Laughing in the face of the devil
This cheeky Zimbabwean touts for cash with infectious humour at South African traffic lights. How can you not smile and reach for your wallet?
Humour isn’t only happening outside our borders. Today a story a hilarious story was relayed to me by Gogo - and here it is for your enjoyment too!
Gogo was coming in from the rural areas yesterday when her sardine packed tshovva (taxi) was stopped by a group of six policemen at a road block.
As the tshovva pulled up, one of the passengers shouted out to the police that they must hurry because they were on their way to a funeral.
When the police asked whose funeral, the comedian retorted,
“Don’t you know, mugabe and gono are dead and gone. We have to bury them!”
The passengers and driver roared with laughter, and so did all of the cops - except one!
This peeved uniformed servant of the regime was unamused and warned the stand-up comic that he would be arrested.
The tension was diverted when another policeman approached the driver for the normal bribe required these days to get them through a road block.
The now emboldened gag artist couldn’t resist, so he made an appeal to the passengers:
“Come on man, let’s give these guys some more money, they need our help. Look at their shoes, they are all curling up. They can’t even walk to work any more. Winter is coming and they are going to be cold on a government salary.”
By then all of the cops were roaring loudly with laughter - only the Zanu PF servant was enraged. But he was outnumbered and they were waved through, the tshovva spinning off cheerfully on its route into town.
Fantastic!
Zimbabwean people are being beaten and intimidated daily, but it is humour like this which keeps them going. Small acts of defiance help to empower communities, building the confidence so desperately needed in our blighted nation. Zimbabweans are fed up and they know they have nothing more to lose.
April 23rd, 2008 20:49
When I hear things like this I am so proud to be Zimbabwean. We are a strong people, willing to stand up for what we believe in, and defiant in the face of tyranny and brutality. We will win through, eventually, and Mugabe and his cronies will get what they deserve. Keep up the morale, Zimbabweans. If we all do our part, we will be victorious, and we will live to see our country restored to its former glory. There is nothing we cannot do if we put our minds to it!
April 23rd, 2008 21:38
This is why we love Zimbabwe
April 23rd, 2008 21:52
Excellent! I have a new definition for you from a recent article:
Rift over National Unity Plan
But on Wednesday, The Herald, the state-run newspaper often used as a mouthpiece for Mr. Mugabe and the ruling party, described the country’s political dynamics as “so distorted that holding a free and fair election runoff in the immediate term is literally impossible.”
Swiftly disavowing that position, Deputy Information Minister Bright Matonga told the BBC on Wednesday that the editorial had not been sanctioned by the government, and that the ruling party, ZANU-PF, was still gearing up for a runoff.
“Gearing up for a runoff: waiting for the arms shipment to evade the ever-widening international sanctions”
April 23rd, 2008 21:54
Get set for success
April 23rd, 2008 22:59
Hope: thank you for the beautiful picture and great story. Viva Zimbabweans!
Ginny: In case they haven’t got it yet, please can someone somehow pass another message to the former government and the former ruling party Zanu-pf that they’ve been sent off - red carded! There’s been more than enough ‘gearing up’ already… They can walk off or run off or dribble off. We don’t care. We want to get on with the game now!
April 24th, 2008 06:20
The people should revolt and remove Robert Mugabe from power. He must leave before the people of Zimbabwe kill him.
I cannot believe how stupid he is and does he really believe he is helping the people.
28 year of killing our beautiful country is enough, we have taken the land away from the very people who made our country great and now do we have. “Nothing”
Let join together and remove him once and for all so Zimbabwe can rise from the ashes and life again.
April 24th, 2008 09:56
Have you the time to analyse the photos and videos of Mugabe of late? I don’t know if it just me but Im sure he has a few doubles lurking like Saddam was reported to. Man the guy is 84 years old most people of that age have lost their faculties by then. Have you ever seen someone with Altzheimers they revert back to the past his speech on independence day was from the past I really don’t think he is all there……..and is just being used as puppet………What amazes me too is that Robert Tendi Junior who is now over 18 has not been put up as the new king…..you don’t see him much but if Mugabe believe he is the tribal leader then Robert junior should be by his side………Grace ain’t there posing much either……….She loves being the first lady with all the lime light so where is she…..
April 24th, 2008 10:25
“84 years old most people of that age have lost their faculties by then”
Some, but not most. Many people are still sharp and fit in their 80s. Only about one in four has Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia.
April 24th, 2008 13:43
There’s a great Zapiro online today:
http://www.mg.co.za/zapiro/imagePage.aspx?YearId=2008|MonthId=4|DayId=23
interestingly a re-run from 2007!
April 23rd, 2008 23:44
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