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My Turn with Tichaona Zindoga
The reader may recall that last week this column noted in passing an ungainly human idiosyncrasy called voyeurism. The other word for it is nosiness, which can be defined as an unhealthy interest in other people’s affairs.
It’s a disease.
In politics and world affairs, it is there, too.
Choice examples of nosiness abound; take this one example of a report that appeared on the BBC a few days ago:
“Kim Jong-un, North Korea’s 32-year-old leader, has been absent from public view for more than 38 days, prompting a flurry of speculation about the political stability of a regime notorious for its opaqueness and secrecy.
“In particular, Mr Kim’s non-attendance at two high-profile public events — the October 10 anniversary of the establishment of the Korean Worker’s Party, and the September 9 Foundation Day of the North Korean State — two signature days in the political calendar when the leader would be expected to make an appearance, has been read by some as a sign of potential political turmoil behind the scenes . . .”
The report goes on to speculate the reasons behind the “disappearance” whose reasons range from disease (“gout, diabetes, heavy smoking on the part of the young leader, ankle injuries sustained during recent military inspection visits, and most recently (according to testimony from a German doctor who met Mr Kim) substantial problems in his endocrine system and internal organs”) to political.
BBC told us, “A more dramatic interpretation is that Mr Kim has been the victim of a political coup and is languishing under house arrest, having been removed from power by members of the North’s political and military gerontocracy alarmed by his penchant for purging his political rivals — most notably the execution of his uncle Jang Song-taek in December 2013 — and his failure to promote lasting economic prosperity.”
By the way, the North Korean leader has since publicly “reappeared”, although Western media seem unconvinced.
Yesterday, the online UK Independent had the headline, “Kim Jong-un makes first appearance in 40 days . . . but where has the North Korean leader been?”
This is just about a snippet into the nosy world of Western media.
Yes, the BBC complains that the North Korean “regime (is) notorious for its opaqueness and secrecy”.
That is a standard Western line.
The West is so irritated that it cannot figure out what happens in North Korea.
Several missions and excursions have been commissioned with journalists and students going under all sorts of cover just to find out what happens in North Korea.
Material so gleaned sells like hot cakes in the West.
That is where one begins to see the unhealthiness of it all.
It also tells us about the vulgarity of Western people in general, that is why they are wont to move around half naked or naked or spotting some inappropriate or outright indecent outfits.
Interestingly, there have even been attempts to bar Muslim women from wearing their all-covering outfits, which protect their decency.
Some sick, perverted minds seek to find out how Muslim women look without the decent clothing on!
Asians and Africans in general are conservative and unobtrusive.
That is where China and the US, who are falling over each other to deal with Africa at the moment, differ.
China is winning Africa’s heart because, like Africa, it is decent and unobtrusive.
America behaves like a pervert.
But that is a story for another day.
Yet the bottom line is that Western noses, which cartoonist — Innocent Mpofu — correctly depicts as unwillingly long for more than their biological function, needs to be cut short.
That is symbolically, although imperialists and their noses are generally not to be missed if lost to their makers, as wise counsel goes.
We may have dwelt unduly long on the subject of Western noses and nosiness.
In Zimbabwe, there is no shortage of nosiness, even with our short and flat snouts.
Take a little interest in the country’s politics, for example.
There are things that will baffle the mind.
In this contested field we have neighbours called Zanu-PF and MDC-T.
The father of the Zanu-PF household is called Robert Mugabe while the head of MDC-T is Morgan Tsvangirai.
In the Zanu-PF house is also Amai, a hardworking, trailblazing woman.
There doesn’t seem to be Amai’s equivalent in the house of MDC.
Now the contestation in the political arena between Mugabe and Tsvangirai has been long and arduous.
Tsvangirai always comes second best.
This is the reason: every time Mugabe works out in his gym or with his family and friends and clubmates, Tsvangirai will be busy looking at the other side of the fence rather than concentrating on his workouts.
He calls Mugabe “too old”.
He says he is ill and unhealthy.
He tells people at the public square that Mugabe should quit fighting and leave a younger contestant.
You may have thought that Tsvangirai would relish beating up this old and poorly old man.
Alas! Tsvangirai gets beaten in the ring.
And beaten.
And beaten!
Every serious pundit now knows that Tsvangirai will not beat Mugabe in any contest. He last had a fluke five years ago.
Perhaps it was because Mugabe himself and his camp had lost sight of the game.
But then Mugabe rallied his position — with a lot of lessons learnt.
In the mighty contest last year, on July 31, Mugabe had a simple strategy: eyes on the ball and score.
It worked.
Tsvangirai was the loser again.
He remains as such, and never seems to learn.
Enter Amai.
Watchers may be surprised how much energy the Tsvangirai camp has now devoted about Amai’s industriousness and her apparent growing muscle.
The Tsvangirai camp is whining and mourning and crying as it watches Amai.
Some call her names; some spite her yet the ironic thing is that the MDC-T should be concentrating on rebuilding its weakened structure.
Here is Job Sikhala on Facebook a few days ago:
“We must make our plans as the largest political party in the opposition in Zimbabwe with our eyes centred on Grace Mugabe’s rise in ZANU-PF politics. There is no doubt that watching closely Grace’s political rallies she is aiming to disrupt any attempt of the Mujuru rise in internal ZANU-PF politics. So it is in that new development that our arsenals must be targeting Grace. She will be our nemesis in the future of our politics. With me that will be an interesting duel for Grace epitomises a lot of Zimbabwe’s failure today. Come on MDC cadres. We must ravage Grace Mugabe from today onwards.”
We are hearing some complain that Zanu-PF wants to make Amai president of the Republic!
Obviously Zimbabwe uses the test of elections for such a position.
So why is the opposition not happy that Amai may be Zanu-PF’s candidate, who will be theirs to thrash if she is so bad a leader? One would have assumed that they would be rubbing their hands in glee.
And by the way, why does the opposition in this country seem to prefer a particular leader in Zanu-PF?
Go through Sikhala’s post again.
This, it obviously suggests, is more than nosiness on the part of MDC-T.
Online Reporter