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Francis Mpazviriwo

Apart from garnering national adulation and rave reviews across local and international media for their selected stellar performances during the World Cup Qualifiers, the Zimbabwe National Cricket Team’s successes were converted for social media banters.

During their campaign, the lads swept past the West Indies, Netherlands, Nepal and the US before their formidable run was scuttled by Sri Lanka-a cricketing powerhouse and Scotland, which spoiled the party, as the boys bowed out for a slot at the global cricketing showcase. So near yet so far away.

Although the Chevrons mesmerised the nation before their form took a dip resulting in utter disappointment on social media, their campaign will also be remembered yet again for the attendant banters that Zimbabweans made in reflection.

In typical Zimbabwean style, it was littered with humour, as Zimbabweans celebrated the successes and disappointments in a humorous style.

 

Of Warriors and Gems

During their campaign, it was evident that cricket had somewhat become a pastime, considering the Warriors hiatus at the international scene (before their readmission).

And boy, the “new converts” and the sport’s traditional fan base zealously supported the campaign which sadly faltered at the end!

Over the past few years, the national netball team also known as the Gems have also had an impressive run on the international stage, where they won the hearts of many, before dithering when it mattered the most.

Who would forget their memorable performances at the Netball World Cup in Liverpool in 2019 among many other scintillating displays?

That is the beauty of sport. It has this remarkable ability to marshal camaraderie amongst fans thereby fostering national cohesion.

During the campaign, the Zimbabwe Cricket Supporters Union, clad in their newfound attire comprising of khaki school uniforms and the trademark red overalls and helmets synonymous with mining activities also left their mark for their well-choreographed acts.

 

“ZIDERA Derby”

The Chevrons’ winning streak before their encounter with Sri Lanka gave them an aura of invincibility which naturally aroused jubilation.

The excitement was palpable for a nation seeking to write its fairytale story, having been accustomed to the typical story of anguish and dejection which has dogged our sporting divide.

While all victories were celebrated, the fixture against the United States of America (USA) ended up gathering most of the social media flak.

Various social media commentators dubbed the fixture, the “ZIDERA derby”, in apparent reference to Washington’s policy stance towards Harare over the past two decades. That was jest at its best.

It is incisive that ZIDERA is a common reference point for Zimbabwe-USA relations. Even amidst the re-engagement drive with the USA (and Western nations generally), ZIDERA continues to be the vital entry-point for deliberations intending to reset relations to yesteryear glory.

This does not mean that there is existing acrimony per se, but points to the commitment to grow cooperation further as behoves diplomacy.

A positive sign emerged in December 2022, after Zimbabwe, which was represented by its Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Frederick Shava participated at the US-Africa Summit, for the first time in two decades.

As narratives about the “ZIDERA Derby” gained traction on social media, there is no doubt that Zimbabweans were generally commenting about Zimbabwe’s bilateral (and to some extent multilateral) relationship with the USA.

Coincidentally, Zimbabwe also participated at the recently concluded US-Africa Business Summit which was held in Gaborone and attended by more than 1000 leaders spanning sectors.

On another note, perhaps the tag also arose from the rare sporting interaction between Zimbabwe and the USA. Perhaps the Olympics are an exception, as Zimbabwe has competed against the USA, albeit along with other competing nations, especially in swimming.

The rarity of Zimbabwe-USA interactions on the pitch perhaps explains the euphoria which emerged as witnessed by viral social media posts after Zimbabwe won the fixture!

It is without a doubt that leading social media voices had also mischievously construed the fixture in a state-centric view of a “David vs Goliath” affair, to which Zimbabwe emerged victorious!

The humorous portrayals of a cricket fixture as a “ZIDERA derby” however signified the underlying dichotomy between sport and politics. Whereas it is said politics should be separated from sport, it is apparent however that ordinary citizens scripted banters, while riding on the contextual political environment.

Was it not the Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle who said “Man is a political animal?”

