Are Zimbos Too Educated for Nothing?

Over Easter, I had a chance meeting with a 63-year old man in Harare CBD who was livid at the state of his domestic affairs.

“I am 63 years old, I’m supposed to resting but I am still looking after three of my children who are old enough to be fathers. I can’t chase them away; I just have to look after them,” he said shrugging his shoulders in apparent exasperation.

He said all his male children were educated and had certificates to prove it but no jobs unlike his female children who are now married to successful man.

“Just getting educated to get an office job just doesn’t cut it nowadays. You need to be hands on. We cannot all do office jobs. What people need nowadays is vocational education,” he said.

He added that what he observed during the past decade of Zimbabwe’s political and economic crisis is that his female children managed to cope because they could use their hands to create things that could earn them an income.

Our conversation went on and on. My new found friend was quite unhappy about the state of affairs.

Zimbabwe, with an unemployment rate of above 90 per cent, is looking for ways to recover from its decade long political and economic fallout. One of the key elements of that recovery will be how the country utilises its human capacity.

While most Zimbabweans have a certificate of some sort, the country’s educational system has tended to focus more on the theoretical building a workforce that is able to read, write and follow instructions at the expense of being creative, hands-on and innovative. Too many of us have a lot of book learning devoid of any capability.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject which is so close to my heart: do you think our educational system has truly benefited you or its just a charade. A much ado about nothing.

Zimbabwe Yet to Tap into Full Potential of Mobile Telephony

By Chief K.Masimba Biriwasha | Global Editor At Large

For generations, rural people in Zimbabwe have lived in complete isolation without much access to information and means of communication. Yet access to information is one of the single most important facilitators of development.

Today, mobile telephony is penetrating Zimbabwe at the speed of lightning enhancing the level of communication but the question is will it facilitate the process of development in rural areas.

The country’s mobile phone industry has already been projected to reach 13,5 million subscribers in 2015 and worth a phenomenal US 1,34 billion by 2016, according to IE Market Research (IEMR) and the growth partnership company Frost & Sullivan (F&S), respectively.

Projections are that Zimbabwe will have universal mobile connection by 2014, and with demand for voice services increasingly met, future growth is predicted to occur around data and broadband provision.

According to Groupe Speciale Mobile Association (GSMA), the mobile ecosystem in Africa generates about US$56bn or 3,5% of total GDP, with mobile operators alone contributing US$49bn.

“The mobile industry in Africa is booming and a catalyst for immense growth, but there is scope for far greater development,” said Peter Lyons, a GSMA policy expert.

In fact, the World Bank estimates that in developing countries, for every 10 percent increase in mobile penetration there is a 0.81 percent increase in GDP.

While Africa has been described as the Silicon Valley of cell phones because of the innovative ways they are used on the continent, in Zimbabwe, we are still to tap into the full potential of the mobile phone.

Zimbabwe has largely tapped into the text and voice capacity of the mobile phone. And the introduction of mobile money has also expanded the scope of what the mobile phone can offer.

Even with mobile money, there is still a need to broaden the financial services that can be availed via mobile. With better investments and innovation, Zimbabwe can provide healthcare and education to its people and drive an increase in the economic wealth and development through the mobile.

Other areas that can benefit from mobile innovation include education and employment, agriculture, cultural and social aspects, natural resource conservation, and addressing overall rural development concerns.

Nurturing the spirit of innovation and creativity is a prerequisite to developing key mobile solutions. Such solutions should be able to deal with local contexts and local issues. They should be relevant to local problems and concerns but at the same time they should naturally lend themselves to adaptability and scalability. Overall, the aim of mobile solutions should be to help the community to develop socially, economically and culturally.

In TB Fight, Children Must Be a Priority

 

HARARE, Zimbabwe – TB mostly affects the world’s poorest; among those, the most vulnerable are children. Despite that an estimated 500,000 new annual cases of children with tuberculosis (TB), there are no appropriate medicines for them according to UNITAID and the TB Alliance.

TB, one of the world’s most neglected diseases with almost no new treatments developed in the past 50 years, is one of the top ten causes of childhood death. According to WHO, Tuberculosis (TB) often goes undiagnosed in children from birth to 15 years old because they lack access to health services – or because the health workers who care for them are unprepared to recognize the signs and symptoms of TB in this age group.

