When elephants fight, just the grass is harmed

Innocent is the new guest in the guest lodge. He is from Harare, teaching Taxation to undergraduates. During our dinner conversation last night, he mentioned how the sanctions are only hurting the people, not the politicians at the top. Sanctions close down factories and businesses resulting in high unemployment. His solution to the economic mess is that Western countries should be training the locals on civil governance so they can confront their leaders. Right now, the leaders blame the economic slowdown on the sanctions. Innocent says they hide behind the sanctions and attribute all the problems to the sanctions. If the sanctions were lifted, they would have no excuse and they would be forced to explain to the people why they are in such a desperate economic state.

We got on this topic when I mentioned that Jimmy Carter monitors elections. Innocent said Zim would never accept an outsider to monitor their elections. He mentioned their new constitution that now has an anti-corruption unit as well as an independent election commission. He said that when westerners try to come in, they always suspect that they have a hidden agenda.

Gladys, who teaches civic education, also said that M. is trying to pit the Southern Hemisphere against the North. She said she understands where he is coming from. He's head of the African Union. Sort of like Chavez- he's saying enough is enough. We in the global south can stand up for ourselves. They don't want northeners/Westerners coming in to tell them what to do.

It is a sad state of affairs because it is like a pot ready to boil over. There is so much pent up energy. People are educating themselves. They are aware of what is going on outside of their country. However, with no money, they are stagnating. An infusion of advisors and exchange programs to empower the people could transform this place. Right now they are intimidated. The security forces are very strong. A Human Rights activist has disappeared and there is a lot of talk about his whereabouts. The French Ambassador called for an investigation and he was called to the Foreign Ministry to be reprimanded. On the US Embassy site there is his picture and the Ambassador is demanding his release.

Innocent said their proverb is, "When elephants fight, only the grass is harmed." That's how he describes what the US (and other countries) sanctions are doing to Zimbabwe.