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Tag Archives: Zimbabwe elections

A Conversation with Charles Mangongera, Visiting NED Democracy Fellow, on Governance and Activism in Zimbabwe

24 Friday Jan 2014

Posted by africaindc in DC Corridors of Power, Essays, Uncategorized

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Angola, Charles Mangongera, Equatorial Guinea, Mass Public Opinion Institute, MDC, military rule in Africa, Mutoko, National Endowment for Democracy, political science, Robert Mugabe, Tete, University of Zimbabwe, ZANU-PF, Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe elections

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I recently had the pleasure to hear National Endowment for Democracy (NED) Reagan-Fascell Fellow Charles Mangongera, Director of Policy and Research for Zimbabwe’s main opposition party, speak masterfully at NED on the role of the military in the country’s political sphere.  Dedicated readers may know that I have a particular interest in Zimbabwe and recall an earlier Africa in DC interview of another Zimbabwean activist. Continue reading →

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The Heritage Foundation & Alfre Woodard Examine Beatrice Mtetwa & the Rule of Law in Zimbabwe

30 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by africaindc in DC Corridors of Power, Events, Reviews, Uncategorized

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Alfre Woodard Zimbabwe, Andrew Meldrum, Beatrice Mtetwa, Elias Mudzuri, Heritage Foundation Africa, Jenni Williams, Jonathan Moyo, RFK Center Zimbabwe, Roy Bennett, WOZA Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe elections

2013-07-29 17.04.59

In slightly over 2 1/2 years of residence in DC, I have attended only two events at the Heritage Foundation, both of them screened documentaries on the political situation in Zimbabwe.  Yesterday’s event explored civil rights in Zimbabwe through the prism of Zimbabwe’s activist lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa.  Heritage lived up to some of its typical conservative stereotypes – with the exception of a Zimbabwean national and Alfre Woodward, I believe the entire audience was white.  There was even a question post screening regarding the possibility of white farmers having their land returned. Continue reading →

Beyond the Elections in Zimbabwe Pt 1*: Democratic Institutions

23 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by africaindc in DC Corridors of Power, Events, Uncategorized

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Dewa Mahvinga, Human Rights Watch, Irene Petras, Jabusile Shumba, Jenni Williams, NED, Robert Mugabe, Simon Khaya Moyo, WOZA Zimbabwe, ZANU-PF, Zimbabwe elections, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights

zim panel

*I will publish part 2 tomorrow on the comments of Shannon Smith, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs.  I took great exception to her diplomatic speak, so please indulge my venting in a dedicated post.

Alas, work commitments today meant that I missed most of the ‘Beyond the Elections in Zimbabwe‘ conference convened at the National Endowment for Democracy and co-sponsored by a variety of local organizations.

I arrived late, in the middle of the 2nd panel, and had to leave early (fortunately, I still got a delicious lunch).  This meant that I missed the first panel, on civil society, which was what I most wanted to hear.  Fortunately, Continue reading →

Whither Zimbabwe’s Elections and CAR’s Political Transition in DC?

09 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by africaindc in Analysis, DC Corridors of Power, Uncategorized

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Central African Republic, Enough Project, Great Lakes Policy Forum, Invisible Children, Kenya elections Zimbabwe comparison, Kony 2012, mineral wealth CAR, Obama on Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, South Africans in CAR, US policy on Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe elections

Zimbabwe’s July 31st election and the political transition following the March coup in the Central African Republic are two issues that have been conspicuously absent from debate in DC Africanist circles.  My thoughts on both:

Zimbabwe: The lack of discussion surrounding the elections in Zimbabwe is particularly puzzling.  It is an Anglophone country, it borders South Africa, where the US has immense interests, and it is a place where many figures of import in DC likely have personal exposure to – they may have visited on safari, perhaps they went to school with someone from the country, or maybe they just get worked up by the antics of Robert Mugabe.

