Two Zimbabwean elephants

The situation in Zimbabwe have skipped and jumped between tragedy and comedy so many times that I totally lost track. Hence, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at the new power sharing agreement between Mugabe and Tsvangirai. Will the Zimbabwean people see any difference due to the change of ruling?

There is a saying in Africa: “When two elephants fight, the grass suffers”. This might actually pinpoint to the problem in more than one way. Many African countries, Zimbabwe included, looks for strong and brusque leaders, probably as a reaction to the forced on submissive posture during colonialism. Thus, there have been a selection towards large elephant-like beasts; creatures that clinch on to power and searched for every opportunity to increase it.

We see a desperate need for a paradigm shift in the African perceived notion of a good leader. The elephant, whose missteps can cause so much harm, is not right for the people. What the people need is a mouse, which is more on the same level as themselves and do not alter its environment to the same extent as elephants do. And furthermore, a mouse has the authority to scare away any threatening elephant that might be approaching.

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