Comments on: The enigma that is Mugabe, internationally and in the Caribbean (1.2)

By: Mamdani on the “lessons of Zimbabwe” « OPEN ANTHROPOLOGY

Mamdani on the “lessons of Zimbabwe” « OPEN ANTHROPOLOGY — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 18:58:35 +0000

[...] 10 public intellectuals (and you can see videos of some his lectures in my collection). Thanks to Jacob for alerting me to the newest freely available article by Mamdani, “Lessons of [...]

By: Maximilian Forte

Maximilian Forte — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 18:36:38 +0000

Thanks very much Jacob. When he says “not surprisingly” one can add it is not surprising given that many British “lessons” were taught with canes and whips, that governance was a matter of applying force, power centralized and coercion distributed. Mugabe is known to be an Anglophile, Amin was trained at Sandhurst.

What I think is overlooked in the international, media demonization of Mugabe, is that this “dictator” negotiates with his opposition to formally share power. I would like to see a figure like Bush share power with Al Gore before established Western media interests deliver pronouncements on Mugabe.

Many thanks for sharing that link as well, right up to date too, in fact, ahead of date even.

Very best wishes.

By: Jacob

Jacob — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 18:26:09 +0000

FYI – Mamdani on Mugabe

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v30/n23/mamd01_.html

“…What distinguishes Mugabe and Amin from other authoritarian rulers is not their demagoguery but the fact that they projected themselves as champions of mass justice and successfully rallied those to whom justice had been denied by the colonial system. Not surprisingly, the justice dispensed by these demagogues mirrored the racialised injustice of the colonial system…”

By: More on Caribbean Reactions to Zimbabwe « OPEN ANTHROPOLOGY

More on Caribbean Reactions to Zimbabwe « OPEN ANTHROPOLOGY — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:42:00 +0000

[...] 15, 2008 · No Comments News of a link, kindly send to me by a commenter, relating to a previous post here on Caribbean responses to events in Zimbabwe. I have forgotten to link to the overall site [...]

By: Maximilian Forte

Maximilian Forte — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:29:17 +0000

Thanks Triniman and thanks for that link as well. You’re right that there is a lot that the mainstream media in the West is suppressing and obscuring — that the last election was called a “one-man election” when there were a total of four candidates; that this is the greatest political violence Zimbabwe has seen during an election, which is also false; and the fact that Mugabe and the opposition are making plans to negotiate a government of national unity, etc. So while I personally have nothing to gain by defending, or attacking Mugabe, I do resent the media here clouding our minds with the usual BS. This is especially true of “award-winning” journalist Christina Lamb in the UK, who has apparently produced false reports of acts of brutality that simply never occurred. And as for that plot by the UN to impose sanctions over a domestic election issue, one has to note how many other elections they ignore, including the 2000 sham election in the U.S., for which there were no calls for sanctions. Sanctions for Zimbabwe but not for the U.S.? And to think that some get ruffled up when you mention “racism in the international system.”

By: Triniman

Triniman — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 21:07:14 +0000

Atillah Springer’s comments are far off and show much much she has gotten the issue wrong. As much of she sprouts revolutionary talk, some of which is on point, she is too trusting of mainstream media, who have a very anti Mugabe agenda. It is like asking the opposition for views on Manning, of course they will have negative things to say, and vice versa
PMN views of the UNC will tend to be negative. I will recommend that you check out http://www.zimbabwewatch.com for better perspectives on the issue.