Jaysus!

Mugabe has really gone mad now. There are reports that he's recruiting para-military police from Angola to beef up his own security forces. Excuse my language, but, shit!!! For some reason I do not think Angolan military are very nice people. Luckily there is hope that it's a rumour ... there is confusion of what is really happening.

If you care to join the protests listed below then please do! I'm heading down to England on Thursday so will try do my bit too.

Wednesday, 28th March, 11 am - join MDC-UK at the Zimbabwe Embassy, London. There are plans to toyi-toyi to the House of Commons via the South African High Commission. For more information, contact: Jaison Matewu, 07816 619 788.

Thursday, 29th March, 2 pm – join Free-Zim Youth to lobby the Angolan government following reports of sending troops into Zimbabwe (meet Baker Street tube station). For more info contact:Alois Mbawara 07960333568, Wellington Chibanguza 07706868955, Bridgette Maphosa 07784111755

Saturday, 31st March, 2 – 6 pm – Special Vigil outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, London, in solidarity with victims of political violence in Zimbabwe. We are going to pull out all stops at the Vigil in support of the brave activists at home facing such appalling dangers. We know from phone contacts as well as news reports that many people are being sought out from their homes and beaten up for their political beliefs. This is what we hope to bring out more clearly to the British public – the deliberate attempt to crush any dissent.

Saturday, 31st March – 11 am - 3 pm - The Bristol Vigil meets under the covered way, just near the Watershed, Canon's Road, Harbourside

Tuesday, 3rd April, 7.30 pm - Frontline Club, 13 Norfolk Place, London W2 1QJ - Zimbabwe in Meltdown - to be discussed by a panel consisting of Lord Triesman, Minister for Africa at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Wilf Mbanga, Founder, Publisher and Editor of The Zimbabwean newspaper, Gugu Moyo, Zimbabwean lawyer of the International Bar Association and Bill Saidi, Deputy Editor of The Standard in Zimbabwe – via phone link. Tickets £7 available online at www.frontlineclub.com.

Wednesday, 4th April, 12 – 2 pm – join ACTSA (Action for Southern Africa, the successor to the Anti-Apartheid Movement) and the Trades Union Congress for a demonstration outside the Zimbabwe Embassy in solidarity with the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions who have called a general strike for 3rd and 4th April. Check: www.actsa.org for information about how else you can be active on behalf of Zimbabwe.

Saturday, 18th April, 2 – 5 pm – the second Belfast Vigil (to mark Zimbabwean Independence Day). Venue to be advised.

www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

It's a load of politics!

Meaning of Bureaucracy .... (noun) the dumbest, stupidest, most idiotic system man has ever invented!

I am awaiting the Big Bang in my life. Each morning I hope the postman is going to deliver my visa application back to me and hopefully my passport will have a visa stamp in it. I am hopeful but am only human, thus my mind is buzzing with 'what if's'.

The Home Office's helpline rudely gave me four different answers to the same question I asked, 'What application form should I use?'. Finally on the fifth attempt I spoke to someone who sounded like he knew what he was talking about. But just to be sure I called back and confirmed what he'd said. Fingers crossed. I was sent a letter from them saying they'd received my application and I could check processing times on http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/ Well if you can find the waiting times page on that website in less than half an hour I'll give you a lollipop!
So I have my fingers, toes, arms and legs crossed that they'll process my application in less half a year and I'll be able to head back to Africa as already planned.

On the up side!!!! ACTSA has suggested a project for me to sink my angry teeth into. 'Africans in Scotland'. There are many of them - last night I sat in a room with 15 or 20 of them, mostly educated with PhDs in international trade law, HIV orphans, one is an inspirational author from Rwanda, and so on. The head of Oxfam Scotland was also present to give our group a bit of guidance, and she's invited us along to an Oxfam reception at the Scottish Parliament this coming week. Anyways, back to the point, they want me to take portrait photos of Africans living in Scotland and tell their story .. where they came from, why they left, what their ideas and hopes for their countries are, etc. The second half of this will be to visit projects in Africa that are receiving Scottish funding and get some photographic evidence of the good work that is going on. Hopefully after that we will be able to exhibit the photos at fundrasing events and show the more positive side of a continent that gets so much (deserved or undeserved) negative media.

I just do not understand ....

How, why ... what? The 'social state system' makes little sense to me. It's great, people who earn more money pay more tax etc, which provides a decent amount of money for the 'less privileged' to live on. Great. Does it work? I don't know. Do you?

Social work is not a fun or glamorous field, it's problem solving everyone else's problems. The pay isn't good and staff don't get much out of it, but they do it because they care.

And then they don't do it because they care.

Not long after starting my new job one of my colleagues had something thrown at her by a 'service-user' which caused a black eye. Nothing much was said about it. My colleague was back at work the next day, an incident report was written out and things went back to normal. No discussions held or apologies said.

A few weeks later, I am starting to form a decent relationship with the psychotic woman who never talks. She starts to trust me enough to give me a hug at the beginning of each visit. I get pulled up by my colleagues and am told this is not allowed, we are here to do a job, which is making it easier for her to live her life the way she wants to, and not be a friend. Not that she has any contact with friends or family. She was also told that hugs are inappropriate.

A few weeks later, one of the service-users slaps me (and then gives me the thumbs up sign). I was high bemused so I questioned what had gone wrong. Nothing apparently, natural reflex was the answer but I said that was not a good enough reason. I tell all my colleagues, a report is completed. Nothing else happens.

Today one of my colleagues took a service-user for a routine walk. 200m away from his flat he starts to 'kick off' (shouting, screaming, throwing himself into the wall and so on) and he grabs hold of her wrists and does not want to let go. She fears she's about to have her arms broken. The passers-by cross over the road and keep walking (???). Luckily I stumble into the situation, my colleague is in tears but we manage to get him to let go of her and return to his flat. She starts sobbing with shock and her arms are all red. After a cuppa, I speak to my boss, we sedate the chap and leave him to 'cool down'. Later I go see him and tell him that he needs to have a proper think about his behaviour as it was highly inappropriate and violent. He agrees and wants to apologise. Even later a different member of staff who has worked there for five years visits him with me, she tells him that there's nothing to worry about, he is not in trouble.

What? Am I fighting a battle worth fighting? Why are people here so scared to discipline, to speak out about against what is wrong and what is potentially a dangerous situation. If you watch the news you'll see that most street attacks are done by kids who say they did it "for Fun"? And what happens after that news report? ...