With no alternatives available, treatment providers for children are forced to adapt medicines for adults as best they can, such as by cutting pills. This leads to improper treatment, treatment failure, spread of this highly-contagious disease, and conditions ripe for the development of drug-resistant strains of the bacteria.

“Despite the world’s capabilities to address this disease, pediatric tuberculosis has been ignored for far too long, resulting in a complete lack of appropriate medicines,” said Denis Broun, Executive Director of UNITAID.

The extent of the childhood TB pandemic is not fully understood. Most experts believe that TB in children goes largely undiagnosed and that the true scope of the problem is far higher than the estimates today.

Childhood tuberculosis is estimated to constitute about 6% out of all incident cases, with the majority of cases occurring in high TB burden countries. 

“Developing treatments for children with TB is an urgent humanitarian imperative,” said Mel Spigelman, M.D., President and CEO of TB Alliance. “An appropriate formulation for the decades-old drugs is not even available. We need to immediately rectify the situation for the present drugs, and also ensure that the improved treatments in the pipeline will be developed for children soon after they are approved for adults.”

In 2010, the World Health Organization released new guidelines for pediatric drugs. However, to date, no quality-assured products have been produced to these specifications.

World TB Day, March 24, commemorates the day in 1882 that Robert Koch discovered the tubercle bacillus, the bacteria responsible for tuberculosis. Since that discovery, progress against the disease has surged and ebbed. Now with outbreaks of more deadly forms of TB, documented around the world, it’s time to help protect children from this disease.

Do Women Really Hate Each Other?

ARE women hard on each other? Do women sabotage each other so much that it damages any effort at their collective advancement? Is it fair to say that even if government puts in place policies or programmes to help women progress, this won’t really help because of the rage that women have against each other?

It’s been talked about a lot, mostly in private spaces, in fact, women hating against women is an open secret in our society, so to speak. It’s a view that most people instinctively agree with. Most of us have heard of the proverbial mother-in-law versus daughter in law fights. But what is most surprising is that women hating on each is not only in Zimbabwe, it appears its a global phenomena.

Take the US, for example: according to a recent study by the Workplace Bullying Institute, women bully other women at work — verbal abuse, job sabotage, misuse of authority, and destroying of relationships — more than 70 percent of the time.

Another study by Business Environment, Women are their own worst enemies in business with 25 per cent of female managers admitting they are reluctant to hire a woman who has children or is of a child-bearing age.

As well as discriminating against those with children, many female managers also admitted to judging women staff on how they dressed.

One of the reasons given for women hating on each other is that their evaluation of other women is largely shaped by a male worldview. That is to say women judge other women based on standards and norms developed by men.

There is also a general notion that women don’t like to be outdone by other women whether it be about simple things such as the way dressing or level of success. Add to this, a sense of female success is based on subjective, biased, external validation by others. Consequently, women compete with each other for male attention and compliments as if it feeds their self-worth and self-esteem.

So what do you think? Is is true that women hate on each other? Is it true that women always seem to think other women have underlying motives, and the natural defenses are always up? What has been your experience, and what needs to happen to change this?

Young Zimbos Opt for Smaller Families

By Chief K.Masimba Biriwasha | Global Editor At Large

HARARE, Zimbabwe – Maidei Tikiwa, 26, of Chitungwiza has three children. Hararian, Tambudzai Chikanga, 28, has two. For Shamiso Dube, 30, of Mutare, it’s three. Ruvimbo Mazani, of Tafara, has four.

Blessing Chitambo, 20, wanted two – and got them when her twin boys, Tafadzwa and Tafara, were born four year ago.

“I have always wanted to have two children, that’s something I agreed with my huaband. Two is very normal,” said Chitambo.

Traditionally, six has been the number of children favoured by most Zimbabweans. But the ideal family size appears to have gone through a shift.

Nowadays, deciding how many kids to have isn’t as easy as settling on a magic number, especially against a background of a tough economy, increased educational opportunities for women and increased job demands.

In the past, the number of children that couples chose to have was often determined by household workloads. Hence, couples opeted to have big families in order to secure labourers.

