Racism as political grease in Zimbabwe
Mugabe is talking war, to the aggrandizement of himself at the expense of Zimbabweans, who are already dying from the effects of his powerlust. He justifies his iron grip by claiming that only he and his party can prevent white people from taking control of the country again. And leaves it at that, as if it were a self-evident conclusion that having white (i.e. pinky-tan) skin as well as presence and political clout inevitably leads to oppression of black people. This after Mugabe nationalized white-run farms in 2000, starting the precipitous economic decline of his country. He’s so openly racist, and leveraging anti-white racism as a means to retaining power is, to my eyes at least, a cheap and poorly executed schtick that should be evident to anyone. Sigh. Tribalism is not a solution for tribalism, but it is an excellent tool for fueling authoritarianism, nationalism and statism.
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