Fall from grace

The author raises a valid argument on Mugabe’s reign — ‘Let’s remember him for who he truly was as a leader, not what some would want him to be’ (“Robert Mugabe remains an African icon, but Zimbabwe deserved more than violence and fear,” Sept. 7, Gulf Today).

That Mugabe ruled Zimababwe for four decades only to be ousted by the military two years back, made it clear that the man who people once admired as a ruler had turned into a despot. But this is not something unique to Zimababwe alone but it mirrors actions of many other rulers in the African continent.

Zimababwe which was termed as the ‘bread basket of Africa’ was slowly being destroyed and is in near ruins today. When idealism refuses to come to terms with reality, such disasters follow. But like the author says, only the natives know better. “I can understand why non-Zimbabweans romanticise Mugabe and his legacy. After all, the only Mugabe they know is the one from his speeches,” says Mako. The Zimbabweans are not the only ones who faced a ground reality diametrically opposite to the world view. I feel something similar is also happening in the US, Hong Kong, UK and India, to name a few. Let’s pay heed.

Sayed Hussain
By email