The Sunday Mail
The Zhuwao Brief notes Muckracker’s infantile ramblings in response to July 19’s submission that newspaper publishers cannot become vendors.
Muckraker’s incoherent blubbering was reminiscent of a spoilt pre-school brat that can only say “ende ende futi futi” after soiling himself.
What passed off as Alpha Media Holdings’ response to the Zhuwao Brief had me rolling over with laughter.
I smiled to myself at the compliment that was implicit in Muckracker’s description of me as a quack and a charlatan. Our compatriots across the media street had no credible facts with which to bolster their arguments to such an extent that their response was to hurl what they considered to be insults.
Vapererwa.
Unfortunately, it is saddening that we still have Zimbabweans, in particular journalists, who continue to behave like nhundiratsime.
This is poignant as we see massive job losses, including at the Daily News.
The Zimbabwean pre-occupation with self-flagellation has astronomically negative impacts on the economy.
The media play a major role in determining how a country and its economy are perceived.
For a media mogul at Trevor Ncube’s level to post pictures of garbage and pass them off as sunsets is at the very best idiotic.
One wonders what editorial policy Alpha Media Holdings will develop if it is informed by the promotion of such self-denigrating narratives.
The Zhuwao Brief is convinced that the narratives we choose have a bearing on our livelihood.
Ncube posted a Harare sunset with garbage in the foreground. The picture indicated an overt negative narrative.
There was also a subliminal narrative. The sunset ostensibly symbolised the end for a garbage-infested Harare and implied Harare’s death.
What my totemic brother seems to miss is that Alpha Media Holdings is domiciled in Harare and probably generates the bulk of its Zimbabwean revenue there.
Advancing a narrative for the closure of Harare will lead to Alpha Media Holdings’ demise.
Murikurasika papi mumba yeround isina macorner, Mukanya?
The Zhuwao Brief’s response to Trevor Ncube’s sunset in Harare is Patrick Zhuwao’s sunrise in Binga.
I have deliberately selected Binga since it represents parts of Zimbabwe that not only require development, but offer tremendous opportunities.
The narrative I seek to promote the Binga sunrise is that of a new day. It is a narrative of fresh beginnings. I seek a narrative of the energy that is provided by the sun.
That narrative of the rising sun epitomises growth. That is my Binga sunrise.
As I took pictures of the Binga sunrise, I was buoyed by the pristine sandy beach that would make any Caribbean island green with envy.
The freshness of the Zambezi waters on the upper reaches of Lake Kariba reflects a vitality uncontaminated by the excesses of urbanisation.
I could taste the air’s freshness as if my nose had a palate. The slow, rhythmic and mellow sounds of the waves, and their concomitant motion as they caressed the sandy beach were juxtaposed against the rugged beauty of Sijarira Forest.
My Binga sunrise was truly a feast for the senses.
My Binga sunrise was a Heaven on Earth. This is a sunrise that needs to be shared; a sunrise for the world to enjoy.
I experienced this sunrise during a familiarisation tour of the Forestry Commission’s gazetted forests.
The Forestry Commission manages and conserves over 940 000ha of forest land.
The Binga sunrise was at Sijarira Forest Camp in one of Zimbabwe’s 23 protected natural forests.
The 25 000ha Sijarira Forest boasts of some of the biggest Mopane trees I have ever seen, and magnificent buffalo herds. The bird life is astounding!
Although it takes about five hours to drive to Sijarira from Bulawayo, it is worth it.
Initially, my colleagues were frustrated by my incessant need to take pictures of the startlingly beautiful landscapes until they joined in this invigorating activity of capturing time.
Sijarira Forest Camp has a well-serviced and maintained airstrip for those that will make the unfortunate decision of flying and thus miss out on the wonders one experiences when driving.
The camp is one of several in Zimbabwe’s protected forests. Unfortunately, such sites are only known to a few people.
These are hidden treasures that need to be brought to the fore.
And that the chalets at the camp can only accommodate 13 guests provides opportunity for further development.
Everything that is required for us to develop such areas exists. But such development can only be possible if we are able to construct narratives that entice people to visit such camps.
The narratives woven by people like Ncube frighten people from visiting Zimbabwe. These narratives frighten Zimbabweans from realising their full potential.
Nhundiratsime in the opposition media are racking the muck in the waters of opportunities to such a point that the businesses that provide for them are struggling.
As I lead the board of the Forestry Commission, I commit to furthering narratives that allow and enable Zimbabweans to realise the waters of opportunities that are inherent in our natural resources.
The Forestry Commission has a deep well of magnificent sites that can be developed for tourism.
A number of these are operated by foreigners at the expense of indigenous people because nhundiratsime have convinced our own people to self-flagellate.
Zimbabwe has tremendous sites that can generate revenue for the country. We have thousands of sites that can form the backdrop of my Binga sunrise.
Unfortunately, there are muckrackers who persist in racking the waters such that these opportunities are not seen. Pasi nenhundiratsime.
Icho!
Patrick Zhuwao is chair of Zhuwao Institute, an economics, development and research think tank focused on integrating socio-political dimensions into business and economic decision making, particularly strategic planning. He can be reached at [email protected]
