive. They might appear like our security, but these things keep us from going to the next level. For some people it could be friends, for others habit of comfort and for others still a work ethic. What got you where you are now, will certainly not take you to the next level. As painful as it might be my brother, please let go of yesterday and now so that you may be able to grab a better future. Don’t drown in comfort or rather do not drown with comfort.

School is important, but innovation is better. School gives you credibility in a world run through certificates and innovation gives you a cutting edge and a competitive advantage in world where there are so many brilliant people and very few innovative ones. If you can see through to space using a telescope why on earth would you want to make the sky your limit? Make outer space your limit and you might just land on the moon!

Have a wonderful evening.

Regards,

Brian Kagoro, (B.K)

My Country Zimbabwe

34 Years and still Counting

18 April 1980 witnessed the birth of my country Zimbabwe. The march to Zimbabwe’s independence had been a long, arduous and hazardous one with many sons and daughters of the land losing their lives to set the country free from colonial bondage. It was a protracted struggle against many injustices which hindered the growth and development of the black race. The struggle was to liberate and empower the black Zimbabweans so that they may get quality health care, quality education, equal distribution of the land, freedom of expression and most importantly their democratic right to vote for a leader whom they want.

34 years down the line having defeated the “white master” the gains of the liberation struggle seem to be reversed. Zimbabweans are not at all enjoying quality and free health care which the living and dead heroes fought for. The health sector faces a myriad of challenges chief among them being the human resource deficit. With an increase in disease burden and non-communicable diseases the government is failing to stand the challenge. Government does not have enough resources to buy new technologies to be used in treating such diseases as cancer. Staff establishment in this sector is not being carried out. A scaring fact is that our black government that we overwhelmingly voted for to be in power in 1980 last conducted a staff review in the health sector in 1983 when population of the country was 7,3million and now its 13 million and the sector is understaffed and failing to match the World Health Organization ratio of 2,258 health personnel per thousand people.

Souring unemployment rate continues to rise with many graduates who are being chucked out of tertiary institutions in the country resorting to vending as a result of failing to get a decent job. Social capital now determines one’s chance to get a decent job. Whom you know measures more than what you know. The scourge of nepotism is keeping more competent individuals out of jobs.  Education which is seen as a tool to liberate and empower an individual is slowly being rendered useless by many Zimbabwean youths who now see “Hustling” as being profitable than going to school. The teaching profession which was so celebrated by many just after independence has lost its dignity and value and no tangible efforts are being made by the government of the people to restore value and dignity to this life changing career.

The liberation struggle that was fought by our forefathers was against unequal distribution of resources. Equality was one of the banners of the armed struggle. Struggle was for one man one farm. Now we have the country in our hands 34 years ruling ourselves and the situation seems as if the country has been invaded by black colonialists with white tendencies of having everything to themselves and not to everyone. Corruption is now rampant with only a few looting loads and loads of cash to their houses whilst others go home every month without salaries. Justice has failed to bring these looters to book and as things stand in an Independent Zimbabwe it is evident that being poor is a crime in Zimbabwe and their calls for equality and justices are striking on a brick wall.

As I celebrate 34 years of self rule in my beloved country Zimbabwe I ponder and ask myself these questions “Is Zimbabwe a failed State? Is this what our heroes fought for?”

   

   “Long Live Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe will never be a colony again”

''Show Me My MP''

TV and Radio Coverage of Parliament  A Must 

The motion that was moved by Hon.Chamisa in Parliament on TV and Radio coverage of Parliament is an important motion that will help Zimbabweans to ditch “old politics” of voting for people on the basis of arrogance. MPs and Senators of late have been taking parliamentary business as a joke with many Ministers bunking the question and answer session. Parliament being a social construct that is created by people through the ballot has the right to be broadcasted so that the electorate can see and judge for themselves the type of people whom they elected to represent them.

Ministers who are the executive are not showing any degree of seriousness by not coming to parliament to answer questions in line with their ministries. With almost seven months since parliament was opened the number of written questions listed on the Order Paper has now grown to 80 a clear indication that the executive is not taking the parliament dictates seriously.

In democratic countries parliament is supposed create conditions for the emergence of antagonists who are prepared to cooperate. It should be a perfect forum in which to bring together representatives from all sectors of the community to bridge their differences, build relationships and develop a cohesive vision.  However this is not the case with our parliament which has proved beyond any reasonable doubt to be a place where MPs preach hate speech and make use of obscene language. Our current MPs fail to understand that conflict is ubiquitous,but its up to the conflicting parties to decide whether they have hostile confrontations or respectful and productive encounters that will move the nation foward. In a country that is facing serious political and socio-economic problems there is need for Mps to make quality debates that will move the nation forward and not to turn parliament into a forum where members exchange harsh words or a circus.

To curb such activities it is important that Parliamentary proceedings are broadcasted such that the electorate get to fully know what their MPs are doing. This will also make the electorate to vote basing their votes on knowledge and not ignorance. Zimbabwe is sick and tired of MPs who think that coming to parliament is Christmas vacation. We are tired of Ministers who do what they deem necessary and undermine the authority of the parliament. Parliament should be respected as it is the voice of the people. Broadcasting parliamentary events will separate the good from the bad and assist the voters to make informed decisions come 2018 elections.