The Revolutionary Star Podcast

Quick take on the George Floyd issue and why the United States Ambassador seems keen on dragging Zimbabwe into Americas’ systemic racsim problem

Who are you as a Zimbabwean in Year 2020: This week we want to delve into the Zimbabwean Psyche:

First and foremost we are all products of the Liberation struggle so unfortunately whether you like it or not; we have to start from there, Get it straight:........whether we like it or not Mugabe and Zanu PF in some form or fashion will have to come up in our discussions................

Last week a listener highlighted how i had appeared to be purposefully conflating MDC and equalizing them to the failures of Zanu PF:...................... let us repeat this point, here at the Revolutionary Star we mean no malice, we apologize to any MDC supporters who thought that we were trying to liken or equate Zanu PF to MDC,................................

Let us state for the record that we at the Revolutionary Star will try not to conflate the Political ideological side of MDC with its actual Administration and Economical achievements as a Political Party.

When a psychologist or psychiatrist is looking for signs of trauma they are trained to look out for symptoms such as; (a) a highly pessimistic attitude towards oneself, of others or the world at large, (b) memory loss regarding details of the said trauma, (c) blaming oneself or others for the trauma due to distorted beliefs about its causes and consequences, (d) an ongoing fear of reliving the trauma, or (e) lack of interest or motivation participating in long term activities or projects.

Listing the symptoms above, readily found in any psychiatric or psychology journal, it is disturbing to find that these are the same issues brought up by Diaspora people who return from visiting Zimbabwe................

What Is The Perceived Psyche Of A Zimbabwean local?

The trajectories of Zimbabweans outside of the country during 2008 and of those who stayed in the country will never be able to align psychologically for the foreseeable future. In 2020 we now have two versions of a Zimbabwean identity residing in our global community, both of which seem to be having a difficult time growing to understand each others differences based on what happened from the aftermath of 2008.

We discuss this and other issues in todays podcast that is based more on being a reference podcast to be reffered to in the future; from time to time.

Zimbabwe is in an economical spiral with no light at the end of the tunnel in sight. That being said we need to delve into our own Political Fabric and see where the seams of this toxic stitching were birthed.

The Report on the Unification of Shona Dialects of 1931was a book that created what is today called the Shona language, and indirectly contributed to the manufacturing of a greater regional Shona identity that today stands in polar opposition to the equally manufactured greater Ndebele regional identity.

What Does this Mean for our Zimbabwe Political Fabric?

Solomon Mombeshora captured the overall contribution of colonialism to the identity problems in Zimbabwe by stating that ‘the seeds of ethnic factor were derived from the pre-colonial past, [but] the colonial era provided fertile soil in which the ideology of tribalism germinated, blossomed and was further propagated, the white settler infrastructure".

The rich documents of the various nationalist parties emphasise three issues: unity among Africans, one man one vote and non-racialism. In reality, the nationalist movements remained fragmented into ZAPU/ZIPRA, ZANU/ ZANLA, Front for the Liberation of Zimbabwe (FROLIZI) and United African National Council (UANC), among many other factions. This fragmentation had a very negative impact on the crystallisation and formation of a cohesive national identity to be called ‘Zimbabwean. 

Mgagao Declaration is a document that elevated Mugabe as Zanu President, he was to be endorsed in 1977 at a Special Congress. It also in the same vein of making Mugabe a leader cemented violence as a means to an end.

The document empowered fighters to return to Rhodesia to intensify the fight against Ian Smith. This further cemented that though negotiations take place warfare is always nearby. The document was supported by the African Liberation Committee, Tanzanian Government and Frelimo in Mozambique.

We delve into this with the help of substantive research carried out by Sabelo J. Ndlovu-Gatsheni in their paper on The Zimbabwean Nation-State Project

We appreciate feedback

What Does it mean to be African; Are you a disappointment to your Heritage? : Episode 8

Welcome Welcome to the eighth episode of The Revolutionary Star…………. broadcasting live and direct from Harare Zimbabwe to the comfort of wherever you are right now in our global world.

