IPS : 5 October 2004

Bulawayo - "When they were interrogating me, they kept asking about ‘Zvakwana!’," says activist Gorden Moyo, describing his recent detention by security officials in Zimbabwe. "I told them I don’t know what it’s about."

Moyo is one of several campaigners and opposition party members who have been questioned about this underground pro-democracy movement, whose Shona name means ‘enough’. Also referred to in Ndebele as ‘Sokwanele!’, the organisation has Zimbabwean authorities scratching their heads in exasperation.

Its central message is that the 24-year rule of President Robert Mugabe should come to an end – this after four years of increasingly repressive governance in the Southern African country. Zimbabwe has been in political and economic turmoil since 2000 when veterans of the independence war and other militants began occupying white-owned farms in a state-sanctioned campaign.

Parliamentary elections held in 2000 and the presidential poll of 2002 were both marred by political violence, much of directed against the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. Zimbabwe now finds itself in the grip of food shortages, triple-digit inflation and soaring unemployment.

At present, demonstrations and other forms of public protest are restricted by legislation – ideal conditions, some would say, for the emergence of an underground democracy movement.

During the past year, news of Zvakwana! has spread via word of mouth after internet surfers spotted its web site (www.zvakwana.com). This quotes Polish writer Ryszard Kapuscinski: "The indispensable catalyst is the word, the explanatory idea. Uncontrolled words - circulating freely, underground, rebelliously, uncertified - frighten tyrants."

Amongst other things, the site also provides "Activist tips" that include pointers on how to deal with riot police ("Organise yourself in pairs. Keep an eye out for your partner at all times. Make sure that you know their personal details and who to contact in the event that they are hurt or arrested.") and tear gas ("Stay calm and focused...When your body heats up (from running or panicking, for example), irritation may increase.")

Zvakwana! describes itself as a "non-partisan, non-profit group of...volunteers and visionaries – (who are) working to keep Zimbabweans informed about...civic campaigns and public meetings and events." It also claims to have "an activist wing that engages in non-violent civic actions."

The group appears unconcerned that Zimbabwean officials could burrow beneath the anonymity of the internet to find out who its organisers are.

"The regime is fighting so many fires...that they do not have the resources to find all their detractors," said the body in response to questions posted on its website by IPS.

One of the "non-violent civic actions" that Zvakwana! is claiming credit for was carried out before the Independence Day celebrations on Apr. 18. Some activists spray painted lamp posts and the sewage pipe along Tongogara Road in the capital – Harare – which Mugabe normally uses to travel to the National Sports Stadium (where the celebration was held).

The activists also painted a Zvakwana! slogan, ‘Get UP Stand UP’, on turnstiles and walls at the stadium. "There was so much graffiti," says the group, that "the regime couldn’t repaint it before Mugabe’s trip, so he had to take a different route!"

Another gimmick focuses on inserting messages of defiance into matchboxes, which are then distributed.

Zvakwana! has even come up with a 15-track compact disc (CD) (the ‘Get UP Stand UP’ compilation) to promote its cause. The CD, featuring 'Get Up Stand Up' by Bob Marley, can be ordered free of charge. South African singer Hugh Masekela’s 'Change', which implores long-standing African leaders, particularly Mugabe, to "say goodbye" is also included on the album. It comes with Zvakwana!'s "revolutionary condoms" bearing the campaign logo, a black ‘Z’ inside a yellow background.

In its e-mail interview with IPS, the group also claims to have distributed hundreds of copies of a British Broadcasting Corporation documentary on the camps where Zimbabwean youth are allegedly being trained to form a paramilitary force that can be deployed against government opponents. (Authorities claim the camps are simply training grounds where a sense of national pride is instilled in young men and women.)

As CDs and videos don’t come cheaply, these claims beg the question of who is financing Zvakwana!. When asked about this, the group said it was "a locally sponsored campaign in all respects. Pro-democracy groups and supporters are putting their money towards creating positive change in Zimbabwe."

So far, Zvakwana! appears to be enjoying some success in providing ‘nuisance value’. Police have stepped up efforts to locate those masterminding the campaign, with spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena recently telling a weekly paper that "These people...have been...spreading material and literature aimed at inciting members of the public to lawlessness." He added that officials would be "interested in talking to them."

Officers have questioned local artist Leonard Zhakata, who has a song featured on the CD. Three weeks ago another man, who wanted to be identified only as "Mehluli", was picked up by police who were looking for those who had painted yellow hand prints, an emblem used by the opposition, across Bulawayo. The authorities suspected a link between the hand prints and Zvakwana! graffiti – although the group denies any association between the two.

A friend of Mehluli’s also had his home searched for the incriminating yellow paint. "I think these guys don’t know what they looking for," he told IPS, requesting anonymity. "They are just fishing in the dark."

Zvakwana! says it will continue using alternative, non-violent means in its campaign: "The regime can look for us, but we are everywhere."

With government last week ordering the closure of yet another newspaper, The Tribune, the space in which Zimbabweans can express themselves has been restricted still further. The fact that Zvakwana! has no office building, no spokesperson or known campaign leader gives it an elusiveness which, given current conditions, is a highly valuable commodity.