Chitungwiza– As I boarded a bus to work on Tuesday 22 August, elections were the talk of the town. A man old enough to be my father watched a video of the CCC campaigns that happened the previous day. Beaming with hope, he drew attention with his boisterous laugh. “Kugadzirisa nyika” (fixing the country), he nodded, his eyes searching for teammates in the bus. Instead, a dreary voice responded to his drama, “It’s a bias, there is no hope”, fearfully whispered a woman next to me. Soon the bus became chaotic as people shouted their two cents about the upcoming 2023 harmonized elections. As a young person ready to cast their vote for the first time, I wondered, was it really useless to vote? The noise continued for minutes but a few who knew better kept their suggestions to themselves.
It was no new thing to have to endure chaotic noise in buses these days, what else could make the traffic congestion bearable? As I boarded off, my eyes were captured by green, yellow and black postcards of different people campaigning for different offices like counsellors, MPs and presidential positions. