Bradfield protest

Robert Mugabe may have created a police state in which all signs of dissent to his autocratic rule are ruthlessly suppressed, but beneath what appears to be a tranquil surface there is simmering discontent - and from time to time the lid on the pot, though firmly clamped down, lifts enough for us to see it. A spontaneous protest here, an angry outburst there, and the contours of a new and effective form of resistance to ZANU PF tyranny are beginning to emerge within the troubled nation of Zimbabwe.

Sokwanele has just received word that some women from a local activist group, Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), were arrested at their homes earlier today.

The numbers arrested are so far unconfirmed.

Today, 8 March, is International Women's Day - the UN theme for International Women’s Day this year is "Gender Equality Beyond 2005: Building a More Secure Future".

WOZA were planning to march in solidarity with women all around the world. The arrest of the women at their homes means that the Zimbabwean police effectively stopped the march before it started.

This event once again highlights the fact that there is no freedom of expression or association in Zimbabwe today.

The following articles, available from our website (www.sokwanele.com), cover some of WOZA's activities in the past. If you would like to receive copies of these by email, please request them by emailing us.

WOZA (Women of Zimbabwe Arise) marched onto Zimbabwe's national stage on February 14, 2003, handing out red roses for love as they processed through the streets of Bulawayo and Harare. It was not the first time they had marched - that had been two months earlier when the police had escorted a noisy, pot-banging demonstration in Bulawayo during the campaign against gender violence. But this time was different. In both cities, the marches were vigorously broken up by the riot police, and women were hustled off to police cells.

How had these women, pronouncing peace and love with their roses, offended the police? Who were they, why were they marching, and why do they continue to march up to today? The context will give us the answers to all these questions.