Promoting open debate…...
Scores of people from all over the UK have been attending our road shows. The road shows are intended to emphasise the importance of open debate at the same time as engaging the general public on Gukurahundi. We have had two public meetings so far, as part of our road show programme and the response from the public has been very enthusiastic. Given the freedom of action we enjoy in the UK, many people have welcomed the platform we are giving them and come out in huge numbers to openly discuss what undoubtedly remains a very painful and sensitive subject. Emotions have poured out during discussions and tears shed in ways resembling a truth commission hearing. To us, witnessing such outpouring of emotion, the need for a proper truth commission in Zimbabwe, where most of the victims live, could not be more emphasised. There were many interesting points raised by members of the audience in our two meetings during the question and answer sessions. We, as an organisation, have been encouraged by the interest and feedback from the public which can only spur us on in our drive for truth and justice.
Our first public meeting was held in Bristol on the 26th of July 2008 with former Chronicle chief reporter Admore Tshuma as guest speaker. Mr Tshuma delivered an emotional speech detailing his experiences as journalist covering the whole of Matabeleland, particularly the areas that were most affected by Gukurahundi. He recounted numerous trips deep into rural Matabeleland to speak to people whose families were murdered by the 5th Brigade. In village after village, people showed him unmarked graves where their loved ones lay buried without official acknowledgement. On the impact of Gukurahundi, he spoke about the many children he encountered who could not go to school because they did not have the required official documentation such as birth certificates. So profound was the pain and sorrow he witnessed that Mr Tshuma told the meeting that he himself may be in need of psychotherapy.
On the prosecution of perpetrators of Gukurahundi, Mr Tshuma said there definitely was a case to be made. He then gave an outline of the international legal instruments that could be invoked in order to bring perpetrators to book while calling for pressure to continue to be brought to bear on perpetrators of Gukurahundi to account for their actions.
Our second meeting was held in Southampton on the 16th of August and former chairman of the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, Albert Musarurwa was guest speaker. Mr Musarurwa began by saying that it was a tragedy that in the current discourse about human rights violations in Zimbabwe, the Gukurahundi genocide is largely forgotten. He went on to give an overview of the attempts by human rights NGOs in Zimbabwe to force the government to publish the Chihambakwe report. Mr Musarurwa also urged Zimbabweans to organise and fight for a domestic (Zimbabwean) legal process to try perpetrators of Gukurahundi. This, he said, would be the best option seeing as the International Criminal Court (ICC) has no mandate for cases such as Gukurahundi, which happened before 2002.
There is great interest in MAGGEMM's campaign for truth and justice. More and more people are asking us when we will be visiting their cities and towns so that they contribute ideas and other resources to the campaign. In order for us to reach most towns and cities in the UK, we are now recruiting volunteer Campaign Officers who will organise for MAGGEMM in their local areas. Finally, to all those who attended the meetings in Bristol and Southampton, we say thank you very much. We hope that you are now spreading our message to all those you come across in your everyday lives so that more people turn out for future meetings.
Ayipheli, ngekiphele lendaba!
