Maravi

(TALKZIMBABWE) Chamisa cuts himself on sanctions

Chamisa cuts himself on sanctions
Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:17:00 +0000

RHETORIC is the art of effective language use for purposes of persuasion, and it is an art form many gifted politicians use to convince not only their supporters, but others outside of their political ideological framework.

Mark Antony in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is probably one of the best rhetorical speakers whose oratory before Caesar’s burial is well known as he addressed mourners: “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him . . .”

But as he went on to speak, he did not only heap praises on Caesar, but also whipped up his listeners’ emotions, resulting in an uprising.

If what MDC-T party spokesperson Nelson Chamisa said in an interview about sanctions on the pirate radio station Studio 7 of the Voice of America during the Unity holiday, was meant to be persuasive language, then there is something seriously wrong with the sanctions discourse.

As Chamisa tried to defend the indefensible, he got caught up in the Shona jargon he used, exposing more than he could probably imagine. As he attempted to exonerate his party by putting the sanctions blame on Zanu PF’s feet, he was mired in the terms he used until it emerged that he was actually blaming the West for the imposition of sanctions, and doing so using the most uncomplimentary terms ever used by any senior MDC-T official to date.

This writer wondered whether Chamisa was aware of the underlying meaning of what he was saying and the implications.

During the Shona news bulletin on Studio 7, Chamisa used four distinct terms to describe the illegal sanctions issue. These were “kutemera” (to make scars using a razor blade or a very sharp instrument); “nyora” (the mark[s] made after the scarring act); “chikwambo” (goblin) and “chitsvambe” (a children’s game).

In summary, he said: “MDC haisi iyo yakatemera Zanu PF nyora dzema ‘sanctions’. Ngavaende kune vakavatemera . . .” (MDC is not responsible for the sanctions marks/scars that Zanu-PF has. Therefore, Zanu-PF should go back to the people who put those scars on them).

There are two key terms: “kutemera” and “nyora”. The Shona dictionary, Duramazwi reChiShona edited by H. Chimhundu, defines “nyora” as: “kuchekwa kunoitwa munhu nereza kana chimwewo chinopinzawo chaizvo, kana munhu achiisa mushonga nepaganda” (The scarring done on a person’s skin using a razor blade, or any sharp instrument to enable the one who is making the scars to apply medication on the skin.)

In normal cases, this is an act that is done among consensual parties. We also see many ethnic groups across the African continent practising this as part of their culture.

But, was this the case between Zanu-PF and the West? Did they co-author the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001, with the Bush administration? Did Zanu-PF ask for sanctions to be imposed on Zimbabwe?

The symbolic nature of these terms is that with the exception of the healing process, “nyora” are usually never viewed positively. There is a general belief that it is a ritual associated with witchcraft and other evil acts, especially when it is done without one’s knowledge or c`onsent.

There are three verb forms regarding this scarring procedure: “kutemera”; “kutemerwa” and “kutemwa nyora”. “Kutemera” means that the act is performed on a willing and/or unwilling person by someone who has an upper hand over his/her victim.

The second one, “kutemerwa” means that the act has already been performed, for example, “akatemerwa nyora”. It is quite common to hear people say, “So and so akatemerwa nyora dzouroyi.” (So and so was initiated into witchcraft through the scars he or she got.)

The last one “kutemwa nyora” is the one usually used when the act is performed by a traditional healer before applying medicine on the mark.

It is also generally believed that the verb form “kutemera” (to scar/make a mark using a razor blade) is a ritual that involves evil covenants, mostly witchcraft. It is also a ritual that involves the drawing/spilling of blood, for you cannot make a scar without spilling blood, even if it is very little.

From a spiritual perspective be it in the Christian and/or traditional religion, the scarring covenant does not bode well for the victim, and it is also an agreement whose ties are very difficult to break, since the victim does not know the foundations on which the ritual was made.

This is why there is a general belief that once someone is initiated into witchcraft, it is difficult to exorcise the evil spirit, because of this covenant element. It is also believed that these covenants speak negatively in the victim’s life. By using symbolic language from the dark world, what was Chamisa saying about sanctions vis-à-vis Zanu-PF and the Western nations that imposed those sanctions?

Is he now admitting the evil effects that accompanied these sanctions? Is he also accepting the power play in this act? For this writer does not think that anyone in Zanu-PF could have willingly offered themselves and the people of Zimbabwe as game.

The second symbol used by Chamisa was “chikwambo” (goblin) when he said in summary: “Zanu-PF vakazvitsvagira vega chikwambo chavaparadza. Ngavazive zvokuita kuti chikwambo ichocho chiende.” (It was Zanu-PF that looked for the goblin that is now causing havoc among them. They must know what to do in order to rid them of that goblin.)

Labels: NELSON CHAMISA, SANCTIONS, ZDERA

posted by MrK @ 1:52 PM