This article is meant to do what, convince me that Mugabe is a revolutionary? Let’s see, an American who has never set foot on the continent, let alone the wonderful land of Zimbabwe wishes to convince me that my experiences in that country under that man did not happen the way I said they did by way of an article?!!!!!! You Americans are all the same, you think you know every thing and are prepared to argue it out with someone who is actually part of a situation.

Yes, there is a land issue in Zimbabwe. I know more than you do on that, from 2000 till early 2001, I was part of the Land Stories Project- a pool of film personnel whose aim was to make films about the different sides to the Land Issue. I had two projects, one was short film where the message was to tell the ordinary person to get involved. The other was a documentary on Land Ownership in urban areas. The producers are pro-Mugabe as they come, and socialist. One of them is white. During the project, we got to meet all sorts of people, war veterans, the peasants and activists on the farms, the white farmers etc. We met politicians, MDC and ZANU etc. There were heated arguments, etc but we were professional about things.

The point I am making is that when you post articles like this- what does that show? That you are revolutionary and I am not? That Mugabe is a good guy, just like that I am going to sing Halleluiah I have seen the light! Then Mea Culpa for my anti-mugabe stance? I don’t even know why I am bothering to reply to you, your act of lesse majeste has not been forgiven.

So Mugabe would like to be seen as the hero of the landless masses? Ha! Does that then legitimize his holding the whole country to ransom, nepotism, genocide and all the other stuff. Does it then mean it is OK for people to be beaten, women raped by kids younger than their own sons, for businesses to be looted? For any dissenting voice to be labelled then crushed ruthlessly?

Has it occurred to you that you may be duped. You should see the average ZANU-PF youth supporter. It is never those with a future, those who work hard and what to do something with themselves. Usually, it’s some muscle minded semi-literate thug. I don’t think any of them have an IQ above 100. So I am not really surprised at you, I read somewhere that the average IQ of an American is not very far north of a bathroom slipper either. How else can your desperate attempt to paint a desperate gerontocrat as a man of the people be explained? But I am sure that the survey only examined those who talk a lot and can misled one to believe they represent popular opinion. I am sure that the average American is very bright, and will not delve into subjects that he or she knows little about.

So there is a genuine issue at the UN and Mugabe has made a fine speech. But those of us who know the man better take it as a sign that he just wants to share with Bush and co their grip on global power.

Bush and Mugabe are the same. They both have contrived to invent issues and crusades to divert attention from the real issues . For Bush it was the Arab terrorists, so we could all forget how he refused to apologise for the Slave Trade and for refusing to sign the Kyoto agreement even though it his country that is doing most of the pollution ( in more ways than one, I might note) Same with Mugabe, he came up with British Imperialists etc so we could forget that he has messed up big time but he still insists on being allowed to rule the country.

That being said, I want to thank the administrators of this Board for allowing me to put across alternative views of the topical issue of Zimbabwe. I would also want to emphasise that the postings from Zimbabwean newspapers are not necessarily my own opinion, and in all fairness, I should not be castigated for them.