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AFSC - Zimbabwe

In Zimbabwe: Working in Contradictions

by Hollyn Green
July 7, 2007

“There is not much to see,” apologizes my colleague as we approach the gate. Once renowned for cutting-edge literature, the Harare International Book Festival unexplainably failed to open on the date blazoned on a banner. On the street, vibrant youth joyfully debate. A disabled gentleman gives a warm smile and, as an aside, offers his sidewalk scale for a fee. I peer inside the enticing park of handsome shade trees to see dusty tables and collapsing canopies. The guard looks dully at me when I query about the festival.

I experience Zimbabwe as a country of contradiction. Moving around the countryside, there are wonderful surprises. The ubiquitous stone artists routinely perform magic, reshaping rough-hewn rock into a pensive maiden or a herd of springing eland. The hole-in-the-wall restaurant displays world class skill by presenting the simple fish dish as a color and texture extravaganza. The conversations at borders, in the shops or with the casual passerby, grace commonplace experiences with an elegance of manner.

Faces of pride, fatigue, steely confidence and exhausted despair tell a complex story. One story is of a country of agricultural abundance; a country where the expansion of education was unprecedented in sub-Sahara Africa achieving the highest literacy rate on the continent at 90%; a country that brought quality medical care to the rural poor and reversed discriminatory laws of colonial rule, - elevating the status of women to be equal with men and outlawing biased workplace laws. 

And then the head-spinning reversal of fortune…economic meltdown characterized by hyperinflation officially pegged at 7,638% in July, (Consumer Council of Zimbabwe estimated 13,000% in June), economic refugees spilling into the region and formal sector unemployment over 80%. Predictably, events create spin offs – a rush-for-the-exit of skilled personnel, decline in agricultural productivity reaching only 55% of ’07 food needs, the (much photographed) bare grocery shelves, short-changed health care, opportunists manipulating chaos for profit and on and on…

Inflation has wreaked havoc on the Zimbabwe Dollar

The beginning of Zimbabwe’s decline is typically linked to the country’s experimentation with structural adjustment in the early 1990’s. Then the Fast Track Land Reform Program of 2000, accompanied by some western governments’ reaction of imposing sanctions, is widely seen as triggering the freefall. As late as nineteen years after independence, large-scale farming was run by 4,000 white families owning 9,000 farms comprising 75% of fertile land and 90% of irrigation resources. The Zimbabwe Government’s timing and methods of land redistribution are fiercely argued, but even political opponents acknowledge this situation was “morally indefensible and needed correction.”

The debate as to the cause of the country’s woes polarizes the political camps. As the longest-serving head of state in southern Africa, President Robert Mugabe is, to some, a African liberation hero . To others, he is a despot after 27 years of rule. Depending on one’s perspective, the cause of the country’s collapse is differently named.

Members of Zimcodd and AFSC attending the Hyperinflation Conference in Harare

Working with AFSC’s mission in mind, we look to find a middle ground where dialogue may uncover creative ways forward. During 2007, for example, AFSC, and its partner Silveira House, are the NGO partners of the church-led initiative The Zimbabwe We Want”. The nation-wide reach of this dialogue series is unprecedented – both informing and eliciting critique from the everyday citizen. Further, in recognition of the slam-dunk impact of the hyperinflation economy, AFSC partnered with the Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (Zimcodd) to host a two-day conference bringing together 65 participants - government officials, parliament members, academics, CSO leaders, multilateral and business community representatives. No solution was found, but the logjam of rigid positions moved a bit, opening a slightly new place for problem-solving. Then taking advantage of AFSC global reach, two delegates from Zimcodd are joining Africa policy Coordinator, Imani Countess and me to visit the UN/New York and the US Congress to provide a citizen’s experience, and expert analysis, of Zimbabwe’s economic and social situation.

Other initiatives in 2007 focused on women’s equity in access to and ownership of land and water rights. And with our close Quaker allies in the region, AFSC is launching the Quaker-inspired Alternatives to Violence training in Zimbabwe. Looking to the future, these initiatives will be seasoned, plus AFSC is envisioning a multi-year livelihoods program that builds upon its humanitarian response for people in Harare who were displaced by “Murambatsvina” (Operation Clean-Up), the government’s purported effort to rid the cities of illegal housing and businesses. 

Finding a middle way in Zimbabwe’s tangle of contradictions does not mean neutrality. But, events increasingly demonstrate that severe positions are met with severe reactions. Today’s Zimbabwe offers a textbook situation for the Quaker approach. On the ground, our efforts are in service to the woman, man, child caught in turmoil. Behind the scene, we work in the in-between space - to listen, watch and contribute as opportunities present. 

Elegant art, sickly-green rivers, smart young people, dispirited workers, much lost, much potential…Zimbabwe presents frescos of contradictions. Navigating a volatile landscape isn’t easy, but between the extremes, we find a working space. With very few options, AFSC staff will rely on the guidance of William Penn – “Let us then try what love can do”.

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