If Good men do nothing, evil will prevail

There is something going on in Africa. There's drought, starvation, war; these are the things that make it into the 24 hour news cycle. The things I am talking about aren't puncturing the psyche of the mainstream media. Therefore you probably don't know what I am talking about. I am talking about racism. Racism against white Africans.

Surely, you think to yourself, she's made a typo. There aren't any white Africans. Africans; ethnic Africans who can trace their line into time immemorial, are black. But what is a person to call themselves if they were born in Africa, their parents and grandparents were born in Africa and their skin is white?

In the documentary, Mugabe and the White African, the conflict between black and white under the regime of the dictator Mugabe is shown in stark images of beaten farm workers and farmers; victims of the Mugabe land reform policy.

Mike Campbell and his family, including son-in-law Ben Freeth, have taken on a dictator in the international court of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The ruthlessness of this dictatorship knows no bounds and it is amazing that such a man as Mugabe is allowed to continue his reign of terror over a once abundant country. These people, basically anyone who is not a supporter of ZanuPF, are in danger every day that they continue to live under the regime. To stand up against a man who is willing to equate himself with Hitler and seeks to top his genocidal performance is a kind of bravery that should not be overlooked yet it has been in the mainstream press (although there was a lot of reporting on Mike Campbell's death).

This Hitler has only one objective, justice for his own people, sovereignty for his people, recognition of the independence of his people, and their right to their resources,.....If that is Hitler, then let me be a Hitler tenfold" Mugabe, Dec 2003.

Unfortunately, Mike Campbell died earlier this year due to complications from the beating he received at the hands of Mugabe thugs in 2008. His death does not cede victory to Mugabe. Ben Freeth and many other Zimbabweans continue to work against the regime. As Freeth said in the documentary, “If good men do nothing, evil will prevail.” It is hard to imagine that given such dire circumstances and certainty of retribution for anti-government actions that anyone could live up to such a high ideal but Freeth and the Campbells have been fighting the regime for years and show no signs of stopping now.


To find out more about the struggle in Zimbabwe go to Zimbabwe Democracy Now

Weight Issue

I have a weight issue. My issue is that people feel that my weight is a topic for discussion. It's not. If I should happen to bring it up, which is highly unlikely, then it might be something you could comment on. But I won't so don't.

I don't talk about my weight but it seems that other people feel the need to talk about it whenever the mood strikes them. And most often their assessment of my weight is completely at odds with reality.

This little rant has been developing in my brain since yesterday when a good intentioned friend suggested that I had gained weight recently. In fact, I have lost weight recently.

My weight is not something I obsess about but it seems that others are more than willing to obsess about it for me. This winter my weight noticeably shot up over a few short weeks- something I discussed with my doctor. Note to weighty commentators- my weight, other people's weight, your own weight should only be part of a conversation you have with your doctor unless of course your an athlete performing in a weight category. But that goes without saying- doesn't it?

So my friend mistakenly told me that it looked like I had gained weight and was looking healthier these days. Not only do my skinny pants fit but I feel like hell- completely fatigued. And in point of fact I don't know anyone, no matter their size that actually wants to hear, 'Hey, it looks like you have gained weight.' Even the skinniest people I know balk at the thought of a few extra pounds. Who is supposed to receive this comment in a positive manner?

In my late teens and twenties it was always my grandfather that kept a running commentary on my weight. On one visit home he'd say I had gained weight, the next he'd say I looked too thin. The funny thing is I wore the same pair of jeans for 15 years, he usually saw me in those jeans and I can't imagine how he could have seen any slight fluctuations that may have occurred over the years.

When I went to Asia I looked forward to being tall; that didn't happen. Instead one of the first adjectives used to describe me by a Thai seamstress was big. At the time I was working out in the gym three hours a day, had just completed a certificate as a personal trainer and was in the best physical shape of my life- how could I possibly be big? There are some very thin people in Thailand but there are some big ones too- all in all it was another unwanted commentary on my weight.

Last week one of my students from last years' course came into my office for a little chat; he was back on campus and bored with no classes to attend. He told me that his year went well; he studied hard, got an 85 average, and spent three hours a night at the gym. “I lost a lot of weight,” he said. I hadn't noticed and even if I had I wouldn't have said anything.

I rarely notice people's weight and wish others would be as blind to this feature as I am. If they were perhaps our society would be less neurotic about food, our bodies and what we look like.

Sidebar: I don't notice height either. I used to think my ex-boyfriend was just a little bit taller than me; in fact he's a whole foot taller. I'd be a horrible police witness.

What I do notice is my own weight- when clothes fit or don't- that is all you need to know to get dressed in the morning and meet the world in all its weighty forms.

Note: the picture used on this post is part of Leonard Nimoy's Full Body Project