Another Time, Another Place, And It Could Be Me
I live a fairly comfortable, secure life (as, I suspect, do most of my fellow blogospheroids). So I appreciate the occasional reminder that for many others life is harder. I got such a reminder today, courtesy my wife.
She had lunch with three people from Zimbabwe. Now, if you read the Economist, then you already have an inkling of what's coming up. This is a country where life expectancy has now diminished to 35 years. Where the economy shrank by half over the past ten years, even while the global economy grew by a third or more. Worst, as one of my wife's lunch companions confessed, this is a country whose people have learned to live with diminished dreams; all they really want now is to be allowed to return home safe.
The Economist is unabashed about it's right-wing politics and conservative economics so it is sometimes easy to disagree with its views. But when it comes to the subject of African leaders I find myself agreeing with its scathing criticism of the 'Big Men'.
Too many of them insist on clinging to power. They adhere to high office like barnacles on a ship's hull. And like barnacles they are unthinkingly malignant by nature, damaging their reluctant hosts beyond the point of viability.
In a twisted sort of way their behaviour is understandable. It must be hard to relinquish control after a couple of decades leading a revolution and then another couple of decades leading an independent country. That sort of life is guaranteed to supersize even the most modest ego. After so many years in power, who could then vanish silently into obscurity? It is so much more human to hold on grimly to the sensation of being in absolute control of all around you.
But as understandable as the phenomenon is, that does not make it any less oppressive to the millions who must bear the consequences. They are the millions of refugees, the millions who lose lives to starvation and disease, the millions who survive ignorant of the possibilities for prosperity and happines that they have been denied.
As we enjoy our everyday lives and bemoan our petty everyday problems lets be thankful we do not number among those millions. And lets spare a thought for those who do.
3 comments:
Frankly no different conceptually from leaders of political parties in large democracies like India. Refusing to let go of power / ministerial posts to more capable & younger people at cost to billions. Yes the billions are not dying but they are not realizing their life's dreams either due to the inefficiency. Equally sinful i think.
It's true its not conceptually different but there is a big difference of degree. As a whole, Indians live longer and are more materially well off than they were ten years ago. The people in Zimbabwe (and Myanmar aand North Korea to name a few) have shorter, harder lives than they did ten years ago. In my mind that creates a difference.
The life expectancy has anyway declined due to HIV - and the economic collapse is largely due to the unfair isolation of the country.
Which doesn't mean that it isn't time for Mugabe to move on, but I am not sure if he has done anything terribly terribly wrong.
Personally, I think Mugabe scared the hell out of everyone in Europe because of what he could have triggered in neighbouring ANC's South Africa: "re-posession" of white South African farms in the name of land reforms (that are overdue) and reverting back on "free" economy.
Post a Comment