However, today’s parents are increasingly facing a lot of things that need to be balanced. Young couples intend on having children (and those that are looking to have children someday) have to balance school, career choices and relationships. What is interesting is that, unlike in the past, there is now little extended family influence in making decisions about family size.

“It’s now a very personal decision how many children I’m going to have. It’s something that my husband and I have already decided. However, I can’t say what we decide should be a straight-jacket for all,” said Mazani, who added that she and her huband, Tawanda, talked extensively about how many kids they wanted to have.

James Sitiya, 32, who is planning to get married next year, said the choice of a partner largely determines the number of children.

“I think the more educated we become, the less children we opt to have. I see it among most of my friends that are married – three is the highest number of children that most are opting for. It’s just an imperative that one has to balance career development with starting a family,” he said.

In the twentieth century, the typical Zimbabwean woman had six to ten children. During that time, children were largely seen as an asset. Children were regarded as a resource that could be put to work. Parent expected their children to look after them when they were old. Very little money was spent on the education of children, particulalrly, girls.

More recently, children are now seen as an investment. There is an increasing realization among younger Zimbabweans that children require investment in order to have a successful adulthood.

It is proving more difficult financially and logistically to have more children nowadays. Howvever, there is some clear brainwashing that two children, especially if it’s a boy and a girl, is the perfect size for a family. That message is hammered via advertising.

Whatever the case, what is apparent is that Zimbabwe’s family size has significantly shrunk. Two seems to be taking hold, and it’s not surprsing given that it takes appromixately US$200,000 to rear a child from age zero to 18.

Artists Debate Money Versus Consciousness At Harare’s Shoko Festival 2012

By Chief K.Masimba Biriwasha | Global Editor At Large

HARARE, Zimbabwe – A panel discussion held Wednesday at Harare’s premiere creatives hangout, Book Cafe brought together artists and art enthusiasts to discuss the issue of art versus commercialism.

The discussion titled “A Lexus or Justice: The Role of the Modern Artist” is part of the second annual Shoko festival which opened up on Monday and will running until Sunday.

One of the discussants, US-based hip hop artists and emcee, Mike Crenshaw, said that he uses his art responsibly to advance social causes.

“I use my art consciously and with responsibility. The fact of my commitment to art is better that owning a Lexus. It’s an opportunity to be a part of something bigger than me yet being complete with myself,” he said.

Award-winning South African musician and poet, Nomsa Mazwai, described her art as a way to express herself.

“I use my art as a way to express myself and my social condition. The world is going through a revolution. I’m concerned with what it means to be an African in 2012. That’s why I create so we can open up debate. It’s never about bling or shiny things,” she said.

Mazwai said that artists that are focused on material things were caught up in the capitalist economic system.

Another discussant, Crisis Coalition of Zimbabwe National Director, MacDonald Lewanika, said that the discussion of art versus commercialism is not easy to resolve.

“The role of an artist is multifaceted. While wanting a Lexus may be regarded as a self-serving fetish of an artist, it is possible to own a Lexus and still be conscious. However, society expects art and artists to teach something positive to society,” he said.

Crenshaw added that social responsibility is a major aspect of his work, and that he is concerned with issuses os education, shelter, and education.

“As human beings, we are organic and complex – within that context – my subjective positive position is that my art is connected to my social responsibility,” he said.

The issue of artistic privilege and choice in the conduct of their work and their lives also came under the spotlight. Lewanika said that artists were free to choose how to practice their art and live their lives.

“Ultimately, it’s about choice but that choice needs to be taken seriously. As you perform your art, you’ve a responsibilityt to exercise it responsibly,” said Lewanika.

Mazwai said that she is using her advance African solidarity.

“As an artist, you doing your art out of a desire to share your system. My art is to fulfil a higher purpose to unify the continent,” she said.

Zimbabwe Requires US$100 million for Male Circumcision

By Chief K.Masimba Biriwasha | Group Online At Large

HARARE, Zimbabwe – Zimbabwe requires US$100 million to achieve a target of 1,2 million voluntary male medical circumcision (removal of the foreskin of the male penis) among young men aged between 15 and 30, according to AIDS and TB Director, Dr Owen Mugurungi, adding that 71,185 circumcisions had been conducted since inception of the programme.

