Are you another Farai?

Are you another Farai?

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• Dr Alex Magaisa: Zim's civil society, and diminishing political space

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By Dr Alex T. Magaisa

AFTER reading last week’s article in this paper, Farai, my old friend wrote to me. It had been a long time. Five years after meeting Old Joe in that barber shop, Farai is still in England. He has bought a house and his wife is expecting their second child.

I went home last year, he wrote. But I failed to cope – Ndasiiwa nenguva and things have changed. Most friends and acquaintances have left. In an environment in which knowing someone in the right place is vital, he found himself clutching thin air as all those he knew have since gone. Even the street lingo has changed – he found himself using archaic language of the 90s - when he spoke people looked at him as if he was from outer space. I was like someone who had been buried for five years, now trying to fit into a community that had moved on, he said. A stranger in his own land of birth. In his nostalgic moments, Farai had created a romantic picture of the Harare that he had left and was hoping to find it, but Harare had changed.

Farai tells me he often meets Old Joe and from time to time they sit over a drink, talking as usual, about life – Old Joe’s field of expertise. Old Joe never ceases to remind him of his dream of making money and taking a quick flight home. To silence the veteran immigrant, Farai tries to “bribe” him with a pint of lager. Farai silently knows that like Old Joe, he is also in for the long haul It started as next year, then 5 years and now its 20 years – it may never come. Each time he sees Old Joe, he gets a fresh reminder that for a long time to come, he too will still be looking for money … And he knows too that in 2050, God being merciful with time, he will be a successor to Old Joe – reminding the arriving young men and women, that they have come to stay …

Last week’s article elicited overwhelming response from readers across the world. It was enough to persuade me to believe that there are more Farais out there than I first imagined. Many told me how the story of Farai resonates with their own experience. There are Farais in Auckland, New York, the Cayman Islands, London, Cape Town, Jo’burg and many smaller towns in the Anglophone countries. A Farai in Auckland told me that just before he left Harare, he could hardly afford to buy his daughter a can of Yoghurt, except on pay-day. In Auckland his daughter can get it everyday, whenever she wants. How would he explain to his three-year old daughter, if he returns home, that a simple delight such as Yoghurt is beyond daddy’s reach or is unavailable in the shops? Another Farai told how back in the day he and friends would go to the neighbours and peep through the curtains in order to catch a glimpse of their favourite show on TV. Now in Leeds, he can work hard for a day or two and buy himself a set. He has three, he added, one for each bedroom – just to make up for the miserable past!

Last week’s article was by no means a package of innovative views. On the contrary it was quite simply a collection of commonly held views that we often discuss silently in our thoughts or privately with friends. All I did was to package them in some readable form and place them in the public domain, to generate public discussion with a view to finding ideas for the various problems arising from this phenomenon. There is a common assumption that the Zimbabwean story is simply about the problems people face at home and that those in the Diaspora have it easy. The reality is that the Diaspora community also faces massive difficulties, that require attention from various angles and more could be done to assist. Some may think that it is up to the individual but it is also fair to argue that some issues are best dealt with and solved at a wider level, that is, in concert with others. Further research could demonstrate that the nature of challenges faced are similar and require a common approach. But such initiatives can bear fruit if people accept the reality that they are no longer temporary visitors to their new stations. Afamba apota, as Farai from Paris put it. My purpose was to demonstrate two things:

Firstly, to debunk the commonly-held view that a person goes to the Diaspora only for a short while simply to make money and return home. No. As many have found out, it is not a temporary departure but a more permanent one. If therefore a person decides to leave for the Diaspora, he must do so in the full knowledge that it is more likely to be for a very long time. There are of course exceptions as is the case with all general rules. The importance of anticipating the long-term consequences of the decision will help one to plan in advance. As my favourite writer Paolo Coehlo wrote in The Alchemist, “Making a decision is only the beginning of things. When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made that decision”.

Secondly, the article aimed to demonstrate to those wielding power that the consequences of their actions or inactions are more permanent that they wish to acknowledge. It is simply yielding economic and social disaster. It is ironic that while they talk of economic revival the intellectual capital and labour force that is required for this purpose is actually leaving the country. This is why even if there is change in the political circumstances of the country, some people are already saying it will require another 20 years to bring the country to the levels it was at in the late 1990s before the onset of the current economic malaise. It is inconceivable that a country that is losing its own, can hope to attract foreign investment. You would expect nationalists to have foresight and the will to plan for the future. But it appears the future is in the hands of the old and infirm who see not beyond their years. A fifty year old man now in Canada told of how he sold everything in 1980 and left a promising career at a major bank to return home. He worked hard for 20 years and got nothing out of it. Frustrated, he has now returned to Canada. He is now a filing clerk at a bank where an old friend and former classmate is now Director of Finance – this favour having been granted after another old classmate had met him packing shelves at a supermarket. I wasted 20 years, he concluded.

"Sadly divisions along tribal lines, regional alliances, etc appear to run deep among some Zimbabwean communities abroad"

ALEX MAGAISA

It has been argued that there are a number of immigrants into Zimbabwe from other African or Asian countries. Indeed, the state media sometimes has headlines on refugees from other countries fleeing to Zimbabwe – presumably to give the impression that the country is safe and attractive. Sometimes you even get statistics that the level of foreign investment grew by something like 100% in the last year – without mentioning that the growth is actually insignificant in real terms – that an increase from 10 million to 20 million is still classified as 100% but is insignificant in real terms. There is in regulatory parlance a concept known as the “Race to the bottom” – meaning in simple terms, that persons or entities will seek the least or worst regulated jurisdiction. The point is that in this context, the fact that there are some people from elsewhere willing to come to Zimbabwe does not necessarily mean that it is safe and good. Crooks are probably seeing an opportunity to exploit a country in crisis – hence the reports of allegedly dodgy characters that now populate parts of Harare. It would not be a surprise if Zimbabwe becomes a haven for drug-trafficking, money laundering and other uncouth activities especially in an environment where corruption has taken firm root. In any event, the concern must be centred on the quality that the country is losing and not those that are coming, most of whom have nothing in reality to contribute but only seek to exploit a desperate people.

