Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Zapiro on Mugabe

I have been thinking about Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, Desmond Tutu, and Thabo Mbeki's "Quiet Diplomacy". I wanted to be careful about what to consider. What to say, how, and when.

But then I looked at the Mail & Guardian website and found that the brilliant cartoonist, Jonathan Zapiro, had done a lot of the early hard work already.

This cartoon below (14/3/2007) illustrates the careful, not-to-offend, "Quiet Diplomacy", of the Mbeki government. It is a flawed approach.


A second cartoon (16/3/2007) sums up what the outcome of "Quiet Diplomacy" amounts too.


FREE ZIMBABWE!!!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ridwan,

Its me Terell Avery. One of your old PSU students (not sure if you remember me). I found your blog while reading the Racial Realist.

Drop a brotha a line.

terell@blackgeekdojo.com

Ridwan said...

My brother Terrell it is good to hear from you! Man it has been a minute or two now ... anyway check your email.

Look forward to hearing about you.

Peace and struggle,
Ridwan

Mojalefa Murphy said...

The leadership of South Africa appears to be always subjected by one constraint or the other when they have to deal with obvious matter of morality, inside and outside the nation. For example, internally President Mbeki is reluctant to address the government-corporate corruption that is tearing South Africa apart. Any action on this menace appears to be taken against small fries who resemble scapegoats more than anything else. So far the only near decisive action against government-corporate corruption has been the sacking of the State Deputy President. Even then, appears to have beeen staged in order to passify the international masters of capital only when political pressure to act appropriately could no longer be withstood. Besides, any exemplary benefits of this action are undermined by the cloud of party political succession battles, in which the culprit appears to draw more smypathy than the condemnation the corrupt deeds that led to his firing deserve!

In the wake of the recent Zimbabwe crisis, the President appears to merely lecture Mugabe the master about what he knows very well and is deliberatley defying; i.e. respect for the rule of law or human rights. What is exactly constraining South Africa's leadership to deal with Mugabe and his gang appropriately?

Could it be the hidden details of the failed attempt in coup E. Guinea that appeared to have been launched from South Africa, where Margaret Thatcher's son was implicated but bailed out for unclear reasons? Could our leadership be living in a glass house, afraid to throw stones even in the imminent major regional crisis should Zimbabwe explode?

What is going on?


Mojalefa

www.Bathovoice.blogspot.com

Ridwan said...

Thanks for your insightful commentary Mojalefa. It would seem that Mbeki is constrained for reasons that defeat the democratic principles we would like to believe S.Africa stands for.

Now that the US and Britain are calling on Mbeki to do something about Mugabe the plot thickens.

I am watching closely to see whether Mbeki will find cracks to meet the pressure from Bush/Blair.

On this score, I stand by Tutu's comments ... we owe the people of Zimbabwe more than to be an excuse for Mugabe.

Peace and Struggle,
Ridwan

::MENNO:: said...

Hi Ridwan,

Maybe I mentioned it before, or maybe several times, but anyway, I saw a documentary the other day about the cartoonist John Callahan from Portland. I really liked his strong morbid humor.
Here's a website with some of his work: http://www.callahanonline.com/index.php

Tot ziens!

Menno

Ridwan said...

Menno I looked at Callahan's website and it made me recall some of his work.

He is funny and quite a celebrity in Portland.

Geez now I almost wish I was in Portland ... OK, I'm over it now.

But, I will look in on his website
daily.

Lekker bly boet,
Ridwan