Do not soil Zim for pieces of silver
THE outcry that followed the controversial ending of the reality TV show Big Brother Africa All Stars, and the subsequent euphoria that surrounded the initiative by Zimbabwean businessmen and ordinary people to mobilise resources to give Zimbabwean representative, Munyaradzi Chidzonga, a whopping US$300 000 is instructive, and should serve as a lesson to all who believe badmouthing their country is a meal-ticket.
Twenty-four-year-old Munya proved to be a true ambassador throughout his 91-day stay in the Big Brother Africa House where, at all times, he always had his National Flag handy and never missed an opportunity to give his fellow housemates, drawn from 14 African countries, the true picture of Zimbabwe.
And at a time some misguided elements believe lying about Zimbabwe, and trashing President Mugabe was the in-thing, Munya had no qualms lauding the President as his personal hero and expressing his life-long wish to meet him in person.
Munya’s exploits contrasted sharply with the escapades of one Gamuchirai Nhengu who participated in a reality show called, the X-Factor, in the UK who, upon being booted from the show and facing imminent deportation to Zimbabwe sought to prolong her stay in Britain by claiming that she would face death by firing squad upon arrival in Zimbabwe.
This ridiculous claim from a little-known teenager naturally drew the ire of Zimbabweans at home and abroad who put aside their political opinions to slap the wanton badmouthing of their motherland.
Suffice to say before Gamuchirai’s outburst, she had received the sympathy of many across the board who felt she had been unjustly dropped from the ITV show.
Today, the 18-year-old Gamuchirai faces deportation and has lost the support of her countrymen and women who called her bluff. Her opposite Big Brother number, Munya, is being feted wherever he goes for being true to himself and his country.
The contrasting fortunes of these two youngsters should serve as a lesson to us all. The blame-it-on-Mugabe syndrome does not wash anymore.
In fact we do not think it ever did because the British government only granted those who told tall tales of alleged Government torture and repression asylum to justify its attempted strangulation of Zimbabwe.
And now that the regime change project is in tatters, the “asylum seekers’’ are excess baggage which is why the British Home Office has resumed deportations to Zimbabwe.
The question to be asked is, was it worth it, soiling your country to earn the right to wash soiled British senior citizens?
We urge Zimbabweans eking a frugal, dehumanising existence in the colder climes to return home, tap into the various economic empowerment programmes on offer and help build their country.
The irony of it all is, while some misguided Zimbabweans resorted to lies to stay in Britain, the British hanged on to those lies because they wanted to return to Zimbabwe.
As Jamaican reggae legend Bob Marley said, none but ourselves can free our minds. Let’s tell the truth about our country and its people to help undo the damage wrought by the West’s concerted propaganda campaigns that sought to portray our country in negative light.
Labels: GAMUCHIRAI NHENGU, MUNYARADZI CHIDZONGA, NEOCOLONIALISM, PROPAGANDA
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The true Gamu Nhengu story
By: Sihle Dube
Posted: Wednesday, October 13, 2010 8:55 am
I TRIED for almost two weeks to keep away from discussing the Gamuchirai 'Gamu' Nhengu story but I couldn't resist it anymore. The story is part of a larger web of lies, disinformation and villification of Zimbabwe, its leadership and its people.
Put Gamu and the X Factor reality show aside for a moment. Her circumstances are already in the public domain and there won't be any point adding any more opinion to that story.
All's been said that could be said about that 18 year old who probably doesn't even remember how Zimbabwe looks like. The fact that she claims that a "firing squad" awaits her back home if she and her family are deported back to Zimbabwe is not the issue.
Leave Simon Cowell and Cheryl Cole out of all this mess. They have no duty of care for anyone booted off X Factor - for whatever reason.
The Gamu story, however, is a microcosm of a larger malaise involving the media, opposition parties in Zimbabwe and other groups that have taken part in the disinformation campaign against Zimbabwe.
I was surprised that even SW Radio's Lance Guma wrote on his Facebook page: "I have not condoned her 'lying' but I think we are going overboard in our criticism. If we were allowed to peruse the asylum claims of many Zimbabweans here in the UK we would read much worse fiction than what Gamu said."
This is surprising revelation, given that pirate radio station SW Radio has created more fiction than any other campaign organisation involved in the villification campaign against Zimbabwe.
Chickens are coming home to roost.
Guma should celebrate that SW Radio Africa's lies are now being repeated elsewhere; and the madness that characterises their daily broadcasts, is reaching its intended audience - the Gamus of this world and the UK Border Agency.
Many MDC-T supporters have joined the Gamu villification campaign because of her ridiculous "firing squad" story; but many of them have used similar stories to gain Leave to Remain in the UK.
The MDC-T party has been at the forefront of telling fibs about Zimbabwe.
Remember Sekai Holland once told SW Radio that President Mugabe wanted to eliminate ALL parliamentarians from the MDC-T by ABDUCTING and KILLING them.
Ironically, Mrs Holland is now the Minister for National Healing and Reconciliation in President Mugabe's government.
Like many "asylum seekers" in the UK, she earned her position using a web of lies.
Many Zimbabweans were given refugee status in the UK on these lies, and subsequently granted British citizenship. Their first destination on British passport travel was Zimbabwe.
Some of these people are at the forefront of fighting for dual citizenship, and villification of Gamu Nhengu.
The ridiculous stories they told to UK immigration officials will never be known. If the Border Agency could revisit asylum claims from 3-10 years ago, they'd find a lot of ridiculous claims.
Britain itself is now in a quandary. It has either believed these lies, or entertained them to justify imposing sanctions on Zimbabwe and cannot now dispute stories like Gamu Nhengu's.
Britain has crafted its foreign and immigration policy on these recycled and overly exaggerated media reports; and reports from the MDC-T and the anti-Zimbabwe lobby in the Diaspora.
We should all leave Gamu alone. She's been fed a heavy diet of lies by the likes of SW Radio, the MDC-T, so-called pro-Zimbabwe organisations and various other online media organisations.
The MDC-T was in the media recently over stories that they sold membership cards and manufactured stories to use to justify ludicrous "asylum" claims.
That party's UK and Ireland branch is now non-existent because of misappropriation of funds and corruption, some of it involving these lies.
This is the true "Gamu Story", not the one involving an innocently naive 18 year old who's been "made" to hate her own country by her own people, who are now blaiming her for reacting to their lies.
What a tragedy!
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*Sihle Dube is a lawyer and banker. She writes from the United Kingdom and can be reached via sihledube *** hotmail.co.uk
Labels: GAMUCHIRAI NHENGU, PROPAGANDA, SIHLE DUBE, SW RADIO
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