This week I stumbled across a totally random but really excellent book.
Where We Have Hope: A Memoir of Zimbabwe by Andrew Meldrum recounts the author’s 23 years of living and working in Zimbabwe as a foreign correspondent, until he was illegally deported in 2003. Meldrum moved to Zimbabwe shortly after its independence, excited by the idea of the new multiracial democracy. Over the years, as Robert Mugabe gradually tightened his grip on power, Meldrum documented the resilience and resistance of the common people. His book is a tribute to the determination of the people of Zimbabwe and to the power of the free press. It describes in detail the repressive tactics used by the Mugabe regime; these parts are sickening and disheartening. But Meldrum also shows that this repression belies weaknesses: the regime is threatened by free reporting and open elections, which is why it closes independent newspapers and uses violence to prevent electoral competition.
To me, it is always fascinating to get a look at what’s really going on in places that occasionally make the news. The situation in Zimbabwe is tragic and becoming more so by the day, as Mugabe still clings to power despite an ever-worsening economic collapse. This book was published in 2004, and it would seem that all the trends Meldrum observed still hold true. His eye-witness reporting and easy, personal narrative make it a captivating account. It is, in the end, and optimistic book: the people of Zimbabwe want democracy, and this will help the country recover once Mugabe leaves.
