Vincere Caritate

The unexpected death of a friend, unjust detention of some comrades and then, yesterday, my own brief detention made this past week one to remember.

So because I was sad, angry and frustrated with the people and systems around me, I remembered my blog and thought I should write something here.

The death was a poignant reminder of another life lost, a Catholic nun from my high school days, who, among other things, introduced me to the Latin phrase, 'Vincere Caritate'.

Vincere Caritate roughly translates to 'Conquer with Love' and is the motto of the school where I spent six years of my life.Vincere Caritate is a reminder of Sr Maria De Pace, a Hungarian nun, whose lessons, though never followed, were not forgotten.

Vincere Caritate is a phrase I had not thought of in more than three years, but one which I was reminded by circumstances this past week, it is a phrase that I hope will guide me, and others, through life. So in the middle of my problems during the past week I was reminded to Conquer with Love, to respond to violence and oppression with understanding and reason and to respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment.

And my dark cloud developed a silver lining, in my anger I found peace and when they expected me to bow down and grovel, I put my head up, stood tall and smiled.

So, be kind and loving to everyone you meet, because everyone is fighting their own hard battles and may just need that little love, a simple act of kindness, a greeting from a complete stranger, a positive and encouraging conversation or even a smile. Just a little love will change the lives of those around you and the love is usually returned too.

......For love is not love, until you give it away- to everyone, without discrimination.

Perhaps then, we'll Conquer, not with violence, force or coercion, but by the power of love.

So....VINCERE CARITATE!

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Are you singing the song of your life?

"Spring is past

Start singing the song of your life.

Summer is gone


And the winter is here


And the song that I meant to sing


Remains unsung


For I've spent my days


Stringing and unstringing my instrument."

The above is a very sad poem, a poem of a life half lived, a poem of a man who wanted to sing a song but did not do so because he " spent his days stringing and unstringing his instrument"

After reading this poem today I looked at my life and the opportunities I never took, the time I wasted "stringing and unstringing my instrument."

The tale is familiar , it is one of procrastination, dissembling, fear, doubts and excuses. In the end the results are obvious, failure and regret. Many are waiting for a sign from heaven- but that sign is you, you are who you have been waiting for.

At this moment you are the oldest you have ever been, and the youngest you will ever be, so take your chances, be happy, bring happiness to others and live your life. Start today, time and tide wait for no man and you miss all the shots you don't make.

So today I made a resolution: to be happy, to write the story of my life the way I want , not only to write it but also to hold the pen. I am going to replace my fear with faith, my excuses with hope, I am going to love the people in my life, enjoy all the moments of my life and tell people how I feel about them. Above all to treasure every moment, after all it is said no man crosses the same river twice, for it is not the same river and he is not the same man.

So today I made a resolution, I will pursue my dreams, no matter what anyone thinks. I will string my instrument and sing the song of my life.

I hope you do the same.

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Of Malema and The Death of Revolutionary Parties

Distraught: Julius Malema

South Africa's ANC today suspended its controversial Youth League leader Julius Malema after he was found guilty of provoking divisions within the ruling party and bringing the party into disrepute.

The news has been greeted with mixed feelings, some are happy that Malema is gone, at the same time hoping that his ideas of nationalising South Africa's mines go with him, whilst others see his suspension as nothing but a political move by President Zuma to counter Malema's growing power.

I do not grieve for Malema but neither do I rejoice- his ideas of nationalisation were not bad but the way he put them forward left a lot to be desired. On top of that he was frequently accused of racism, looting, insulting people and all sorts of unbecoming behaviour for a leader.

Instead I weep for Africa's youth and how they are being pulled down every time they try to ascend the ladders of power. It is very unfortunate that African youths are being deprived of leadership opportunities- ironically by people who liberated countries when they were youths!

Malema's case is just the latest in a long history of powerful leaders clipping the wings of those they viewed as threats. It has happened all over Africa, young people have risen against oppressive governments and systems only for them to cling to their positions in the name of defending the revolution.

The likes of Gaddafi, Nkrumah and others who were "deposed" by the West were also responsible for their own downfalls. However well one rules, however prosperous a nation is, leadership needs to be changed for the good of the nation and promotion of democracy.

The inability of African revolutionary parties to accept this naked truth will no doubt prove to be their undoing. The death of revolutionary parties is inextricably linked to their reluctance to accept change.

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In memory of.........ZINASU and Student Activism.

ZINASU at its peak

Last night on its show, Melting Pot, ZBC interviewed Pride "Obama" Mkono who claims to be President of the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU). To say the least I was shocked by his preposterous claims, ZINASU does not have any national leadership and Pride Mkono is just another card carrying member of the Union.

The confusion within the Union goes back several years and its causes are many and varied including handling by politicians and political parties, avarice, corruption and cowardice. That a card carrying member can made president of the Union by two people on the internet is loud and clear testimony of its weakness. In a way I admire Pride's cunningness and opportunism, after all there is always something to be gained from chaos.

Even more worrying are the reports of thousands of dollars that went missing during a female students summit that was held in Gweru two weeks ago. The female students summit is one which I, and every other true ZINASU member, would want to quickly forget for it was an especially dark hour in this very dark night of student activism. What really took place in Gweru might never be known but from the scores of stories that were floating around I gathered that some individuals wanted to turn the summit into a national congress. They failed and instead appointed and announced a new "national" leadership on Facebook several days later.

In this age where being Arabic is associated with AK 47s and terrorism, ZINASU is now synonymous with violence, looting, thuggery, disorder and  graffiti.Whilst my comrades will excuse graffiti as a way of sending revolutionary messages, there is no excuse whatsoever for any form of internal or external violence and  looting. As if their shame was not enough some members ( including the newly elected president) of the Union went on to engage in gratuitous violence at Meikles hotel in full view of local journalists. Whatever little credibility we still had was obviously swept away then.

