I was politically persecuted by being illegally detained at Chikurubi for 85 days without having committed any crime.
I needed to speak to Professor Dixon Chibanda who is Zimbabwe’s leading psychiatrist who helped me deal with the trauma of being in jail for no reason.
I can’t imagine how I would have been affected mentally if I had stayed there for almost two years under political persecution without my family.
People heal in different ways, as a society we should be helping them heal and understanding that just like grieving, people respond to trauma in different ways too.
Understanding and empathy are vital when addressing the impact of mental trauma on individuals and society as a whole, especially individuals who were persecuted for fighting for a just cause for all of us.
Zimbabweans are generally nasty to each other on Twitter when it comes to political disagreements, we should pause and think about the impact of our choice of words that we use against each other.
It is important for society to foster understanding and empathy, particularly in the context of political disagreements, to promote healing and unity.
As I have always said, we give too much credit to ZANUPF, some of the real reasons for our political failures are found in the fights that we create amongst ourselves.
Let us allow this Thursday to be a day of peace amongst all the forces who are fighting for a just Zimbabwe, just today.
Let us use today as a day of REFLECTION!
Fighting for Zimbabwe is an easier task than fighting for individuals, fighting for Zimbabwe gives us an important cause which doesn’t select who you laugh with because every sane person needs a fair society except those who have created the unfairness.
Let us try peace, empathy and unity today and see how we fare.
If someone like Joshua Nkomo who was humiliated could find it within himself to forgive and focus on nation building, why can’t mere mortals like you and me do the same to each other for whatever issues we have disagreed about.
Don’t say “…but, but, buy,” refusing to be reflective only benefits ZANUPF.
Is that what you want?