Today is Monday the 25th of May 2020 and officially here in Zimbabwe we have now come to the end of our eighth week under the extended lockdown………... However this week we discuss what it means to be African especially as a Zimbabwean............

Today is Africa Day, a truly and deeply auspicious day on the continent’s calendar.

On this day, various leaders of African nations that had wrestled freedom and independence gathered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to proclaim the birth of the Organisation of African Unity. Within this gathering, there was another more militant group led by Kwame Nkrumah and Julius Nyerere, among others.

The First Congress of Independent African States was held in Accra, Ghana on 15 April 1958. It was convened by Prime Minister of Ghana Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, and comprised representatives from Egypt (then a constituent part of the United Arab Republic), Ethiopia, Liberia, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, the Union of the Peoples of Cameroon and of the host country Ghana.

The Conference called for the founding of an African Freedom Day, a day to "...mark each year the onward progress of the liberation movement, and to symbolise the determination of the people of Africa to free themselves from foreign domination and exploitation.

What does it mean to be african

To be African means to be an individual, but one that forms part of a whole. It means to celebrate our diversity in a way that promotes understanding and to focus on the challenges facing our continent.

Let us explore this deeper in our Podcast remembering those who came before us......

Today is Sunday the 17th of May 2020 and officially here in Zimbabwe we have now come to the end of our seventh week under the extended lockdown………...We wish we hadn't been correct but lockdown has been indefinitely extended (somewhat)

President states that informal street markets, where millions of Zimbabweans eke a living selling everything from used clothes to vegetables, will remain shut while the government consults health specialists on how to reopen them safely.

 

Zimbabwe’s second biggest city of Bulawayo limited access to tap water to just one day a week on Friday as reservoir levels fall to dangerously low levels amid the country’s worst drought in years. 

MDC Alliance legislator for Harare West, Joanna Mamombe and two party youth activists - Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova - reported missing from Wednesday, were found with injuries from beatings by suspected state security agents.

This and many more in todays Podcast

Welcome Welcome to the sixth episode of The Revolutionary Star…………. broadcasting live and direct from Harare Zimbabwe to the comfort of wherever you are right now in our global world.

 

Today is Monday the 11th of May 2020 and officially here in Zimbabwe we have now come to the end of our sixth week under the extended lockdown………... It's been another week that

 As of the 5th of May, the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) in Zimbabwe had reported 34 confirmed COVID-19 cases including four deaths, with cases reported in five provinces including 13 cases in Harare and 12 cases in Bulawayo, and a total of 11,647 screenings and diagnostic tests done.

The Government announced the easing of lockdown regulations which allowed formal industry and commerce to resume operations, having met the specified regulations including mandatory testing and screening of employees.

The country is currently facing a malaria outbreak that is creating an additional burden to an already fragile health system. From 1 January to 26 April 2020, more than 236,365 malaria cases and 226 deaths have been reported.

THE Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe will in the next few weeks introduce a new set of higher denomination banknotes to increase physical money supply and curb cash shortages. Authorities have approved the introduction of $10 and $20 banknotes worth close to $600 million.

Now Back to MDC Alliance..........First, these four MPs have been recalled because they are the leaders of the MDC-Alliance in Parliament. Khumalo, who is the MDC Alliance Chairperson is the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly while Timveos is the leader of the opposition in the Senate. Mutseyami is the MDC Alliance Chief Whip while Charlton Hwende is the Secretary-General of the party.

This and many more issues to discuss

Zimbabwe Lockdown Week 5:

Today is Sunday the 3rd of May 2020 and officially here in Zimbabwe we have now come to the end of our fifth week under the extended lockdown.

9 291 screening tests have been carried out throughout the country with 34 confirmed positive cases and 4 deaths.

Six cases were reported as positive from Harare, these results were considered interim and additional tests were conducted a day later after a retest the cases were all found to be negative.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa extended a coronavirus lockdown by two more weeks and announced a US$720 million (ZW$19 billion) stimulus for distressed companies, most who'd be allowed to open from tomorrow Monday the 4th.