What then has happened to the spirit of yesteryear, the spirit of genuine and true student representation? Are there any true and resolute cadres who can rise above the rest, above the rubble of confusion that the Student Movement has become? Some argue that ever since the government stopped giving out loans and grants Universities have become more elitist, admitting mostly the rich and therefore soft, whose only fights in life are the fights for more expensive Christmas presents. Whilst not entirely true, one cannot help wondering whether tertiary institutions are indeed admitting the rich at the expense of the able. It is also a fact that the current crop students is docile and ostensibly 'cool' with the way things are.

The death of ZINASU is a frightening prospect, even more frightening because it is insidious and being caused by seemingly unconnected and innocuous events. Without a unified and powerful student voice the government and university authorities will trample on our rights without thinking or fear of the consequences. It is especially worrisome considering that they are doing just that today, but then again, ZINASU is at its weakest since its formation. Better to fight with a poor weapon than no weapon at all.

So is there no option, is the situation incorrigible? Actually there are other Unions, the most notable being ZICOSU which is held in contempt by most students who accuse it of being an  appendage of ZANU PF and therefore unable to act against the party and government. Surprisingly very few complain when ZINASU is accused of being an affiliate of the MDC. Then there is ASAZ, Amalgamated Students Association of Zimbabwe which is to be launched this weekend. Putting my trust in it is a bit like counting my chicks before they are hatched, the launch might fail after all. Besides we don't know which political party it is affiliated to yet- it might turn out to be NAG or Mavambo or worse still Mthakawazi! That is what Zimbabwean Students have become, mouthpieces of politicians and their parties.

The death knell of ZINASU is sounding and the onus is upon us to prevent its death. Obviously the best time for that is several years ago, before these cantankerous and bellicose activists- but the next best time is now.    

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How Solar Energy Works | Union of Concerned Scientists

Afrika must wake up and use this!

How Solar Energy Works | Union of Concerned Scientists

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I let my country down — Malaika - Newsday: Everyday News for Everyday People

Maybe the real prize is participating, meeting new people and opening to new ideas. In that case winning will just be a bonus.

I let my country down — Malaika - Newsday: Everyday News for Everyday People

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You are one in a million- no, one in 7 Billion.

To put things into perspective consider this: The average person should drink 2.5 litres of water every day, according to research. Assuming that everyone on earth gets that amount then the world’s population would consume about 17.5 billion litres a day. 

Today Monday October 31, 2011 is like yesterday in so many ways; it’s very hot, boring and of course I’m still broke. But there is a difference, today the world officially welcomed its 7 billionth citizen, one of about 382 000 babies born today. Seven billion is a huge number and a worrying one too considering the earth is neither getting bigger nor increasing its resources, therefore my message to the 7^th billion citizen is: Welcome to this dreadful, polluted and cruel place we call home.

The problem is not one of space; don’t worry about crowding- at least not yet, there is space enough for a couple more billions. The main question is: Will the earth’s resources be able to sustain the population? Already a billion people do not get enough food and water, pollution is on the rise, global temperatures are increasing and natural resources are dwindling. And the population of the world is increasing, there will be a billion more by 2024 and we’ll reach 9 billion in 2045. The result is pretty obvious, with more people competing for the same resources humanity will become more susceptible to war.

Some argue that it is not about population increase but rather about distribution and consumption of the resources. With efficient and responsible use, they say, the earth’s resources will be able to sustain its population. Some people need to be more responsible in their use of energy and less wasteful with their food and water. Billions of Megawatts are wasted yearly by inefficient light bulbs, unnecessary heating and keeping lights on during the day.  Distribution is also another problem; the majority of the world’s resources are consumed by about 20% of the population.

It is therefore more important than ever to devise and use alternative and renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. The advantage of these energy sources is twofold, firstly they reduce the strain on our natural resources and secondly they are cleaner and renewable. The other, less popular alternative is nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is perhaps the only energy source which can keep up with mankind’s growing demand but it can also have disastrous consequences. Across the globe there are groups campaigning for the end of the use of nuclear plants as power sources. The lessons of Hiroshima, Chernobyl and, more recently, Japan are not easily forgotten.

Population increase is fastest in Africa and very soon there will be five Africans for every European. The rapid population increase in Africa is caused by many factors among them traditionalistic views, lack of contraceptives and religion (the Catholic Church does not allow the use of contraceptives). Ironically Africa also has most of the world’s hungry, famines and countless wars. Whilst there are many reasons for the wars and famines it is obvious that an uncontrolled population increase will have dire consequences. Our leaders should therefore shift their focus to this very important issue and put in place measures to decrease the rate at which Africa’s population is increasing.

Population control is not without undesirable effects as seen in the case of Japan. Japan’s birth rate is critically low, its working class is too old and the country is now coercing its citizens to have children. No one would want that to happen to Africa yet the population increase needs to be controlled. In a continent which has severe food shortages an ever increasing population is the last thing we need. Part of the solution is political, stable and strong governments are better equipped and have more time to combat this menace. But one wonders whether our governments care about such things, they seem more concerned with increasing the lengths of their motorcades and the circumferences of their bellies. Not forgetting their favourite hobbies: Insulting each other, going around the globe and shopping in distant cities with fancy names.

The future is not as bleak as it seems though; there are some positives to population increase. A bigger population has more diversity, the chances of getting another Hitler or Gaddafi increase and also another Einstein, Zinedine Zidane and other remarkable people who have had impacts, both negative and positive, on our lives. Also, we get a new generation which brings with it happiness, new cultures, technological advances (especially important now that Steve Jobs is dead). And of course an increased population means  you become more unique- Instead of being one in a million I am now one in 7 billion and so are you……….

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