Hope is not a plan

By The NewsDay | Nov. 24, 2017 | 5 Min read

IF ever there was a time Zimbabweans were full of hope, that time must be now.

By Thembe Khumalo

It seems to be seeping out of our pores, rolling off our tongues and infusing the very air we breathe. It is in the suddenly inclusive cross-racial small talk you see at the supermarket tills; it is in the compassionate responses to vendors at traffic lights, it is in the host of memes we share continuously with our relatives and friends in far away countries.

Hope is like a new oxygen that the people of Zimbabwe are breathing — sweet, and subtly intoxicating.

In years past, when we celebrated together, there was always an undercurrent reminding us that our joy was temporary and, risky, and like children of an abusive parent, we waited apprehensively for someone to punish our joy.

But now, I sense a real change in the spirit; a unity and camaraderie I have not seen before. Perhaps, it is because many of the adults present now are “born frees”. They do not have the baggage of our “free but frightened” brand of liberation.

But as British philosopher Francis Bacon said, “Hope is a good breakfast but a bad supper.” It is not enough for us to be hopeful, we need to turn that hope into a plan if we want to eat well in the evening of the current season.

A plan gives us the best chance at control over an uncertain future, and the best chance at success as we roll it out in implementation.

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While we are busy thinking about what we want our new leaders to put in the plan for our future, let us take responsibility and also talk about the plan we ourselves can implement to bring about the Zimbabwe we want.

More than this, let us start implementing that plan at a micro level, in our homes and schools and businesses, so that we do not feel daunted when we face similar challenges at national level.

Firstly, let’s get into the habit of raising and resolving issues in a timely manner. In the last two weeks it has taken a whole army, a public protest and some serious political engineering to resolve issues that we should have tackled years ago.

The emotional roller-coaster we have ridden has taken its toll on our mental and emotional health, our businesses and our families.

In future we may not have an army at our disposal, and our attempts at public protest may not be as united. So we need to make a habit of calling out bad behaviour while it is still manageable, and before a crisis ensues.

We need to find a system for settling differences between ourselves and be able to move on thereafter.

And we must start doing this in our families and communities, so that we can make it an intrinsic part of our way of life. If you cannot tell your brother or uncle that what he is doing is wrong, where will you find the courage to tell that to your MP or your President? You will simply murmur about your grievances behind closed doors, and in another 37 years, who knows what you will have done to our country.

Secondly, let’s set a compelling vision and rally behind it. It has to be our vision as much as that of our leaders. Let’s work from the point of view of what we want rather than what we don’t want.

For many years, one of my disappointments with the opposition in Zimbabwe has been that their key message seemed to be, “Choose us, because we are not Zanu PF”. It is not enough.

Similarly as Zimbabweans, we cannot set a vision based on the Zimbabwe we do not want. We must be clear on the Zimbabwe we do want and stretch our imaginations to envision and articulate it.

A compelling vision is something the people of Rwanda have managed to articulate clearly and it has helped them move forward to put a traumatic past behind them.

I know things are not perfect there, but neither are they perfect in many African countries, so maybe we can still learn something from them.

Thirdly, let us participate in community and national affairs. In Zimbabwe we are good at criticising those who are doing something, while we ourselves have no skin in the game.

And by participate, I do not mean just registering to vote, though this is important too. I mean getting a clear understanding that the community and country are only going to be as good as you demand they be.

The leaders will only be as accountable as you require them to be. If you are affected by the decisions these people make, then you are not too posh, too busy or too important to participate.

Registering to vote is an exciting lark at the moment, but beyond an election there is real life — there are real leaders who must represent real followers.

Between elections is when life happens. Find out who your councillor and MP are. Get to know their policies. Get involved. Play your part.

Finally, I think we have all been through some stuff. Not just over the last couple of weeks, but over the last 37 years. Some have suffered physically and others emotionally; some have suffered financially and others carry social losses and wounds. We need to find a way to heal collectively and individually.

We can demand that our leaders create a platform or a vehicle for this to happen, but at an individual level, we have to be ready and willing to heal.

If we want our leaders to apologise, to take responsibility and to express regret, let us start by doing that ourselves, at a micro level. Forgive your wife; offer her your absolution. Apologise to your son; demonstrate humility and a genuine desire to behave differently in the future.

Let us come at issues with compassion and offer everyone a chance at redemption. I know that is what I would like for the hurt that I have inflicted, and the pain that has been inflicted on me. Wouldn’t you? Thembe Khumalo is a brand builder, storyteller and certified life coach