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This week, The Arena is about bits and bytes on continental events. Egypt’s landmark elections after Hosni Mubarak’s ouster have come and gone, the first round, at least. The run-off sees Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohammed Mursi fighting it out with ex-Mubarak prime minister Ahmad Shafiq.
Much as this election is a referendum on the Arab Spring, there are some issues that need clarification. One of them is a photograph published last week, showing former United States president Jimmy Carter assisting an Egyptian voter. -
In 2000, MDC was in its infancy and the party went into its maiden election race wielding nothing else but the slogan “Chinja!” — a rather vacuous, albeit populist, chant for a departure from the then 20-year rule of Zanu-PF.
This chant for undefined change was more of an “anything, but Zanu-PF” attraction for most of Zimbabwe’s urban voters, as the subsequent election result proved.
MDC itself had been launched as an expression of protest against Zanu-PF’s anti-labour and -
The event convened by Pamberi Trust a fortnight ago to celebrate the life and works of the late Walter Lambert Muparutsa turned out to be a most memorable show of appreciation of the late thespian’s contribution to the development of Zimbabwean theatre manifested on the stage, radio,
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As I write, South Africa is boiling with anger, divisive anger. Never in the history of mankind has a society debated so heatedly, has a society been divided so sharply over a matter so private, a matter so obscene, so revealing. Some white man, one Brett Murray, produced something to which one places a label as they see fit: a work of art for some; graffiti for others. Some even described it as an assault by some leftover of apartheid on a man who happens to be a president, a man who is an African.
All those multiple identities of the supposed victim gave wider meaning to Murray’s product — a giant phallus abutting, jutting out, or drooping from the made-to-fit rainment of an otherwise iconic representation of visionary, decorous leadership, a representation in the mould of the leader of the Russian Revolution, Vladmir Lenin.
With such a sensitive organ obscenely appended to this painting that clearly resembling one Jacob Zuma, President of the Republic of South Africa, Murray’s thing immediately thrust itself into a fiery din of public controversy sure to impart and guarantee immortality to it, sure to stand erect in the annals of South African and wider African history.
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Benjani’s critics say he didn’t make a huge contribution, to the Warriors, as he did for the clubs that he played for and that’s a valid point because, when you are a high-profile player like Benjie, you need to deliver consistently
THE old millennium was staggering towards its end, prophets of doom were lining up to tell us that the world, too, was coming to an end and there was a lot of uncertainty around the globe.
The more some things were changing, the more others were remaining the same.
The Zimbabwe Warriors were still to qualify for the Nations Cup finals and almost two decades of hunting in the jungles of African football had yielded nothing for the team. -
CHURCHES have come together in their response to the HIV pandemic. This was reflected by the number of people who represented different churches at a candle light memorial service for those who perished due to Aids-related illnesses. The opening prayer was led by Mai Apostle Tegwe of the Apostolic Mission Church and her husband who is also an apostle.
The memorial service, which is held in the third week of May, was hosted by South West South, a convergence of people living positively in Mufakose, Glen View and Highfield in Harare. Candles burning brightly in the dark Budiriro Community Hall brought testimonies of those who have survived to this day, thanks to ARVs. -
On March 7 2003, Charles Taylor was indicted by the Special Court of Sierra Leone and on December 4 the same year, Interpol issued a “Red Warrant” (of arrest) for the former Liberian leader.
Taylor launched an appeal against the indictment and it was swiftly dismissed by the Appeals Chamber on May 31 2004. Nigerian authorities, who have increasingly become notorious for treacherous politics in Africa, apprehended Taylor on March 29 2006.
Nigeria was instrumental in the arbitrary suspension of Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth immediately after the country -
We recently dwelt on issues of overheating laptops mainly, how the cooling system works and separated the virus related effects from the overheating problems. Too many times people panic or misdiagnose overheating effects, yet in the tech circles, this is one of the most simplest tasks almost everyone can tackle, even from the comfort of their own homes,
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Economic growth projections for this year have always elicited much debate, with many saying the economy is losing steam and would thus “realistically” fail to meet the anticipated 9,4 percent rise this year. Late last year the International Monetary Fund said the figure would not be achieved given challenges in the economy while a number of economic fundis have also
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ISRAEL’S greatest king, Solomon, was only 12 years old when God promised him that he would be granted wisdom, and be the wisest man who ever lived. In the very first recorded decision in the history of legal jurisprudence, in the Book of Kings (3:16), Solomon’s brilliance endeared him to the entire nation of Israel at that tender age.
Two women who laid claim to the same child following the death of one of the women’s children during the night approached King Solomon at his court. -
As the story of TB Joshua rages on, rages towards its denouement, I have been reminded of the church politics in England of the late middle ages. And of course church politics necessarily meant the Catholic Church with its many Orders, its vast real estate, its ever swelling coffers, all set against gargantuan appetites of its supposedly holy, otherworldly inmates, starting with the Pope.
Far reaching reforms suggested for the Church in the 12th and 13th century had come to spectacular grief, as dictates of happy secular life got the better of monks and friars, got the better of church dogma, philosophy and vows to a life of devotional privation. Gone and gone for good was the devotional self-abnegation of the 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th centuries which had given these religious figures and orders a higher spiritual plinth, well ahead of ordinary men and women of their time. Wealth had slowly but inexorably driven out single-mindedness and the devotion of yore, bringing with it “the world’s slow stain”, to quote A R Myers.
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The Tonga Online project continues to confound critics of the project that took upon itself the quest to have enlightened communities amongst the Tonga people of the Zambezi Valley.
Initially funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and Horizont 3000, the project changed hands in May 2010 when the funders shifted base to South Africa as Zimbabwe was faced with challenges.
Now run by the ably managed Basilwizi Trust, the Tonga Online project has shifted gears and its upward trajectory seems to know no bounds.
“Of course, the initial funders of the project had challenges in 2010 and could not continue with the project and because it -
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Reflections Isdore Guvamombe
Goat skinner’s mentality! This is the only diction this villager from the land of milk, honey and dust or Guruve could find most apt to describe the solution proffered by a senior citizen and a whole senator from Morgan Tsvangirai’s political formation.Morgan Femai, in defiance of the grey hairs and wire-brush beard on his otherwise respectable-looking person recently gathered his whole energy and wits — or precious little of what there is — told a conference on HIV that women must bath occasionally, shave-off their hair, dress shabbily and get circumcised to make them less attractive to men.
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Bowden Mbanje and Darlington Mahuku
These past weeks the donor funded, donor controlled and donor owned ‘independent’ or private media has been very busy giving us various versions and dosages on factionalism in Zanu-PF.
The divergent versions on factionalism were quite a mixed bag with some being outright mischievous, others were devoid of critical and thorough analysis of the real situation on the ground, and the others would actually win these journalists and their editors some of the best prizes in the science fiction category.
The reporting seemed as if factionalism is only in Zanu-PF and other political parties are immune to it. Those who read -
Tariro had not taken an HIV test all her life because, apart from the occasional headache and flu, she did not suffer from any life-threatening illnesses.
With the radio, television and even the church talking about the need to know one’s HIV status she did not hesitate to be tested when a mobile testing unit visited her community one day. But she now rues the day she made that decision.
Today Tariro is depressed. She has changed from the happy outgoing lady to a shadow of her former self.
“I was a healthy woman all my life. I am a mother of five and have three grandchildren. I used to get the occasional headache and cold, but nothing serious to warrant an HIV test,” said Tariro.