Introducing the ‘Action Contact Database’ for Zimbabweans
The response from everyone to the campaign to stop weapons on board the An Yue Jiang from reaching Zimbabwe has been phenomenal. A wealth of information and contacts poured in to us, but finding all the contributions amongst all the comments was a little overwhelming.
In response, we have developed an ‘Action Contact Database‘. At the moment, the database reflects many of the suggestions put forward via everyone reading this blog, and we hope to continue building and developing it with your suggestions playing a key role.
The advantage of this is that we can create a central store of contacts focussed on Zimbabwean needs specifically. Individuals who want to quietly lobby on thier own can retrieve necessary information quickly.
Above all, Zimbabweans who struggle to access the internet on slow dial-up connections and unsteady telephone lines, will be able to find contacts ourselves, with diaspora support. In this way we hope that we will all be able to participate more fully in our struggle for freedom alongside everyone in the diaspora.
None of the fields on the form we have set up for you to use to suggest new contacts are mandatory. However we ask that you complete as many fields as possible. Not all Zimbabweans have email or internet (in fact, the vast minority do) so fax numbers and telephone numbers are very important. Physical addresses are useful if people want to stage a non-violent protest action, website urls are useful if we need to research an individual further.
CURRENT FOCUS: To lobby the world to stop sending weapons to Zimbabwe and use their influence to prevent other countries from doing so too.
These are the contacts we need to add to our database for the next stage of our campaign regarding weapons and the ongoing war against civilians in Zimbabwe:
How the database works
At the moment people can focus their searches very simply by Country OR Organisation OR Political Party OR Type of Organisation. Once a selection has been made, the relevant contacts with full details are pulled out of the database. People who are using emails to lobby people can also create consolidated email lists.
To build an email list, click the checkbox alongside each entry you want to include in your list of recipients. The button at the end of the form - Collect Email Addresses - will generate a simple list of email addresses that you have selected. This should be suitable for copying and pasting directly into your emailing software.
April 25th, 2008 00:21
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General Vitalis Zvinavashe concedes defeat, blames Mugabe
Thursday, 24 April 2008 11:11
THE losing Zanu PF Senate candidate for Gutu constituency General Vitalis Zvinavashe has blamed President Robert Mugabe for the party’s poor showing in Masvingo Province after a recount of ballots in his constituency failed to change the party’s fortunes.
The former army commander also urged fellow Zanu PF candidates at a counting centre in the province to live with the reality that they had indeed lost the elections to the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) led by Morgan Tsvangirai.
Zvinavashe, a former army commander who once vowed he would never salute Tsvangirai, spoke Wednesday while addressing Zanu PF House of Assembly and local council election candidates during the recounting of ballots for three constituencies at Gutu rural district council offices in Masvingo.
Zvinavashe said: “There is no need to fight over these results. We must accept the reality that we have lost these elections to the MDC. What is important is to live together in peace, both losers and winners. We do not want violence in this area. We are relatives.”
The former Zimbabwe Defence Forces chief startled election officials and agents when he publicly suggested that Zanu PF candidates in Masvingo had lost because of the party’s presidential candidate President Robert Mugabe.
He said: “Most of us lost these elections not because we are not popular in our constituencies. We lost these harmonised elections because of one man.
“People rejected us because we were campaigning for Mugabe. People in Masvingo have rejected him and we became collateral damage. There is no reason to fight with the MDC over this election. The real problem is that man not us.”
The revealing remarks by Zvinavashe were made in the presence of MDC candidates and polling agents who were at the counting centre.
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April 25th, 2008 04:17
Phenomenal work Sokwanele.
April 25th, 2008 12:32
I continue to be immensely impressed by your patience and persistence, Sokwanele. Your Action Contact Database is a great idea and I am publishing it on my Australian blog site. Overseas readers of Sokwanele, in particular, might want to e-mail various Zimbabwe Government ministries and departments - to keep the pressure on and to let people at various levels of the government know that Zimbabwe has friends who will want to help when an accountable government is in place. I have compiled a list that can be found at cjw.id.au/WordPress/?p=105 (at end of post about Mugabe’slikely recount strategy).
April 25th, 2008 13:02
Thank you Charles. We’ve grabbed the file to include in our database.
If you by any chance have a list of excellent contacts in the media over there or in government who we could lobby and keep up to dates with developments in zim, we’d be very grateful. We can be emailed at info@sokwanele.com.
April 25th, 2008 18:02
Petitioning UK officials: How to
As of Friday 25 April 2008
1. The Foreign Minister told the House of Lords that the Angola Ambassador told him that they would not let the An Yue Jiang unload. Personally I would like to hear confirmation from IFTW about the fact.
What I have learned about the process is that governments will ask each other for assurances on their position and they will announce who they have asked and the answer they were given.
2. A high level and very large British diplomatic mission has gone to China and is there. It is not about us obviously. China overtook Britain in economic size this year and there are a lot issues for them to discuss. Tibet is one. We are one. We are part of a larger picture.
What I have learned is that that mission is there now and it is a good time to petition British embassies around the world and UK MP’s if you are in UK.
3. To petition an MP in the UK you can go to your website called “Theywordforyou”. You choose your constituency and press on your MP’s name and type in your letter.
Someone tried and asked their MP to take up Zimbabwe’s cause. An answer came back the same day with the information the MP had consulted on of the foreign affairs group just the morning about Zimbabwe.
That tells us how to reach MP’s and how it works. They have to speak to someone for us and it all adds up. It keeps us on the agenda and it shows we care enough to at least get on the internet.
I hope this helps anyone working the UK end. Saidia might be able to comment and add.
Try to have a food weekend. And of course looking forward to hearing what recount magic has conjured up for us. Think, other people have to pay good money to see magicians at work!