A Photo Essay by Cont Mhlanga

The two shops you see in the pictures are closed. Deserted. One is a shop in the high density townships and the other is a shop in the low density suburbs of the city of Bulawayo. Its Monday the 8th of October 7.30am and these shops should be open to serve residents with milk, bread and all other products for school children. They are normally a hive of activity at this hour. But its no more and as you can see they stand deserted at the start of the day. Thousand of shops in the country are in the same situation.

(click for larger images)

Why? Because Zimbabwe is now an absolutely failed state. There is nothing to sell residents for their morning needs in these shops and so why should they open. Companies are failing to manufacture, produce and deliver. Or are they still properly functioning companies in Zimbabwe? May be this is a silly question to ask. How can a failed state have productive companies that can still deliver goods at affordable prizes to the consumers? Its just not possible. The pictures give a clear answer.

When we went passed these shops this morning my 9 year old girl waves to another 10 year old girl walking to school in a different direction.

‘Who is that?’ I ask her

She did not give me a name but replied innocently and to the point. ‘Its my friend. She stays in a house where they sale milk.’

This is the situation with all most all the commodities in the country, sold from houses and from mobile phones at prizes that are now 300% higher than before the prize slash. Only a failed state can have products in houses when these shops are empty and closed.

Leaders of Zimbabwe shame on you all. Do something about changing these conditions. If you cannot do anything to change them then do something about yourselves! Just be honest with your performances and don’t run for re election at the end of your terms.

I am not an economist but just a cultural worker. Yet I can confirm and I don’t need an economist to tell me that 80% of the companies that produce essential commodities in the country are run by black Zimbabweans and the government. The state is run by black Zimbabweans and they have run it down and today it is a failed state. Yet we want to blame the white Zimbabweans and blame the West, blame President Thabo Mbeki and even blame history except blame ourselves and our ways of operating.

 Our ruling party politicians, opposition party politicians, leaders of Civil Society organizations have effectively made sure that these shops close down and remain closed by not effectively and honestly discharging their duties and responsibilities. What’s the point as they can drive their big cars and buy what they need in neighboring countries or just manage or manipulate company dispatches to deliver what they want not only to themselves but to their parallel market point of sales and exploit people rather than serve them for a profit.

Such conditions can only happen in a failed state. Zimbabwe is such a state. Where legislators who did not get an opportunity to dance with the rest of the population during the liberation struggle Phungwes are now turning Parliament into a song and dance house as they pass laws that are used by the country’s black elite to run the country down and not the other way round. They dance in parliament while ignoring police who shut down theaters where they should be coming to dance. You are an embarrassing bunch of leaders! Sorry to say.

As artists we live in very interesting and inspire ring times. We should capture them and write them for our future generations so that they may learn from our generation’s mistakes as no condition is permanent. Soon we will be past these difficult times and it will be easy to forget, just as we have forgotten what the liberation struggle was wedged for. We now say it was against white settlers yet it was a fight to liberate everyone from poverty and life under difficult conditions at that time perpetuated by colonialist but today in this situation it is perpetuated by some of our own.

What you see in these pictures is a result of teaching citizens that they are some people and organizations who are more special and are above the law than others. You can never solve any national crises based on this premise. This remains a Zimbabwean problem that Zimbabweans have failed to solve for close to a decade now. Equality before the law. The result is millions suffer day in and day out while a few enjoy publicity and the milk and honey of Zimbabwe which was made possible by the blood, and tears of the masses.

In my opinion the President of Zimbabwe does not run this country by himself. Nor does he run it with old people. He has around him young sharp and very intelligent people that he has been awarding the president’s scholarships since independence. Great minds. It puzzles me why such intelligent minds remain comfortable when shops that must serve the public remain closed just because they can’t say to the President ‘Mdala – old man wake up. Stop playing the politics of patronage while the country is burning. Use the law and govern. If not possible, allow someone who can to move into this national seat.’ Its about our country, and not about individuals. That seat is not a traditional seat. Bleeding Zimbabwe should stop comrades. You are causing untold suffering to the masses. As long as you do not get goods and products at affordable prizes to shops such as these in the picture to keep them open 24/7 then what ever you say remains irrelevant. You too remain irrelevant.

Cont Mhlanga

Bulawayo

Monday, October 08, 2007