By Martin Muleya.
Mutare, Zimbabwe. (News Of The South) – Election time is often fraught with uncertainty especially to those in the world of politics.
Some, particularly in the rural areas usually wish there would be no elections at all as all forms of violence and coercion are employed to gain undue advantage over political rivals.
Police on the other hand would also be accused of practising partisan politics and selective application of the law.
As the nation awaits keenly awaits on the make or break 2018 harmonised elections the feeling of anxiety grips many Zimbabweans who are following the national discourse while for those who are not into politics or who feel the change of faces wont redeem the country’s economic mess, have a feeling of apathy.
But for Itai “Mabobo” Kariparire he tries to breathe in a new sigh of hope in the political landscape of the country, urging all Zimbabwe to approach the election period on a peaceful note.
The Eastern Arts Ensemble executive director who has so far released fifteen short video clips urges people to shun violence and vote peacefully.
“As we approach the 2018 harmonized elections there is a lot of anxiety in the country and uncertainty. The correct definition for peace in Zimbabwe at the moment is like the weather. The weather changes its outlook everyday so does the definition of peace in our country. To some peace exists only when you support the ruling party and when you jump floor there won’t be peace in the country, bemoaned Kariparire.
Through his dramas Kariparire believes that the general populace will take heed on his advice to shun violence.
In one of his plays in which he partners with Amnesty International, he challenges the United Nations that they have kept golden silence yet people are disappearing everyday.
“People disappearing for political reasons is a universal problem. A person who would have disappeared would have been deprived of his rights to a family, fair trial and freedom. In Zimbabwe we are reminded of how Itai Dzamara went missing after he publicly demanded Mugabe’s resignation. So in my play, I am saying that on the United Nations Bill of Rights a person who would have disappeared should be given a vanishing certificate just like the way a person born is give a birth certificate,” he added.
He appealed to governments particularly the Zimbabwean Government to adhere to what it would have signed in the United Nations ratifications. He urged government to compensate the family that would have lost their loved one through ‘disappearing’ and highlighted that to avoid such tendencies during election times government would need to guarantee that such things wont happen again in the future.
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