“Our goal is to contribute to the reduction of HIV incidence by scaling up MC to reach 80 per cent of 15-29 year old HIV negative men by 2015 as part of a comprehensive HIV prevention programme,” said Mugurungi, adding that a total of 71,185 male circumcisions since inception of the programme in 2009.

Mugurungi said 80 per cent male circumcision coverage among adults 15-49 by 2015 could avert a total of 600 000 new HIV infections averted by 2025 with a total savings of US$3 billion in public health.

He added that male circumcision could lead to reduced risk of urinary infections in childhood, reduced risk of some STI’s, protection against cancer of penis, reduced risk of HPV infection  and cervical cancer in female sex partners and improved personal hygiene and prevention of  medical problems of the penis and foreskin such as phimosis, balanitis.

Mugurungi said that male circumcision should be provided as part of a comprehensive package of sexual reproductive health services and HIV prevention. He also emphasized that it was important to stress that male circumcision does not provide 100 per cent protection against HIV infection and STIs or protection against unwanted pregnancy.

Harare’s Shoko Festival 2012 Bigger, Diverse

By Chief K.Masimba Biriwasha | Global Editor At Large

HARARE, Zimbabwe – Shoko Festival director Comrade Fatso said the 2012 edition of the festival to be held 18-23 September in Harare will feature 250 artists from eight different countries including US, UK, Germany, Kenya, South Africa, Malawi, Botswana and Zimbabwe.

He said the festival is aimed at celebrating arts with a message as well as urban culture, free expression and positive social change. He said that the festival themed “Take over the Town” will feature a combination of concerts, poetry slam, comedy, workshops, dee jay parties, exhibitions and debates.

“We’ve expanded the festival; we’ve more forms of art. We’ve hip-hop, reggae, workshops, discussions and social media. It’s much more diverse programming. We’re taking it from the towns to the township over six days,” said Cde Fatso in an interview with AfroFutures.com.

“The whole idea is to reclaim the town and the space through arts and celebrations the new going arts movements in spoken word, hip hop, reggae and urban culture.”

He added that the festival is about a living experiment in urban culture which will also be taken into Glen Norah.
“The outreach programme is important one of our key goals is reaching out into the community – it’s really key that we start raising a new generation of artists using art for positive social change,” said Cde Fatso.

He said that the whole idea of the festival is to reclaim Harare through arts and a celebration of emerging forms of arts movements in spoken word, hip hop and urban culture.

Keeping Heads Up in Harare

By Chief K.Masimba Biriwasha

Let your eyes look straight ahead
Fix your gaze directly before you.
-    Proverbs 4:25

HARARE, Zimbabwe – A FEW years ago, a friend challenged me to keep my head up when walking down the streets of Harare. He even gave me a tip to read street and shop signs as a way to train myself to walk with my head held high. I remember nodding my head rather flippantly. In retrospect, I never quite took up the challenge. But, I somehow never forgot it.

In 2012, I somehow found myself driven to the challenge, and what a roller-coaster experience it’s been. Walking with head held high is not as easy as it seems: it take serious conscious effort. To make things easy for myself, I simply put what my friend told me to practice. Every time I caught myself walking with my head drooped I lifted it to read the street and shop signs round me.

Slowly, something short of a miracle started happening as I began looking straight into people’s faces. At first, I found it very intimidating to lock my eyes with other people. And then it dawned on me that most people in Harare actually walked regally with their heads raised up. At first, though, I was not very convinced by my hypothesis. So I decided to put it to test by counting the number of people that I came across walking with bowed heads and lowered eyes.

Given the multitude of problems that Hararians have been through over the past decade, I expected to find quite a number of people walking with their heads drooped like heavy loads and shoulders falling down like teardrops. In addition, older people in past were always quick to castigate you if you looked straight into their face. It was regarded as a sign of disrespect. In other words, when you talked to an older person the respectful thing to do was to keep your gaze cast downwards.

And so I went round and round the streets of Harare silently counting the number of people who walked looking downwards. To my utter surprise, my hypothesis was not confirmed: I swear I must have come across only one or two people walking looking downwards.

I daresay, most Hararains, have adopted the walk with your head up demeanour. It’s become a fashion statement. I don’t really know what to attribute this behaviour to; it could be a case of being hardened by the years of solitude and despair that our country has endured over the past decade.