There have been a few local events, such as this one I went to at Freedom House, as well as a Congressional hearing, but this pales in comparison to the attention that Kenya received in the months before its elections.  I can only suppose that ‘Zimbabwe fatigue’ has settled in.  In any event, this lack of coverage bodes ill for Zimbabwe’s future – those inclined to abuse power will probably feel emboldened to do so.  Obama briefly spoke on the need for reforms in Zimbabwe during his recent visit to South Africa, but even his criticism did not generate much discussion.

Central African Republic:  The lack of interest here is not unsurprising.  The country is Francophone, landlocked, and has been mismanaged throughout its history, so despite its mineral wealth, the coup probably did not impact the prevailing status quo in regards to Western interests.  Most tellingly, I have not even been to a CAR event to which I can provide a link to a post on Africa in DC (though I did hear of a protest in front of the White House).

However, there are other angles that makes the extent of Washington’s hands off approach somewhat unexpected.  Following the incredible success of Invisible Children’s Kony 2012 documentary, the AU dedicated forces to tracking down Kony and they are being supported by a small contingent of US forces in Central Africa (I believe the Americans are based in Uganda, though Kony is widely suspected of being in CAR).  Unrest in CAR is undoubtedly good for the Lord’s Resistance Army – why then are civil society groups not agitating for greater US engagement in the country?  Perhaps this is because active DC organizations focusing on Central Africa, such as the Enough Project and the Great Lakes Policy Forum, do not include CAR in their analysis.

Over a dozen South Africans lost their lives defending the previous CAR administration, a development that may also have significant repercussions.  Finally, the transfer or power through military means is increasingly decried across the continent as it clashes with the Africa Rising narrative, I am surprised that there have not been louder murmurs regarding the need for a prompt democratic transition.

Again, I suspect the silence here bodes ill for the CAR’s future.

The Senate Gets Curious About Developments in Zimbabwe – Pt. 2

20 Thursday Jun 2013

Posted by africaindc in DC Corridors of Power, Events, Uncategorized

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Chinese Zimbabwe, Chris Coons, Donald Yamamoto, Earl Gast, Jeff Flake, Marange Mine, Rainbow Towers Zimbabwe, ZANU-PF, Zimbabwe election prospects, Zimbabwe elections

2013-06-18 10.03.08

Yesterday, I covered the 2nd panel that constituted the hearing of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations’ Subcommittee on African Affairs on Examining Prospects for Democratic Reform and Economic Recovery in Zimbabwe.  The First panel of the session convened Earl Gast, Assistant Administrator at USAID and Donald Yamamoto, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of African Affairs. Continue reading →

The Senate Gets Curious About Developments in Zimbabwe – Pt. 1

19 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by africaindc in DC Corridors of Power, Events, Uncategorized

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Chris Coons, Dewa Mahvinga, Jeff Flake, Mark Schneider, MDC Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, SADC election monitors, Subcommittee on African Affairs, Todd Moss, ZANU-PF, Zimbabwe elections, Zimbabwe security sector reform

On Tuesday morning, after attending Rep. Karen Bass’ Africa Policy Breakfast Series, I headed over to the Dirksen Senate Building for my first Congressional hearing, Examining Prospects for Democratic Reform and Economic Recovery in Zimbabwe.  The title aside, the hearing was primarily an inquiry into Zimbabwe’s upcoming elections.  Two members of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations’ Subcommittee on African Affairs presided over the hearing.  Chris Coons (D – DE, he apparently studied in Kenya as an undergrad), the Committee Chair took the lead with support from Jeff Flake (R – AZ).  Flake had spent time in Zimbabwe in 1982 – 83 as a Mormon missionary.  His Wikipedia page says that he speaks Afrikaans and opposed sanctions on South Africa in the 1980s.  He was also Executive Director of the Foundation for Democracy in Namibia (no idea what that is).

The session consisted of two panels, one with prominent US government officials (State and USAID) and another with key civil society Zimbabwe watchers (in that order).  I’ll discuss the latter panel here and will cover the first panel in a post on Thursday. Continue reading →

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