Stayaways and Spoilers

“So, Dread, where’s your mbanje?” Coffee is a good way to start the day. I started mine in a more Zimbabwean way: arrested for avoiding a road block and then being searched for mbanje. Not having smoked weed for a while luckily I didn’t have any. But that didn’t stop the long arm of the law from asking for a greased palm. This was Harare City Centre on the day of the premiere of ZANU (PF)’s one man play ‘Robert versus Common Sense’. Police milled about a deserted city centre. Some stood lazily at road blocks waiting to add a few zeros to their sick salaries. Others searched the pockets of our sunshine city’s army of hustlers, reclaiming US dollars for their own personal treasury. Those are the only people who went about their work in our comedy of errors town: corrupt cops and forex dealers competing for space on empty street corners.

Harare itself stayed away from the polling stations. Many made use of the public holiday to put their feet up at home and watch blank screens in this power-cut country. Many others who were forced to vote and report their serial numbers simply spoilt their ballots. Even though ZANU (PF) militias frog marched voters to some polling stations all in all it was a day of stayaways and spoilers.

The city cautiously came back to life this evening. People ventured onto the streets, beer bottles in hand. Like mice unsure if the rabid cat is really gone. The bars have opened their doors. People trickle in. Most are waiting for the real violence to start. 

This is Comrade Fatso's Blog during the Zimbabwe Election period. See: www.comradefatso.vox.com. For blogs by other MAGAMBA! poets and activists see: www.myspace.com/magamba 

To buy Comrade Fatso and Chabvondoka’s new album, House of Hunger, go to: www.comradefatso.com

To see Comrade Fatso’s Exclusive Blogs for CNN go to:  http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/05/14/zimbabwe.blog/index.html

To see Comrade Fatso and Chabvondoka live in concert go to: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cyv-ozu3JA