As for me, I can safely say that I have discovered that walking with your head held high is not a sign of pride. It’s a process of self-affirmation, of allowing one’s light to shine. And every time that I lock up my eyes with another person on the streets, I now simply affirm the divinity which is apparent in them and continue with my step.

In Harare, walking with head held high is definitely the in thing. In spite of the daily challenges that we continue to face, Hararians are not fazed. It’s as if there is a mystical flow in the air, prodding everyone to discover the divinity and dignity which resides in all of us and using that energy with quite confidence to keep heads held high.

At about the same time that I seriously took up my friend’s challenge, I discovered a verse in the Bible that brought a serious jolt to my veins. It was like a message come at the right time, and it read: Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.

If there’s a great lesson that I have picked up on Harare’s teeming streets, it’s simply when you allow your eyes to look straight ahead, and when you fix your gaze directly before you, there’s a whole world that opens up and with it an affirmation of self and others and a chance to take on life’s endless challenges. It also helps to maintain poise and confidence.

Through actively loving one another we nurture the richness of everyone’s fuller expression. With no more than a nod of attention we can elicit a smile or perhaps a commitment to attempt again a challenge that defeated us earlier.

International AIDS Conference Returns to US under the theme “Turning the Tide Together”

Washington DC, US – More than 21,000 delegates from more than 195 countries are gathered in Washington, D.C. for the XIX International AIDS Conference (IAC AIDS 2012) to begin the march toward the end of the AIDS epidemic. Last held in San Franscisco, US, the IAC is the world’s most attended conference on HIV and AIDS. These conferences started in 1985 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. They were held annually until 1994 when they became biennial.

Delegates are expected to dedicate the week to presenting the latest scientific research and building momentum toward ensuring that financing and global leadership across all sectors keep pace with scientific progress against HIV.  

“Our return to the United States after a 22-year absence comes at a time of extraordinary hope, a time when we believe that the end of the AIDS epidemic is possible,” said Elly Katabira, International Chair of AIDS 2012 and President of the International AIDS Society (IAS).

“AIDS 2012 is an important opportunity to thank the American people and highlight the millions of lives saved as a result of generous U.S. contributions to the global fight against AIDS and its leadership in HIV research.”

“There is no doubt, that our progress over the past 30 years has been impressive, but maintaining the status quo is simply not enough,” said Dr. Diane Havlir, U.S. Co-Chair of AIDS 2012 and Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. “My message to policy makers around the entire world watching us here in D.C. is this – invest in science, invest in the epidemic – you will save lives.

Katabira and Havlir called on delegates and allies around the world to sign The Washington, D.C. Declaration, the official declaration of AIDS 2012. The declaration calls for renewed urgency and seeks to build broad support for beginning to end the AIDS epidemic through a nine-point action plan. (www.dcdeclaration  or http://www.2endaids.org).

The opening session will include remarks from a range of U.S. and global leaders, including  U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, South African Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (via video), U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Lee, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé, Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray, Ambassador Mark Dybul and Annah Sango of Zimbabwe.

“In the 22 years since this conference was held on American soil, we have  made long-awaited breakthroughs in science and treatment,” said Secretary Sebelius. “Today, someone diagnosed with HIV and treated before the disease is far advanced can have a nearly normal life expectancy. Now is not the time for easing up, slowing down, or shifting our focus.  If we are going to reach our ultimate goal of an AIDS-free generation, we must all challenge ourselves to do more – to reach even more people, to make programs even more effective and accountable, to push the boundaries of science even further.”

“Sustained progress in the AIDS response is accelerating our journey to Zero,” said Michel Sidibé. “It is now time for a new AIDS agenda and new partnerships based on shared responsibility, mutual accountability and global solidarity.”

US Congresswoman Lee noted that “the return of the International AIDS Conference to the United States at this pivotal time is a long overdue opportunity for our domestic epidemic to become part of a global effort working to achieve a world without AIDS. From California to Cameroon, we are literally at a tipping point in the fight against AIDS- and at no time in history has our global leadership been more important to address the ongoing challenges in our own country and around the world.”

”Young people need to move from being passengers to drivers, sexual reproductive health rights are fundamental to everyone the sooner we appreciate that the closer we get to making a difference in the lives of women and young people,” said Annah Sango.