Occupy Africa Unity Square FROM DREAMING TO REALITY! By Itai Dzamara On October 13, 2014 it was just some fertile imagination or dream. Twelve days later, it is very overwhelming and vivid reality. Even myself, l initially had a lingering sense of doubt in my conscience when it started. When l made the decision to dream and attempt walking the dream, it was like some joke. Yes, it largely appeared and sounded too funny to be possible - in Zimbabwe. Not with Robert Mugabe, in Zimbabwe, almost everyone would have unequivocally said. It was, to many people, some hallucinatory and adventurous dream by one man probably gone crazy. But, what a week and half it has been. Yes, we submitted the petition to President Mugabe, on this day last week. Yes, his office immediately responded - in just 45 minutes we were engaging the state. I never had such imagination or anticipation when l appended my signature to the petition at 10:00 hrs on October 17, 2014. On the same day, we spent eight hours at the hands of state and police departments - an historic process had already started. I say we because l was no longer alone. Two Zimbabweans, Tichaona Danho and Philosophy Nyapfumbi had come from wherever they live, to join me and share in the dream. They were the first to turn it into a reality. They just believed that my claims and idea shared through social networks could turn into reality. Today, there are more than 20 unrelated Zimbabweans, coming from different backgrounds, that are now walking every inch together, in planning and coordinating what was just a dream, a week ago. There are millions more, all over the world, who have caught in the buzz of Occupy Africa Unity Square. Yes, we want the response from Mugabe over our urgent demands, and have been protesting through a sit-in at the square, since Tuesday this week. We have lived true to our values, of pursuing our goals through civil, peaceful and resolute means. We have been victorious, already. The state initially tried to apply heavy handedness and even bad faith, to prevent us from occupying the square. Tuesday and Wednesday were characterised by polices heavy deployment and use of unnecessary force for chasing away hundreds coming to the square for Mugabes response. We proved to be consistently adhering to our values of being civil, peaceful and resolute. We were not even deterred by Air Force jets that continuously criss-crossed the skies above Harare. We are very clean before the law, having diligently followed due processes all the way through. On Thursday, the police attempted to chase the occupiers out of the square in the morning, but eventually gave up around mid-day. Today, we had the freedom of the park, to mark our first major victory in the pursuit for our rights and goals. Yes, we won, and forced the state to uphold the constitution. It happened in Zimbabwe, under Robert Mugabe. We are now inspired to go all the way and wait for Mugabe until he gives in to our demands. Yes, Mugabe owes it to us, the people, to respond to our urgent demands about the national crisis. We find no need to even debate about the fact that we must stop the further worsening of the national crisis, collectively, as a nation. We insist on our demands that Mugabe and his government must admit they have failed, step down and engage all national stakeholders in dialogue, urgently, towards finding a holistic plan and solution. We are not going back on that position, and, starting Monday, we are taking our protests to higher levels. Yes, we want progress, which must be initiated by Mugabe and his government responding now. We have proved to the state, that we are the people and the numbers. Rather than shaking with paranoia and seeing plots of uprisings which do not exist in our mission, the state must see the genuine and urgent case of the national crisis requiring immediate attention. Instead of wasting expensive fuel flying jets throughout the day, or deploying a whole batallion of heavily armed police, the state must see that we are genuinely committed to civil, peaceful and resolute means. All we want is for Mugabe to come out of his comfort and face the nation about our demands and the national crisis. That does not require fighter jets burning expensive fuel over the skies of Harare. The state security agents must stop wasting time on wild goose chase, such as the fear of myself planning an uprising. I am planning and executing everything l have been openly and demonstrating. As each day passes, more Zimbabweans are coming up to join and back our mission. I have always said that we require a collective approach and we have had many from different backgrounds join and back the dream which has turned into a living reality. I have no doubt that come Monday, more people will be there to be counted for the demand to have Mugabe and his government stop fiddling or playing funny games while the nation burns. Starting Monday we will show the state and Mugabe administration that we mean business, in civil, peaceful and resolute ways. Because; We are the people! We are the numbers! Lets go! Itai Dzamara
Posted on: Fri, 24 Oct 2014 16:13:02 +0000
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