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This should not come as a big surprise, really. Unless you are still living in 2012, somewhere in the Middle East, the venue of “Facebook Revolutions” where protesters used Mark Zuckerberg’s invention to cause the downfall of their governments.
So successful were these “Facebook Revolutions” that certain quarters wanted to export to, and replicate them in Zimbabwe.
And during the last elections in 2013, Facebook and its ilk such as Twitter, occupied what was thought to be a strategic position in the country’s political processes.
Before that in 2008, it will be remembered, the text message had been used to try to coordinate and incite.
In the run up to last year’s elections, the opposition invested a lot of hope and time in social media, so much so that the ruling party, the grand old party, was roundly condemned for not being so techno-savvy.
If you kept certain political and journalistic circles, you could easily be forgiven for thinking that Facebook had replaced the ballot and political rally.
The talk, the belief and momentum built up, swelled and swelled and swelled until July 31 — and the moment of truth came.
Far from the virtual world, real political activity had been taking place and critically, on the same July 31, the material political actors and voices delivered a deadly blow to the world of Facebook.
The latter was shocked, gave protestations and incitements and whimpers.
But there wouldn’t be a Facebook revolution in Zimbabwe.
The rest is history: the opposition has even been accused of engrossing itself in Facebook and its shadowy characters, forgetting to campaign on the ground.
On the other hand, Zanu-PF with neither proficiency in, nor command of the social media, campaigned on the ground and won.
The lesson should be clear enough.
It can also be demonstrated that the heavy Facebook users and activists, mainly in Harare and the Diaspora, are not necessarily all from Zimbabwe no matter how big their narcissism, loneliness or even lack of productive alternatives, are.
But, do some people ever learn?
Facebook revolutionaries
It is beyond question that political events, chiefly nationwide rallies by the First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe, dubbed “Meet The People” tours, have created not only headlines for the news media and fodder for pub, street and kombi talk but also for Facebook and other social media.
But let me digress a bit.
The past few weeks also gave us an insignificant piece of news — so insignificant that it was duly ignored by all serious news media — about one Itai Dzamara.
It will not seriously hurt to mention, validate him, even.
Dzamara is a journalist, one that this writer has known for about a decade, to carry a streak of hatred for the Zanu-PF Government and its leader, Robert Mugabe.
He even started his own newspaper which we understand had a brief glimpse of the sun before unceremoniously going back to where it came from.
The streak of Dzamara’s hatred has run along with love for Morgan Tsvangirai, the intended beneficiary of Dzamara’s wish to see the back of Mugabe, until recently when he may have been disillusioned by Tsvangirai — a perpetual loser of elections who, by many reasonable projections, will not be able to win elections in Zimbabwe.
(Dzamara has also been angry with Tendai Biti and the “Renewal Team” for daring to break with Tsvangirai.)
So our Dzamara, took matters into his own hands and on October 17, he decided to hand a petition to President Mugabe, asking him to step down.
Dzamara vowed that he would stage an “Occupy Africa Unity Square” campaign, by which he meant that he and others (presumably, hopefully, hundreds or even thousands as seen in Cairo and other places in the Middle East) would sit in the park just opposite Parliament Building in Harare until President Mugabe attended to the petition.
Meanwhile, he has also run a Facebook campaign to beef up support for the sit-in.
In fact, and critically so, Dzamara has been more visible, won more sympathy, on Facebook than on Africa Unity Square where there has been a conspicuous absence of protesters — unless it is being seriously suggested that those seen lounging on the grass, sometimes making polite love, are Dzamara’s Occupy protesters!
(Never mind yesterday’s opportunistic cameo during the opening of Parliament by President Mugabe.)
Walk the length and breadth of the Union Jack-shaped Africa Unity Square and you will not see a sign of any likeness of Middle East revolters.
It is easier to stage an Occupy-Facebook than something as existential and substantial as “Occupy Africa Unity Square”.
Not that Dzamara has been lost to his own insignificance, as he complained, albeit self-importantly, that he had been ignored by mainstream media.
He says he invited more than 20 journalists, none of whom found him serious enough.
Resigning: “I am not desperate for publicity, but am desperate for ways that bring the nation together to attend to the urgent national crisis.”
Of course, Itai is lying that he doesn’t want publicity. He wants it, not least for his patently underwhelming journalistic career as for his apparently nascent political ambitions.
Before I am done with Dzamara, I will bring on Job Sikhala — ironically one of Dzamara’s Facebook cheerleaders who had pledged to join the “occupy” initiative.
Sikhala’s story is rather simple, as it is a little sad, yet it is similar to Dzamara’s.
Both are Facebook political activists; both detest the status quo and debase themselves as low as to use insults and expletives against President Mugabe.
Sikhala has been using Facebook, especially lately, to air his political views, especially for the cause of the opposition MDC-T where he was re-admitted following a fallout with Morgan Tsvangirai nine years ago.
He has been hard-working on this platform, including calling for the opposition to devote its energies to bringing down the rising political star of the First Lady whom he accuses of trying to derail the prospects of Vice President Joice Mujuru.
By the way on September 26, he had expressed on the same platform, readiness for an MDC-led mass action or demonstrations.
He wrote: “We are all ready. We will be leading from the front. My president Morgan Tsvangirai, myself, Nelson Chamisa, Amos Chibaya, Abednigo Bhebhe, Chalton Hwende, Douglas Mwonzora and those who wish to be party (sic) of this revolution. We are prepared to die. So Prophet (Emmanuel) Makandiwa must not be mistaken about our determination. Watch as events unfold. Kusi kufa ndikupi?”
Futility
Not that these Facebook efforts have yielded anything — it is certain that these purported heroics are only coming to grief.
It is worse for dear Job Sikhala.
Recently, hardworking Sikhala was barred from contesting for posts in the MDC for the forthcoming (is it ever coming?) congress.
He mourned that he “was fought like an unwanted snake that has entered someone’s house at my party’s national executive meeting” and how the “enmity was overwhelming”.
Admitting all was lost, Sikhala wrote: “Thanks God (sic) it’s in his plan. As long as my family is ok and safe.”
The point to make in all this, and this brings us to the main point of this piece, is that the power of Facebook is just overestimated: if it were not, MDC-T and its chubby one would be ruling Zimbabwe today thanks to a phalanx of its Facebook activists.
With the spotlight now on Zanu-PF and several pages being created in support, or denigration of certain individuals, mainly the two newest Doctors in the party, it is rather surprising that people have not learnt anything.
The fact is that Zimbabwe’s and Zanu-PF’s processes will not be decided on, or by, Facebook.
Facebook is not mightier than the sword, which for all we know, reposes with the Princes of power.
As we shall see.
Online Reporter