What next?
The telephone connection sounds thin. I turn up the volume to catch the reporter’s voice. A few horrific details staccato down the line then stop…suddenly the voice is gone.
There’s an awkward silence, a brief in-between space, and then a curt announcement from the show’s host: “I think we’ve got the gist of it…”
Papers shuffle and a new topic fills the air.
Zimbabwe’s children – what next?
The sense of dread comes in waves.
How to watch? Where to find the words when the killing starts again in Zimbabwe?
This is an outline in story, a sketch, of the elections (result still contested) held recently in Zimbabwe, and the intention is to try to explain to those who have no connection with the country a little of what is at stake. It is not intended in any way to make light of the efforts and agonies of those involved.
The story is set in a boxing ring, and the prize is leadership of a land rich in elephants, pangolin, gold, diamonds, rivers, life-giving soil…and Zimbabweans.
The Phraser 