Take it to the Streets
Purple flowers carpet Harare's streets. The jacarandas have blossomed and fallen. The seasons have changed. Heat has replaced cold. But the sun has never made poverty smile. The poor stand in sun-drunk bank queues that have now been dubbed 'bank crowds'. Because any semblance of a queue disappeared along time ago. Now the mobs are on the streets. Paused. Waiting for cash. Because who has the energy to demonstrate. For what? Don't we now have an opposition ruling party?
Now that an agreement has been signed people expect change. But jubilation isn't the word. Far from it. Zimbabweans are cautious. They know that politicians' rhetoric and the reality on the ground are as closely related as a local supermarket and affordable food. Now that ZANU and MDC are battling over ministries their cautious hope has now got a heavier dose of caution. Maybe even disillusionment. "How can we take to the streets when they've signed an agreement?" asks one exhausted kitchen porter in downtown Harare. That is exactly the dilemma. Politics is now more messy than usual. So if, like the alleged Prime Minister-designate Tsvangirai, you want to find us you'll find us in the streets. Overflowing from bank crowds. Waiting for money. Waiting for change.
