My understanding is that a failed state is one which ceases to be taken seriously as a sovereign (Mugabe's favourite word - going with his fascinaton for British royalty)and independent state, has a worthless currency, cannot pay its bills and has a poor human rights record. There is more, but isn't that enough?
What I find most distressing is the accuracy with which we Zimbabweans who were not busy feeding from the products of state plunder, predicted what would happen once the farms, or rather the agriculture industry was trashed. We knew it would come to this - the failed state - but we stayed in denial for as long as we could. For that reason we put our hopes in a popular opposition party, led by men and women of real integrity who had the courage to go on in spite of discouragement, danger and many deaths.
Very soon, since the split, we shall have two opposition parties made up of MDC brains on one side and popularist brawn on the other. This could lead to schisms, and more schisms, just like the Independent churches. For my reader's edification(yes, I have put the apostrophe in the right place - my one reader!), I studied those churches long ago. It seemed that once there was a `collection box' being passed around the little tree-shaded congregation, following the newest prophet, another one sprouted every week-end. Now, donors/supporters will be reluctant to have to choose their faction in the political opposition ranks or split the money. On one side, they may appreciate the excellent (but not perfect)past performance of Morgan Tsvangirai (which is unfortunately queered by his antipathy to the South African leadership) while on the other, the absence of a charismatic national leader, is nerve wracking. Now that the army is getting restless and impoverished junior ranks are stealing or getting out, the signs for another army Corporal trying the Idi Amin route begin to take shape.
I remember well the late Anne Mujeni (bless her)who worked in the Adult Education Department of UZ when I was studying there in the early seventies. As the first signs of insurgency on our North-Eastern borders began, she raised her eyes to heaven and exclaimed `Oh my God! We are in for coup and counter-coup! I remember it as if it was yesterday. We escaped the coups in the first quarter century. Now we should fear them again. Uganda recovered. How many decades before a failed state recovers in the 21st century?
Copyright © 2004 Diana Mitchell
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