I had intended to raise arguments on what might be done to deal with this problem. Some of the arguments have been discussed in many ways, the key being to identify the reasons why people choose to leave and settle elsewhere. It is well known that the political and economic malaise lie at the heart of the problems from which people are escaping. But that will have wait another day. It is a subject that requires its own space and time. Suffice to state that the best way of avoiding or reducing mass emigration is to ensure that living and working conditions are good and stable for the people. Unless people are guaranteed their opportunities to generate wealth, security, property and enjoyment of basic freedoms, they are likely to continue departing in large numbers. But equally important are ways of harnessing the potential of the Diasporan community. We shall deal with that next week.

But first, it is arguable that the Diaspora must do more to help itself. As it is, the Zimbabwean communities in the Diaspora are still fragmented. It is probably because these are fledgling communities trying to find an identity and establish themselves but all too often there is a tendency to try to walk before learning to crawl. More could be learnt from other immigrant communities such as the Asians in Europe and Africa. Despite their individual differences, they share common interests and realise that they are better off pursuing their cause is union with others rather than take an individualistic approach. All too often Zimbabwean communities meet only when there is a music concert – Outside the lines of pursuing joy, there is very limited scope of interaction and pursuing common interests. In recent years, some church denominations have sprung up across the Diaspora and they do provide common meeting points but more could be done beyond religious gatherings. Perhaps due to the thinking that one is in the Diaspora to make quick money to return home, the spirit of working together for long-term interests has been limited. But as people realise that the dream is far-fetched and that they are in for the long haul, they will probably begin to cement their links and create platforms for defending their space.

There are many social and economic issues that affect the Diaspora communities and require wider attention. At a social level, people have talked about the breakdown of families, as spouses are geographically separated in pursuit of money. Others have talked about the culture shocks that men face in the Diaspora especially with regards to the institution of marriage – failing for example to realize that the traditional roles to which we were accustomed at home no longer apply with equal force in these new environs. From a gender perspective, it seems to me that one of the greatest changes has been the way in which the opportunities in the Diaspora have enhanced women’s economic power at a general level. While this is a most positive development it seems that many a man have failed to cope with the changes in the balance of power – having long grown with the mentality of being the breadwinner and holding the keys to the domestic economy. The active engagement in economic production at a wider level and re-distribution of economic power has transformed the nature of the family and social unit and unfortunately some have failed to adapt. Both men and women are having to undergo a learning process and to re-negotiate their roles and relations. Clearly, the governing principle is to change or perish. But these are not just individual issues – they are also community issues that can be addressed at a wider level.

These and other problems are unlikely to be solved unless people acknowledge their commonalities and fight for common causes. Sadly divisions along tribal lines, regional alliances, etc appear to run deep among some Zimbabwean communities abroad. While the fact that there are historic problems cannot be ignored these divisions detract from the real cause that people seek to achieve. A non-Zimbabwean who listens to the sentiments expressed in cyberspace and some gatherings in the Diaspora, would find it hard to believe that Zimbabwean people from different tribes live peacefully side by side in Mbare, Mzilikazi, Dangamvura , Senga, etc. In some cases such is the division that one if identified first not as a Zimbabwean but along tribal lines. When they read or hear an argument the first question is whether one belongs to one tribe or another. There is nothing wrong in taking pride in one’s identity but sometimes we undermine the main cause by insisting on such divisions. Yet when the host country deals with their issues they know not whether one is from one tribe or another – nor do they really care. That you are Zimbabwean is the index by which you are identified. Individuals have their own interests and these can be diverse, but by and large there is a common platform upon which the greater community can stand to fight for those interests that are common across individuals.

Farai hopes that his countrymen and women could come together and represent their interests from a common platform wherever they are. He wants to work hard and help his extended family back home but he also wants a firm social environment in which to live and work. He finished by quoting a story from our favourite book, The Alchemist. A young man went to a wise man to seek the secret of happiness. The wise man gave him a spoon into which he put two drops of oil.

He told the young man to take a tour of the grand mansion and come back when he was through but to make sure that he did not spill the oil from the spoon. The boy took the tour but eager to impress the wise man, he was careful to avoid spilling the oil. He returned after a while having gone through all rooms and corridors. When he came back the wise man asked him what he had seen in the house. The boy said he had seen nothing because he was trying to protect the oil from spilling.In his zeal to be careful with the oil he had traveled but seen nothing. The wise man sent him back on the tour and make sure he comes with something. The boy returned and had a lovely time seeing the artifacts and the beautiful designs and all. When he returned, the old man asked him where the oil had gone. The boy looked at the spoon and there was nothing. In his eagerness to enjoy the sights in the mansion, he had forgotten about the oil. The wise man told him that he must learn to enjoy the marvels of the mansion, but never to forget the oil in the spoon.

The question then for those in the Diaspora is as you travel and work around the world are you simply keeping an eye on the oil to protect it from spilling and forgetting that life must be lived or are you living life to the maximum by failing to keep the oil in the spoon? Farai concludes that he is trying his best to strike a balance, but knows he could do with greater assistance from his fellow countrymen and women.

Dr Magaisa is a lawyer specialising in Economic and Financial Services Law. He is also a columnist for the Zimbabwe Independent newspaper. He can be contacted at wamagaisa@yahoo.co.uk
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