The banters aside, the Chevrons’ victory against the USA embodied the place of sports diplomacy, which is a vital tool to cultivate relationships outside the contours of officialdom!

 

Bond note and US dollar

As if the reference to the ZIDERA legislation wasn’t enough, the Zimbabwe Cricket Supporters Union, “pulled a big one” again (vakavhura hombe), as street lingo goes.

Through his epic viral shots which were clearly works of artistry, my brother and journalist Lovejoy Mtongwiza of the 263Chat outdid himself as he captured the hysterical mood of Zimbabwe cricket fans holding bond and US dollar.

After some netizens could not get the gist of the pictures (including yours truly), Mtongwiza alerted his followers that the underlying message was: “that the bond note (was) better than the US” that day!

In their simplicity or rather craze, the Zimbabwe Cricket Supporters Union made an evoking commentary about the Zimbabwean macroeconomy, at least in relation to the exchange rate dynamics ever dominating the discourse from the household to the corporate space!

As the Chevrons won, the bond note triumphed while the US dollar slid (at least that day)!

 

Of Pak Bean and Rowan Atkinson

While the social media fun attracted segmented interest for its laden commentaries about the Chevrons, it only mirrored Zimbabweans’ affinities for online mischief, as seen during their Twitter war with Pakistan in October 2022.

Ahead of the Chevrons encounter with the Pakistan A cricket team commonly known as the Shaheens, Zimbabweans jokingly expressed their dissatisfaction for a “crime” that Pakistan had committed towards Zimbabwe in 2016!

This was in reference to Pak Bean, a doppelganger of Mr Bean played by British comedian Rowan Atkinson, who became a “star attraction” during the Harare Agricultural Show in 2016.

Mr Pak Bean also got a police escort, explaining the hospitality he got as he revelled in glamour in Harare.

The cheeky Tweeter war which ensued ended up drawing the attention of President Emmerson Mnangagwa as he tweeted-

“What a win for Zimbabwe! Congratulations to the Chevrons. Next time, send the real Mr Bean…#PakvsZim.” The tweet garnered a whooping 54 600 Retweets, 8400 quotes and 373 200 likes.

In response, the Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif responded saying- “We may not have the real Mr Bean, but we have real cricketing spirit .. and we Pakistanis have a funny habit of bouncing back:) Mr President: Congratulations. Your team played really well today.” The tweet had 5 477 retweets, 1 850 quotes and 47 800 likes.

This was clearly a crème de la crème of social media banters, which was augmented by the statesmanship exuded by the two Heads of State whose digital interaction was unintendedly instigated by a cricket match.

It also reflected the beauty of the digital age, which transcends geographical barriers as people-to-people interactions are cemented easily!

 

Zimbabwe-Pakistan relations

 The subsequent interactions at the Head of State level was clearly a microcosm of the strong diplomatic and political relations which have existed between Zimbabwe and Pakistan.

In their Book “A Brutal State of Affairs: The Rise and Fall of Rhodesia, Henrik Ellert; Dennis Malcolm Anderson (2020) recount Pakistan’s tremendous support to Zimbabwe in the aviation sector during the formative years of the nation’s independence.

It was Pakistani’s Air Marshal Azeem Daudpota, who was instrumental in building the Zimbabwe Air Force following the flight from (Rhodesian) serviceman.

It is therefore not a coincidence that in line with its foreign policy pursuits, Zimbabwe has established a new diplomatic mission in Islamabad, firstly to reciprocate Pakistan’s presence in Harare but to consolidate the strong relations with that nation.

Apart from Pakistan, Zimbabwe has also opened up new missions in Dubai, Equatorial Guinea and Belarus as part of efforts to grow cooperation with these countries.

In the end, it was a long month, in which the Chevrons hogged the limelight for the greater part of the campaign, before their anti-climax.

However, the intriguing commentary beyond the cricket field of play brought an interesting dimension, littered with innuendos.

This article is written in the personal capacity.