By Farai Maguwu
Some Zimbabweans are red-hot angry that Thomas Mapfumo has accepted the monetary offer to perform at Jah Prayzah‘s wedding and Sir Wicknell‘s birthday. The same were all over the internet last week, swearing that Mukanya would rebuff Chivhayo’s offer as he has done in the past.
Whereas Chivhayo offered real money, Zimbabweans piled pressure on Thomas Mapfumo to reject it.
But let us say those opposed to Thomas Mapfumo taking the offer started a campaign among Zimbabweans at home and in the diaspora to match or even better Chivhayo’s offer, how was Mukanya going to respond?
Let’s say they reached out to 1 million Zimbabweans and asked each to contribute an average of $5; that would amount to $5 million. An ecocash account could be opened. I argue that that amount would have emboldened Thomas Mapfumo to heed their call and say No to Chivhayo.
But beyond singing, Thomas Mapfumo is a musician with a huge band that averages 10-17 members. These have families to feed. Mapfumo himself is in his 80s and, at that age, may be having rising medical bills to keep himself healthy.
In my human rights work, I have received calls from Zimbabweans at home and in the diaspora to go and help defend their villages from displacement. They check even at midnight whether you went to their remote villages – giving you intel about who to see and who is doing what there.
I have never received even $10 from those people, saying, add to the fuel cost. Only Webber Chinyadza used to give us money in 2006 to go to his people in Masvosva and conduct workshops on peaceful coexistence.
But the generality of Zimbabweans don’t care how we get there, where we sleep, or what we eat. We endanger our lives, living one day at a time. I say this because it is high time we appreciate that moral support without practical help is void.
People who defend your communities and the environment, holding the State accountable for your resources – who speak truth to power at great risk to their personal safety and security need your practical support.
Did you know that we operate like a banned organization even though we are lawfully registered? In some cases, when we want to have a workshop in your community, everything is done to ensure the event does not go ahead.
Then you meet Zimbabweans in the street unonzwa vakuti Maguwu wanyarara mazuvano …asi wakatengwa neZANU. Musadaro maZimba.
*Farai Maguwu writes here in his personal capacity
