We are worth more than Flies

​Dear Zimbabwean Youth

 We are worth more than Flies

The fly is one of the most hated creatures, for is lack of dicretion in choice of food feasting in both filthy toilets and on a well prepared dish when they can chance it. It is this perverted eating behaviour that has seen the fly being a carrier of diseases such as cholera and typhoid. This year there was a strange phenomenon, flies were everywhere, literally everywhere. They have also been subject to a lot of whatsapp memes “nhunzi this nhunzi that”. If I could suggest a thesis for some scientist it would be to investigate the bulge in the population of these creatures that are not only a health hazard but a damn nuisance. In one conversation with a friend of mine who is deeply religious he speculated that there was a spiritual meaning to all this “These flies Machipisa, reflect the rot that our cursed leaders have brought upon country through their corruption, violence and abuse of power.” In our conversation we both agreed that the flies were a ticking time bomb especially in the high density ghettos

Apart from having such a bad reputation there is one thing that is enviable about the fly, it’s ability to fly. The most of my childhood was spent in what most Zimbabweans refer to as ‘’Boiskai” I don’t really know what that means but its basically a small 2 roomed cottage. The boiskai community was made up of four adjacent cottages separated by strip of land which was meant for servicing the sewer. This piece of land was known as ‘Mukoto’. For we boyskai kids this was our playground. My mother used to discourage me as much as possible from playing there (I once got a good spanking for it) but as any naughty child would, when she was at work I would meet up with the other kids and play chikweshe (Street football). When the sewer broke down raw sewage would spew into the the strip of land  and then those green flies would come in hoards.  I have always been fascinated by insects and in my childish imagination I couldn’t resist the thought of how it felt being able to fly. This was in Gweru, where fighter jets and helicopters from Thornhill Airbase were an everyday sight and the imagination of flying was well imprinted in my mind

Fast forward to 2013, my first experience on a plane, I remember it vividly, it was on a work assignment and the trip was from Harare International Airport to OR Tambo in South Africa. It was going to be a short flight just under two hours but it was an experience that made a mark in my life. I was thrilled by the experience.  It was a dream come true. The best thing about flying is that it’s convenient, I’ve heard it’s gets to a whole new level when you fly business class.  You see before I had taken 16 hour overnight bus rides to South Africa. But the other thing about flying is that its very expensive. 

Growing up I used to be fascinated reading about business people who own their private jets These days In newspapers we read about a leader whose travel budget fully funded by tax payers money outside the country is thirty times bigger in comparison with the total budget of his country’s biggest public hospital. One would assume that this country is among the richest country- no its not. Actually, it one of the poorest in the world where more than 62% of the total population scrounge on less than $1 a day. That country is everyone’s guess. The irony is that while all this flying is taking place, his fellow countrymen are dying like flies due to typhoid with no medication

Many people of my age wish they could just fly away from the joblessness, ghetto filth and portholes

That’s the reason why more of our youth are on brongo

That’s the reason why many of us are making the treacherous journey across the Limpopo

That’s the reason why our sisters find themselves as slaves in distant lands where they go in pursuit of a better future.

In the eyes of theses rulers we are all flies. Our lives have absolutely no value. Nothing other than this can explain why they deliberately impoverish us, why they hold our entire generation at ransom. Perhaps when we speak out our grievances to them we too are like flies, just another damn nuisance.

I refuse this vehemently,

 In the bible which I read  in it is written that man was created in the image of God.

I believe that each human life is infinitely precious. 

I believe that we each have a right to self-determination.

I believe in the dignity of human worth

I believe that everyone should have a decent life and be given the shot in life to live up to their God given potential.

 

2018 is nigh Like any other young people I will act on my beliefs.

I encourage you to do the same.

 

Keep Faith Hope and Love Strong

Christ is King and to God all the Glory belongs.

 

Yours in the struggle 

Moses Machipisa 

Originally  Posted on Facebook 

What will become of our generation?

