SHAME AFRICA SHAME

In fact shame on the rest of the world as well. I don't get political on here very often but I will today. I've been watching this nightmare unfold for a long time now and it's entering a dark stage. I'm talking about the African nation of Zimbabwe and in particular the tyrant leader of that country - Mugabe. He rules this country with an iron fist, opposition leaders are beaten almost to death, thousands have perished under his rule. The nation is bankrupt, rife with aids and the life expectancy for its citizens is some of the lowest in the world.

Things have started to happen in Zimbabwe this past week and his reign is hopefully nearing its end, if it does, it looks like it will be via internal pressures. But where is the rest of the world right now, what is it doing to save the people of Zimbabwe. We see countries invade other countries these days based on lies, based on political ideologies and yet the world stands by and watches the people of this country suffer, it watches this country implode to a point that even if Mugabe is removed it will take years, decades to repair the damage. Maybe never at all and it will simply become another 3rd or 4th world African nation. Because the world doesn't care about Africa, it has nothing to offer it, so why bother with it.

There in lies the shame.

Desmond Tutu has spoken out whilst all other African "leaders" remain silent.....

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"We Africans should hang our heads in shame," said Dr Tutu of the largely lukewarm response from African leaders, who have hitherto given Mr Mugabe a lifeline despite his ever escalating human rights abuses. Dr Tutu, who together with Nelson Mandela is widely regarded as South Africa's moral conscience, asked in a statement yesterday. "How can what is happening in Zimbabwe elicit hardly a word of concern let alone condemnation from us leaders of Africa?" The bishop, who once described Mr Mugabe as either "mentally deranged" or "a cartoon figure of an archetypal African dictator," said all leaders in Africa should condemn the Zimbabwe government. Dr Tutu seemed to have been particularly angered by the South African President Thabo Mbeki, who has not commented on this week's turmoil in Zimbabwe.

Some facts regarding the state of play in Zimbabwe

*1 brick: in Zimbabwean dollars the price of one brick today would have been enough to buy a three-bedroom house with a swimming pool in 1990.

*34 the current average life expectancy for a Zimbabwean woman, the lowest in the world.

*65 the average life expectancy for a Zimbabwean woman 10 years ago.

*33-35 per cent: the adult HIV infection rate.

*12.2 million: the official population. Some, however, estimate the figure is actually closer to 8 million. The population is thought to have fallen by up to 4 million since the last census was taken in 2002.

*61/1000 the infant mortality rate during the 1990s. It is now 120/1000.

*42,000 the number of women who died giving birth in Zimbabwe last year

*1,700 per cent the current inflation rate, the highest in the world. It is expected to pass 2,000 per cent this year.

*7 per cent the inflation rate at independence in 1980

*50 per cent The amount Zimbabwe's economy has shrunk since 1999.

*Z$250 the price of bread a year ago; it is now Z$1,000.

Link

But an unrepentant Mr Mugabe told the youth league to defend the country's independence and said the MDC was being funded by the West, which he blames for a campaign to topple him. "They think we are weak, think we have lost the resolve to defend our freedom," he charged. "They are wrong and stand for great shock if they continue to stretch our patience."

But haven't we heard this sort of thing before, it's standard for most tyrants

I'll be watching this through to the end, it's really pissed me off some, hopefully Mugabe gets some payback. Until then the leaders of the so called "free world" should hang their heads in shame, look over at Desmond, he's showing you how to do it.