(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
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Every Friday, some of the world's leading freedom of expression advocates write exclusively for the weekly magazine Ny Tid. Submit your reactions to: debatt@nytid.no Without borders columnists: Parvin Ardalan (Iran) Nawal El-Saadawi (Egypt) Irshad Manji (Canada), Elena Milashina (Russia), Katiuska Natera (Venezuela), Orzala Nemat (Afghanistan) Marta Roque (Cuba), Blessing Musariri (Zimbabwe) and Tsering Woeser (Tibet).
HARARE, ZIMBABWE. 2010! A new year. The old was difficult – for some more than for others. But life has to balance things in the end, and 2009 was truly a year where "one's death was the other's bread". Nothing was so bad that nothing good came of it.
If we have learned something about life in Zimbabwe in the last decade, it is that you can spend your time complaining, being abandoned and going your way, or you can turn your neighbors' complaints into your own money.
Sees opportunities
For some people know how to make money in the bad times. As power outages in the country became more frequent, those who owned fuel licenses and jerry jugs, and ordinary plastic jugs, got a good market.
A few years ago, when broadcasters were forced to send 75 percent, and later 100 percent, with local content in their broadcasts, complaints came from everyone. But those who provided digital satellite television earned a lot in new subscribers, and a new, local entertainment industry saw the light of day. Many local artists now have huge fans and are taken seriously enough to work full time as entertainers and celebrities.
The lack of running water has increased sales of plastic jugs and products such as buckets, liter jugs and tanks, which can now be seen in most gardens and on top of buildings. Those who were convinced that we were nearing the end are now spending their time looking for "Benjamin's" hundred-dollar bills that they can offer to those who have happily secured certain markets for necessary services and products.
Big bank robbery
In addition, there are those who bring with them what is not theirs. And if "the fat lady" dares to try to sing and we are nearing the end, they will simply shoot. Yes, it's about "Benjamins," about real American-style bank robbery.
Compared to our neighbors downstairs (South Africa), banks in Zimbabwe are gullible – the doors are open all day, so anyone can go in and out. There are no locks between the doors that only allow one person in at a time. During the last bank robbery that reached the headlines of the newspapers, the crooks took with them almost three million kroner in various monetary units, and the robbery is supposed to have been an international collaboration. It has not been an easy decade for the banks.
At the very least, the robberies have shed light on the public's trust in the police investigation department. At a local hair salon – which is where all the necessary news is spread and dissected – someone assured that if the robbers had not yet been caught, it was because the police did not yet want them in custody.
All present agreed. Zimbabwe is a small, landlocked country with no coasts, and for the most part Zimbabweans are addicted – if a case is to be solved, it always starts with finding the most likely suspects.
Party time and January depression
Zimbabwe is a small and quiet unruly country. But during the festive season around Christmas, politics became a cut off country in itself, isolated from the celebrations while everyone was doing their bit. It is a fascinating time as one begins to think that perhaps war and natural disasters have stopped around the world.
Young children offer prayers and thank God that they were created as humans and not chickens, otherwise they would have been killed and served to guests by this time. Those who starve and save throughout the year also participate in the party – albeit for one day.
The mood is even stranger now in January – locally referred to as the "January disease" – when no one has more money after the Christmas celebrations, and after school fees, uniforms and other equipment have been paid. The good news is that teachers have returned to public schools after being on strike.
At the same time, there is now little talk of a new constitution and an improvement of the "Global Political Agreement". This is an agreement negotiated in 2008, between Mugabe's party ZANU PF and the opposition in the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
The deal was for Mugabe to retain his position as president, while MDC's Morgan Tsvangirai would become prime minister. The aim was to address many of the crises Zimbabwe is facing, but there has been strong disagreement over the distribution of power over the past month and weeks.
And while the parties negotiated and the government showed an increasingly brutal side, the economic crisis was worsening.
Opportunities in the World Cup
But still, we now see the possibilities: 2010 is a magical number that comes with hope. Since South Africa has had the pleasure of hosting the Soccer World Cup from June 11 to July 11 of this year, 2010 has become a number that is spoken of with awe, excitement and joyful tossing of expectant hands.
South Africa has opened the borders to Zimbabweans who want to come over to work, apparently on a 90-day visa, but, hey – everything is open to interpretation. There will also be a lot of opportunities in Zimbabwe during the World Cup.
One can only hope that we will see fewer asphalt holes and less rubbish in the streets – Harare was previously known as the city of sunshine, but can certainly not call itself that now. There is hope for more street lights, as well as new and clearer traffic directions on the roads.
When someone sinks into a depressed lament, older and more patient souls will remind them: “Who would have thought the war would end? But it did. " Who would have thought we would ever buy something in a store again, for a dollar or less? But it happened. It used to look like the trials would never end, but they did.
And now that new problems arise, we can meet them, knowing that nothing that will not also eventually disappear. ■
Blessing Musarari is one of Zimbabwe's leading writers. She writes exclusively for Ny Tid.
The Without Borders column is run in honor of the regime-critical Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya (1958-2006). She wrote for Ny Tid, as the only newspaper outside Russia, from February 10, 2006 until she was killed outside her home in Moscow on October 7, 2006.
From 30.10.09 has online visas ABCnyheter started publishing Ny Tids "Uten grenser" columnists, read more here .
