On my most recent trip to Zimbabwe I had the privilege of interviewing a dozen or so survivors of violence in the run-up to the contested 2008 elections. These people were eager to tell their stories (all marked by shameless ZANU-PF-inflicted fear, beatings, rapings, or killings) and show their wounds. Let’s not forget that there is another election in Zimbabwe coming up. Watch and see if this stuff starts happening again (two people told me it already is). Is Robert Mugabe for real?
A woman dries her laundry in the middle of Mt. Darwin province in Zimbabwe. This area was hit hard by pro-Mugabe thugs, who beat and raped many of the people living here.
A woman show her legs that were severaly beaten and broken from a raid by pro-Mugabe thugs during the runup to the country’s 2008 elections.
A ripped Zimbabwe bank note litters the ground near a building project. Due to massive inflation and three redenominations, the currency was suspended indefinitely in April 2009. Today, the U.S. dollar is the currency exclusively used for transactions in Zimbabwe.
A woman shows the scars from beatings she took by pro-Mugabe thugs during the runup to the country’s 2008 elections.
A man displays x-rays of his broken arm. He was beaten by pro-Mugabe thugs during the runup to the country’s 2008 elections.
Anti-Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) graffiti marks many walls in Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital city. Many, like this one, accuse ZANU-PF of being a “prostitute” or a “thief.” In the 2008 parliamentary election the ZANU-PF lost sole control of parliament for the first time in party history.