Admiring faith, hope and integrity

May 11, 2009 by ruzvidzo mupfudza ·
Filed under: I was just thinking

There is a view is so eloquently expressed by the narrator in the book Admiring Silence by Abdulrazak Gurnah, born in Zanzibar, Tanzania (but now living in England) :

I knew then (not that I didn’t really have to be learned and relearned, and even then we forget them so easily and talk ourselves into something ameliorating and hopeful) that the food- stores were going to remain empty, and that schools would be without books, and the air would be filled with cruel, duplicitous promises, that justice would be just another word brayed from the mouths of the donkeys who rule us, and of course the toilets were going to remain blocked for a long time.

I do not subscribe to this view. I am sure that many Zimbabweans, reading the above piece barely 6 months ago, would have been tempted to say Amen, brother! But, lo, the stores are no longer empty. Granted, schools are still struggling to get books- and teachers, but not all hope is lost. A gospel musician from Nkayi, based in the UK recently donated books sourced from West Bromwich Albion whose hearts are in the right place, even if their standing on the log is not. The relevance of the reading matter to bare footed rural Nkayi urchins might be questionable, but the gesture itself is commendable, and most of us grew up reading Ladybird fairytales anyway- and the passion for reading was ingrained.

But I digress. The air is alas “ filled with cruel, duplicitous promises, that justice would be just another word brayed from the mouths of the donkeys who rule us.” When a city council guard can stand with impunity and challenge cabinet ministers and deputy prime ministers and at the end of the day, even the prime minister himself, then it becomes all too easy, to give to an overwhelming sense of despair- that we were in a cul-de-sac…

But I am Zimbabwean, imbued with a perennial logic- defying sense of optimism. I know that inane MPs who think that travelling on public transport is an insult to their new standing as political VIPs will not diminish my faith in this country. My hope that one day, true democracy will flourish and we will elect intelligent people who will not labour under the misapprehension that politics is a ticket to jumping onto the gravy train, will not fade.

If as human beings we are capable of causing so much mayhem,and deprivation, then it also follows that we are also capable of coming up with a socially ameliorating vision. I believe that right minded people will have their day in the end, and substance will reign over the desire to amass status symbols…

So I shall admire, not silence, but protest. I shall admire not sycophancy, but questioning and speaking out to the outrages we have been forced to endure for so long. I shall admire truth, in the face of falsehoods masquerading as liberation credos, or pan African mantras…

I shall admire forever our resilience, but not the arrogance that allows some to treat us with contempt, bcause they misconstrue silence for blindness and acquiescence. I have faith that justice is possible and more than just an empty promise. I have faith that the toilets- both physical and of the mind- will not remain blocked forever.

Tell the world:

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Tags: [Abdulrazak Gurnah, Books & literature, Faith, Hope, integrity]

Comments

2 Responses to “Admiring faith, hope and integrity”

Caleb Hamandishe on May 19th, 2009 9:13 am

When a city council releases a budget where 60% of spending is on salaries then there is a BIG problem
ruzvidzo mupfudza on May 19th, 2009 6:54 pm

Yep. It would seem that the tendency to see USD and rands through Gono’s quintillions sextillions, through the ngoda and money changers’ eyes is afflcting many people when they come up with what they think they ought to be paid.