In a letter dated for April the 2nd and addressed to International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva, Ncube said that the Zimbabwe economy could contract by between 15 to 20 per cent, with serious social consequences.

Social Welfare Minister Paul Mavima also admitted that government was yet to disburse the promised Z$200 relief cash transfers to vulnerable groups even as the first coronavirus lockdown has since entered an extension.

This and many more issues

Zimbabwe Lockdown Week 4:

Officially here in Zimbabwe we have now come to the end of our fourth week under the extended lockdown………... It's been another week that

As of the 25th of April a total of 6 067 Zimbabwean citizens have undergone testing and screening with a total of 31 confirmed Corona positive cases found. With Harare and Bulawayo having 13 and 10 respectively.

We had another Corona related death from a Mhondoro an 82 year old female grandparent to former MP Sylvester Nguni, apparently she had been under self isolation and the source of the infection hadn't been found as of yet.

Tensions flare up at Belvedere Teachers College, when returnees to Zimbabwe from Diaspora were accused by the Information Perm Sec Nick Mangwana of being ungrateful at being housed due to mandatory quarantine at no cost to them.

Did Nick Mangwana really need to have tweeted a jab at the UK Returnees? 

Both political parties were on the low as well this week with the First Lady, Auxilla Mnangagwa.... being the individual who stood out this week after having part of her security detail get involved in a serious accident whilst on a trip to Muzarabani.

A land reform paper was circulated this Thursday stating that USD$1.35billion debt had been passed on to Zimbabwean taxpayers due to Government failed policies in Agriculture specifically land reform

Our Minister of Finance announced that the Gvt had created a sophisticated algorithm on which to disburse the Z$180 million relief funds reserved for the lockdown. The word on the street is that there is no money thats going to be disbursed and that this is a publicity stunt as the Gvt itself is broke.

This and many more issues for us to discuss and reflect for this week so please join us and enjoy. Credit to Malcom X Speech Ballot or Bullet for Intro

Zimbabwe Lockdown Week 3: 

This Week on the Third episode of The Revolutionary Star, we discuss the 14 Day extension announced by President ED Mnangagwa, as well as whats been happening on the ground realistically

Officially here in Zimbabwe we have now come to the end of our third week under lockdown………... It's been another week that 

Started off with another circular on Monday the 11th of April from the Ministry of Health informing us that three more cases of COVID-19 had been found in Bulawayo bringing the the total number of Corona positive people to 25, with 3 deaths recorded. Questions to ask?

Is Zimbabwe's Contact tracing is behind the ball?

Are Zimbabwe Government Inter-department communication and co-ordination that poor?

Did our Zimbabwe Government use the Corona lockdown to demolish informal markets in Mbare?

These questions and many more commentaries on what the hell happened this week in Zimbabwe. Join Comrade Supa Cabral for more input and discussion.

In this week's episode we look at the fact that:

Our death toll rose by 2.... giving us a cumulative total of 3 deaths. We follow the Ministry of Health publications and try to tell whether we are actually  behind the ball in terms of Contact tracing and Case Management of.........patients found to have COVID_19 in Zimbabwe

395 tests have been done (on symptomatic cases), revealing 11 positive COVID19 tests and 3 deaths have been registered, so what?

So what do these figures tell us about Zimbabwe’s COVID19 ‘status’?

Why do we have so few cases; on what planet would that make sense?

Are we basically winging it ladies and gentlemen? Or are we actually using different parameters to base how long this lockdown actually takes place? 

We know that influenza epidemics and outbreaks are seasonal in nature, being worse in colder seasons especially in the Northern Hemisphere, Zimbabwe is approaching its winter season so what does that mean?

(BCG) vaccination what's up with that? Does it help.?

Early containment (lock-down) measures did thy work or we got hustled as Zimbabweans?

Is President E.D Mnangagwa really copying and pasting from President Cyril Ramaphosa's playbook?

This and many more topics relating to Zimbabwe during our second week of lockdown. Download or stream to join in the discussion