Why Pastor Evan must ‘die’ but #ThisFlag must remain

Pastor Evan Mawarire....killed out of the script.

By Robert Mukondiwa

There has been a helluva lot of noise surrounding one Pastor Evan Mawarire and ‘his’ #ThisFlag movement.

From unnerving a government, wanting to subvert a democratically elected government, stealing a baton, fighting for ‘paternity’ of a national flag with rivals, mobilising the masses and becoming a figurehead of a popular movement right down to leaving on a pre-arranged trip, running off like an Olympian with his family and eventually sticking his middle finger at his ‘haters’ who in actual fact were his erstwhile supporters lamenting their abandonment by ‘their’ leader.

It’s quite a hectic chain of events and not even in chronological order.

And with the leader of the revolution nowhere to be seen in front of the battalion there are things that may happen.

King Evan may soon be proclaimed ‘dead, the movement- #ThisFlag will die along with him and the government will have yet again rid itself of one more subversive who had attempted to cause alarm and despondency stoking emotions of mayhem amongst an otherwise peaceful citizenry.

Right?

Wrong.

Evan might as well die. Zimbabweans have a desperate love affair with creating leaders who they put on a pedestal and then ‘anoint’ with the instruction that nobody ought to question the authority or integrity of their ‘symbol’.

They are ever so willing to discard their gold and silver to erect alternative ‘gods’ which they worship after the going rogue of their ‘founding god’ President Robert Mugabe who has apparently gone rogue. Ironically it is the same manner of creating super gods that they lament as having gone wrong with Zanu PF and the government of our time.

What they do not seem to realise though is that in effect, if their demands are legitimate, they do not need an anointed figurehead to worship as the leader of a movement but are in themselves the custodians of that movement. That they do not grasp.

The problem is that Zimbabweans have no clue that the power resides in them. Always has and always will.

So Evan. The ‘god of social media’ can, and probably MUST die from the narrative of Zimbabwean narrative.

BUT, as noted even in The Herald by columnist Joram Nyathi, the government should be more than scared of the issue the ‘late’ Evan, who has been written out of the script, has brought to the table aided by the voices of the masses.

Unlike other figures Evan was not ideally a ‘political’ movement wanting to wrest power. His ‘gospel’ contained the very same things ordinary Zimbabweans identified with.

People want food. That is not an illegal demand. People want jobs. And forcing them to become a nation of entrepreneurs isn’t what they want to hear. Not all of the people can become ‘employers’ as is often said. Some people just shine as workers.

Not everyone can be the head of the band. Not everybody can be the glamorous sexy guitarist. Somebody wants to play the flute and is perfectly content. The government, if it were running a band, would insist on everyone doing lead vocals. Acharidza hosho ndiyani? Who shall play the shakers? Or wash the band’s uniform? 

Evan Mawarire, Jestina Mukoko and Robert Mukondiwa

So yes, those jobs have to be created as promised by government and for everyone. Because the winner promised jobs for EVERYONE which is the tenet of democracy. If we say we shall not create jobs for a certain section of the people because they did not vote for ‘us’ then what will we say when they refuse to respect our president because he allegedly only creates jobs for his supporters and start calling him names?

That is what democracy is. A two way street.

“You may not like me but I won so I make decisions for you….and I may not like you but I should serve you with all my heart and strength and please you.”

A pact and temporary truce to live and let live as we serve the other all the while awaiting fresh hostilities, known as elections, to come round again.

So he is everyone’s president and is answerable to even those who wanted or still want him gone and therefore it should be perfectly normal when a member of the MDC gets a house on the housing list ahead of Cde Chakuti who organises for the ruling party.

Which comes to my final point of what #ThisFlag as a ‘rebellion’ really is and that it doesn’t belong to Evan Mawarire but came ahead of him.

The moment people started going hungry whatever the causes, the moment we started having more graduates in our outbox than jobs in the jobs tray, the moment that ailing woman failed to get her money from the bank due to a cash shortage and started being desponded, that was when #ThisFlag began.

It was birthed out of desperation and a feeling of a lack of self-worth.

Before it was symbolised by a national flag around the neck, #ThisFlag was symbolised by ghetto youths sitting on a bridge over a sewer or drainage system in Mabvuku drinking broncleer. Their anger was symbolised by the bronco bottle where they would drink themselves stupid and get drunk off of the abuse of prescription and non-prescription medication.

When they found a voice via Evan they discarded the bottles and draped themselves in the flag. What government has to do now with the breathing space they got from the death of Evan from the narrative is to remove #ThisFlag from the shoulders of the youths and replace it with #ThisJob or #ThisOpportunity. They have to remove #ThisFlag from the shoulders of pensioners and the aged and replace it with #ThisPension which one doesn’t have to queue for ages without.

You know, it doesn’t have to happen overnight. But even if the government start creating one legitimate job every day, everybody will sit, calm down and wait their turn because the trajectory will have taken a turn towards drawing optimism.

Robert Mugabe-Headache doesn't end with Evan's departure

Because sometimes all we need for supper is HOPE. Real genuine hope.

Perhaps if we all forget the colour of politics and follow the colour of love and unity of purpose we will wonder if it is even true that we traversed such dark days as these.

What our religion and creed as Zimbabweans has to be in this dark hour is a religion and creed of love. Our political party should be love. Our political icon or leader should be love. Because led by love we can only go up.

Evan served his purpose and we served his purpose. He has arrived where he probably wanted to go.

Those mourning for him to come back are like previously blind people who he performed a miracle on and restored their sight who now are saying he should do one better and get into the field and till their land for them. His season is done. He is gone.

Evan Mawarire? Sorry Evan who?

Vous etes Evan….you are Evan….and so is Robert Mugabe. Isu tese tine basa. We all have a duty.