​Dear Zimbabwean Youth,
What will become of our generation?
 The hardest question that I have had to ask myself has been “What will become of me?” I remember vividly two occasions when that question haunted me. The first was in 2005 when I watched my mother lie on her death bead. The future was looking bleak with each passing day. The second was in early 2009 when becoming a commuter omnibus conductor was fast becoming my life’s vocation. Life, I have come to realise is very uncertain, it’s like playing a game of cards, we do not choose the cards that we are dealt, it is how we play them that matters. We were born into circumstances we have absolutely no control over. I was born into poverty, almost crippled with no Dad around. I didn’t ask for it and there was no one really to ask why?  But looking at the man I have become today has been a combination of three factors, a strong belief in God, confidence in self and a stubborn determination. It is this ruggedness and will to fight that has seen me spearheading great initiatives in education, on youth civic participation and being a voice  at global platforms.
 The reason why I am writing this is because every day I am consumed with the question “What will become of my generation?” We have grown up at a time where things are very tough. We find ourselves in a prison where more than 62% of the population are living in abject poverty, more than 85% youth are unemployed, there is no money in the banks, there are no opportunities, and corruption is wide spread- for most of us we did not chose this. These are the cards that we were dealt. I does not help just to complain and cry about how bad things are, it won’t change anything. We must take responsibility for our own future. Honestly, we are on our own, there is no-one coming to save us. The only people that can make a difference to our situation is none other than you and me.
I have come to realise that in any institution that no matter how brilliant your ideas are you cannot make change if you don’t have the power to make decisions. As youth we cannot remain at the periphery and put our fate in the hands of people whose age and mind-set do not represent our interests let alone people who neither understand nor care about our hopes and aspirations.  We know the life that we deserve, a life which we have been deprived of; to get a decent education, to have meaningful employment, to become entrepreneurs, and build homes and take care of our families. 

We are living in an era which is being defined by the youth bulge. Our country is at crossroads, the 2018 election is on the horizon. It is our voice as youth that is going to change the narrative of Zimbabwe or it is our complacency that will further doom us and an entire generation to come. More than 70% the electorate is aged 18-39 yet we are the most politically marginalised demographic group. It is US that are feeling the brunt of the economic challenges
We are the young people that had brilliant results in our O and A level but cannot go further with education because there is no money
We are the graduates spending our days ‘pamabridge’ because there are no opportunities, and a lot more of us have been relegated to vendors
We are the youth activists crying for food and our voice to be heard only to be given the baton stick and tear gas and being ruthlessly imprisoned.
 

It is our sisters that have taken to prostitution just to make ends meet and our brothers that have resigned to ‘brongo’ in an attempt to drown the harsh realities of life

 Do they know how dehumanising it feels when you are 39 and cannot properly take care of your family and you are still living under your parent’s roof because things are tough?
The fact is, politics aside, Zimbabwe is in a crisis which requires champions to fix it. The role of safe guarding our future cannot be delegated. It is time we have dynamic minds and fresh ideas entering into the leadership fray. Having a seat at the decision  table as youth is our RIGHT, participating in civic affairs and elections is our RESPONSIBILITY.I have a vision #MaYouth #Vision7070 where we have more than 70% of young people 18-39 taking critical posts in parliament and government and more than 70% of youth turning up to vote in the upcoming 2018 election. In this year my focus will be how we can collectively make this happen. 

We need to raise up a crop of leaders that understand the problems and offer solutions. Leaders who are competent, God fearing, honest and trustworthy people that will represent our interests. In this year I have made a decision that I will stand up and be counted among those that did something to change the circumstances of my generation.  With God on our side, self-belief and stubborn persistence I am thoroughly convinced that we are going to rewrite our story.

My question to you is will you be counted among those that made a conscious decision to become History Makers?
Keep Faith Hope and Love strong
Christ is King and to God all the Glory belongs.
Yours in the struggle,
Moses Machipisa

(Originally Posted on Facebook )