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Barak Obama

Tichaona Zindoga Senior Political Writer
The sanctions were meant to make the economy of Zimbabwe “scream”, as Chester Crocker put it. To make the economy scream is to make the people, the country, scream — and that is what Zimbabwe has been doing for 61.90 percent of Chingozho’s life.

IN 2010, this writer made a review of a meeting of US president Barack Obama with “Young African Leaders” and noted, among other things that, “It would seem the participants were, if not overwhelmed by the occasion, all too grateful to be in America and talking to one of the most powerful men in the world and would do anything to stroke his plumage.”

Adding: “What the world saw then were sycophants parading as representatives of African youths, whom no African youth worth the name could really entrust with any mandate.”

There was particular exception by this writer to Zimbabwe’s representatives, Sydney Chisi, Cleopatra Ndlovu and Masimba Nyamanhindi.
Chisi in particular, posed a fawning and impenetrable question to Obama on, “How has been the success of Zidera forced (sic) the formation of the inclusive Government ( blah blah blah)?”

Four years on, it would seem that the organisers and choreographers at the Young African Leaders Initiative have done their homework and they brought on one Takunda Chingonzo who since Tuesday has been celebrated in some sections of the media for “grilling” Obama on the issue of Zimbabwe sanctions.

Takunda (21) is one of 30 Zimbabweans and 500 young Africans who are taking part in the programme.
Hosting an interview session with Obama, he tells us that he “works the wireless technology space, where we’re essentially liberating the Internet for Zimbabweans”, and Obama congratulates him as “an example of the young African leaders and in fact the youngest African leader.”

Chingonzo then asks: “I understand that the sanctions that we have in Zimbabwe are targeted sanctions but then we have come to a point where we as young Africans are failing to properly engage in business with US based entities because there hasn’t been that clarity as these entities believe that Zimbabwe is under sanctions.

So what really can we do to try and clarify this to make sure that we as young African entrepreneurs can effectively develop Africa and engage in business.”

Obama with a familiar sophistry tells us that, “The challenge for us in the United States has been how do we balance to help the people of Zimbabwe with what has frankly been a repeated violation of basic democratic practices and human rights inside of Zimbabwe. And we think it is very important to send clear signals about how we expect elections to be conducted, governments to be conducted because if we don’t then all too often with impunity the people of those countries will suffer.”

After some further “probing”, especially on how sanctions are affecting businesses, Obama concedes: “Let’s see if we can refine them further based on some of the things that you’re talking about.”

Now, it must be conceded that this was a better show than that of Chisi and company. However, Chingonzo’s mistake is very much Chisi’s, mainly because they are both sponsored Zimbabwean youthS, taken from various fields and earmarked for brainwashing and grooming as future client leaders, which the US needs.

Their acts in Washington are what maybe politely called public diplomacy and at worst they are plain US propaganda these fifth columnists being used to keep focus on Zimbabwe: by way of allowing Obama to entrench his views on the country.

They hardly stand up to Obama and his overbearing America.
America sweetens its onslaught on Zimbabwe, apart from buying off gullible Zimbabweans, by preaching democracy and human rights.
And our future leader speaks the “targeted sanctions” language of the US!

Let it be demonstrated further how useless this “future leader” is.
He lets Obama get away with the claim that the US promotes democracy and elections without asking him how America ends up friends with monarchs like Saudi Arabia and Bahrain and Morocco as well as military dictatorships like Egypt.

In some of these countries that are so wanton in human rights abuses, women are not even allowed to drive a car!
Does Zimbabwe need any “send clear signals” more than these rogue states?

There is something rather worrying, too, in what Obama says.
He promises to “refine” sanctions based on what Chingozho says.

Surely?
Does he not know the effect of sanctions on any country, including Russia today, that he needs the advice of the young man that he sponsored for dinner. He, as any honest person does, knows that the sanctions were meant to make the economy of Zimbabwe “scream”, as Chester Crocker put it. To make the economy scream is to make the people, the country, scream – and that is what Zimbabwe has been doing for 61.90 percent of Chingozho’s life. Of course he may be privileged not to suffer what those in the ghettos and rural areas have to bear.

On the whole, this little episode is part of a grand project of oppression and inveiglement by the US over at least the past 15 years.
Information from the US Embassy in Harare indicates that the US has in the last 15 years launched two intense phases of recruiting young Zimbabweans for brainwashing and priming for national leadership, the third being the YALI.

The programme has targeted 3000 young minds, including promising women in media and business.