NOISY TRUTHS, Politics

What Happens When a Children’s Entertainer Won’t Stay Apolitical

Ms. Rachel is the current example. She will not be the last. There is an unwritten contract between children’s entertainers and the public, and it is stricter than the one we impose on almost any other kind of celebrity. Musicians are allowed opinions. Politics is practically part of the job description. Actors get more room too, because their politics usually exist outside the work itself, … Continue reading What Happens When a Children’s Entertainer Won’t Stay Apolitical

Unknown's avatarKumbirai Thierry Nhamo11 Comments
REALITY BITES, Reflection

Jesus, Empire and the Problem With Reclaiming What Was Never Ours Alone

There are essays you read and immediately know you disagree with. Then there are essays that make you uncomfortable precisely because you agree with enough of them to have to think harder about the parts you don’t. “The Paradox of Deification of Jesus Christ,” written by Lovemore Chishamba  is the second kind. I have to say that I love the essay’s anger. That may sound … Continue reading Jesus, Empire and the Problem With Reclaiming What Was Never Ours Alone

Unknown's avatarKumbirai Thierry Nhamo16 Comments
Politics, Reflection

Why Ms. Rachel Can’t Just Stop Talking About Gaza

Rachel Accurso built a $1 million donation career out of teaching toddlers how to say “mama,” identify farm animals and jump like bunnies. Her YouTube channel now has more than 21 million subscribers. There is a Netflix deal, a Sesame Street collaboration, merchandise, books and, this month, her first album, I’m So Happy. She has become one of the most recognisable faces in children’s entertainment.

And yet, for the past two years, she has repeatedly found herself in the middle of one of the most vicious political arguments on the internet…. Continue reading Why Ms. Rachel Can’t Just Stop Talking About Gaza

Unknown's avatarKumbirai Thierry Nhamo14 Comments
Ruins Of Democracy, SYSTEMS ON TRIAL

Bangsamoro Just Held an Election Forty Years in the Making and It Wasn’t a Clean One.

Voting opened Monday across the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao for the first parliamentary election in the region’s history. It was a milestone that took longer to arrive than most elections take to matter. The vote had been postponed four times since it was first scheduled for May 2022, pushed back to 2025, then October 2025, then March 2026, before finally landing on September … Continue reading Bangsamoro Just Held an Election Forty Years in the Making and It Wasn’t a Clean One.

Unknown's avatarKumbirai Thierry Nhamo9 Comments
SYSTEMS ON TRIAL

The Philippines Wants To Criminalize Disinformation and Zimbabwe Should Pay Attention.

The Philippines is debating a question Zimbabweans should recognise immediately: what happens when a government gives itself the power to decide what counts as false information? On June 3, the Philippine House of Representatives passed the Digital Media Anti-False Information Act bill by an overwhelming 286-3 vote, with seven abstentions. The bill would criminalise knowingly publishing or spreading false information with the intent to cause … Continue reading The Philippines Wants To Criminalize Disinformation and Zimbabwe Should Pay Attention.

Unknown's avatarKumbirai Thierry Nhamo7 Comments
SYSTEMS ON TRIAL

New Zealand Is Welcoming the Tourists Whilst Its Workers Can’t Afford to Stay.

New Zealand’s tourism officials had reason to celebrate last month. Visitor arrivals in July surpassed pre-pandemic levels for the first time since the border closures of 2020, reaching a milestone that the government’s Tourism Growth Roadmap had targeted for the end of this year. Infometrics data showed arrivals to Queenstown up 20 percent from the previous year, while national visitor numbers have returned close to … Continue reading New Zealand Is Welcoming the Tourists Whilst Its Workers Can’t Afford to Stay.

Unknown's avatarKumbirai Thierry Nhamo9 Comments
REALITY BITES

Australia’s Bird Flu Problem Is About to Stop Being a Bird Problem

A dead pelican on a beach is ordinarily a wildlife story. The pelican found at Edithburgh on South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula this week was different. It tested positive for H5 bird flu, the first confirmed case in an Australian pelican since the virus arrived on the continent. It was one of five new positive events reported that day, alongside a silver gull, two crested terns … Continue reading Australia’s Bird Flu Problem Is About to Stop Being a Bird Problem

Unknown's avatarKumbirai Thierry Nhamo27 Comments
SYSTEMS ON TRIAL

Zimbabwe Has Become So Expensive to Govern That Government Is Now Cutting Its Own Taxes

Zimbabwe is cutting 291 licences, permits, levies and fees to reduce the cost of doing business. Good. But who made it expensive in the first place? These charges were created, approved and collected by the same system now removing them and presenting the change as reform. Zimbabwe has a habit of creating problems, living with them for years, then fixing part of them and asking … Continue reading Zimbabwe Has Become So Expensive to Govern That Government Is Now Cutting Its Own Taxes

Unknown's avatarKumbirai Thierry Nhamo1 Comment
SYSTEMS ON TRIAL

You Can’t Medal Your Way Out of Corruption

From Sept. 17 to 19, more than 800 anti-corruption officials from eight SADC countries will gather in Victoria Falls for an event featuring exhibitions, cultural activities, netball and volleyball. The theme is “Scaling Up Integrity Actions Across SADC.” Vice President Kembo Mohadi will open it. The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission is presenting the event as a regional demonstration of commitment to fighting corruption. It is also … Continue reading You Can’t Medal Your Way Out of Corruption

Unknown's avatarKumbirai Thierry Nhamo2 Comments
SYSTEMS ON TRIAL

Thirty-Five Thousand Reasons Not to Ask What “Electrified” Means

“Solar is the mainstay because we have not been able to reach access.” Energy Minister July Moyo said this in Victoria Falls during the International Solar Alliance’s Africa meeting. He was explaining the government’s plan to equip 35,000 rural villages with solar-powered business units. He was also saying something more important. Zimbabwe has struggled to extend its electricity grid to much of the country, particularly … Continue reading Thirty-Five Thousand Reasons Not to Ask What “Electrified” Means

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