The Life and Denial of Robert Mugabe..

As many of you know, I am a Zimbabwean born kid, who, over the years, has continued to be passionate about one of the most amazing countries on the earth - Zimbabwe back in the 70's, 80's and even 90's boasted one of the strongest economies, one of the largest selection of wild game and still holds one of the 7 wonders of the world.

Over the years, whether its been in high school, at W&M or even in DC, at the smell of outside burning, friends would always hear me state "ooh, smells like .... Zimbabwe". The memories of living in Zimbabwe, specifically when I was 10 and the subsequent trips back there are strong and are of great moments in such a wonderful place. Zimbabweans, now living all over the world, are known as some of the strongest working people on the globe - people whose smiles radiate a room, whose work ethic produces results and whose current situation is because of the ignorance and destruction at the hands of one man.

At the end of this month, the country of Zimbawe will vote, in most likely, another farcical election that will end up in President Robert Mugabe, a tyrannical leader, continuing his disgusting reign over his own people. For the past 10 years, the world has watched as greed and power have overtaken a man, whom, at one point was described as possibly 'the next Nelson Mandela'. At the beginning of his initial presidency in the 1980's, Robert Mugabe was seen as a man whom had taken over Zimbabwe from British colonial rule and led it into a somewhat smooth transition, holding the currency at a very strong rate, increasing tourism and keeping the nation as a travel destination for hundreds of thousands of tourists per year. After those initial years, no one can tell you what happened, except the man himself, as he, single-handedly and needlessly has driven his own country into the depths of disaster and despair. One can only see it as a perfect example of the deteriration of the human condition. Power, greed and revenge was what must have fueled this man's policies of land distribution and squatter distruction and through a concerted campaign of 'country cleansing' pushed almost the entire white population and many blacks out of the country. In what has been seen as needless and horrifying, Robert Mugabe has destroyed his own people - his own country. As we have watched over the years, my family has been horrified at the atrocities that have been carried out under this administration. Sitting in Sevilla, Spain in 2002, I remember praying for an election defeat and then reading the UN reports of voter intimidation and ballot rigging. This upcoming election, Mr. Mugabe is having the following countries participate in election day monitoring: Iran, Venezuela and China, all bastions of civil rights. Where is Germany? France? Italy? Spain? Someone, no, Mr. Mugabe isn't dealing with them.

Hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans have died, needlessly died and as he sat with The Sunday Times, a leading South African paper, the man states he has no remorse for things that 'needed to be done'. The newspaper I bought yesterday cost me R11 South African Rand, which is the equivalent to $1.50. As I scanned my eyes across the front page corner, I saw something else that made me want to cry - this newspaper, in Zimbabwe, would cost $1.5 million Zimbabwe dollars. As the inflation rate soars past 100,000%, Zimbabwe has taken the place of the highest inflation rate in the world and the country is not even at war. Higher than Sudan, Higher than Iraq, Higher than Afghanistan, Higher than Haiti. Zimbabwe, being ruled by one of its own, is dying. And its made me, yet again, mad as hell.

Now, as a man who whole-heartedly believes in the power of prayer, I pray for change, I pray that my attitude of anger and sadness fuels only prayer and anticipation for the one day that we will see Zimbabwe, one of the biggest jewels of this world, shining again.

But, sadly for now, in the practically empty Rainbow Towers Hotel in downtown Harare, the conference room that could seet a few thousand is dark and the seats are folded. As one scans through the auditorium, all you can help but notice above the abandoned stage are two large, imposing pictures of a powerful and smiling Robert Mugabe...