Zimbabwe dispatches: a strange sort of change
Updated on 13 February 2009
Zimbabwean Helen describes her attempts to watch the historic inauguration of Morgan Tsvangirai as prime minister.
In this historic week when the face and hope of change came with Morgan Tsvangirai's inauguration as prime minister, I may as well have been in another country.
Every day I have had to change the date and details of this blog as communications between my home town and the capital city and the outside world have remained non-existent.
It has been six days now since the telephone exchange to Harare, less than 100 kilometres away, has not been working.
Twice a day, every day we have been phoning the local telephone faults number, but their phone just rings and rings and never gets answered.
In desperation I have resorted to phoning the telephone workshops number and they do answer but the excuses given by technicians are pathetic and exceedingly frustrating.
"We don't know what the problem is"
"We can't phone through to Harare to tell them there is a problem."
"We don't have a mobile phone with which to contact our Head Office in Harare."
"We don't have fuel to investigate the problem."
The last time there was a collapse of the telephone exchange to Harare it strangely also coincided with a major political development.
As the day of the inauguration got closer and telephone lines to Harare remained non-existent, suspicions increased and many people said they thought it was deliberate.
The last time there was a collapse of the telephone exchange to Harare it strangely also coincided with a major political development.
Unable to receive emails or access the internet and without an independent daily newspaper, it has been almost impossible to find out what has been going on 80 kilometres down the road.
On Monday night, two days before the inauguration, I tuned into Short Wave Radio Africa for news. These Zimbabweans, banned from operating in Zimbabwe and prohibited from coming back into the country, broadcast from London every evening for two hours.
They have become the only source of information for most Zimbabweans - especially those without access to computers and telephones. At 7pm Zimbabwe time their signature tune came through, then the voice of presenter Violet Gonda and that was all we could hear.
Their news bulletin, Newsreel, that follows station opening was being jammed. Sounding like a child hammering down a number of electric organ keys at the same time, it was physically impossible to hear the news.
At 8pm another option for information came with the main evening news on the state controlled ZBC television. They did not even mention the pending inauguration of the Prime Minister designate or the fate of over 30 civic society, human rights and opposition activists who have been in prison without trial for the past three months.
On Tuesday night, less than 24 hours before the inauguration, ZBC main evening newsreaders said that they were "reliably informed" that the Prime Minister designate had nominated his MDC Ministers who would be part of the cabinet in the new government.
ZBC did not reveal the names nor the fact that Morgan Tsvangirai had held a full press conference to announce the men and women who will be charged with leading the country out of ruination.
Despite the best attempts of a desperate regime to keep us in the dark, change did come to Zimbabwe this week.
On Wednesday morning it was still impossible to receive or make any phone calls to Harare or get any email or internet access.
On the main road leading to the capital city a stream of cars, pick up trucks, vans and buses passed by. They were filled to overflowing with cheering, shouting, laughing and waving MDC supporters.
Despite the blackout of phones and emails, change was coming.
At 11am ZBC TV were showing a music concert. The stage backdrop was a banner reading 'Uniting against Sanctions'. It was clear that the message of change had not reached the broadcaster.
At 11.30, it seemed very strange that ZBC crossed to a live South Television broadcast of the inauguration about to take place in Harare.
This was short-lived and we soon went back to a music concert whose backdrop now read 'We will never give up our land'. No subtlety here, that's for sure.
At 11.45 am as the National Anthem began to play moments before live coverage of the swearing in ceremony, the ZBC TV screen went black.
Desperately flicking for coverage on a satellite channel, I watched the swearing in of Zimbabwe's new President on Al Jazeera while ZBC's live broadcast flickered in and out, the picture flared and the sound was barely audible.
Despite the best attempts of a desperate regime to keep us in the dark, change did come to Zimbabwe this week. A strange sort of change though, where the loser of last March's election is swore in the winner.
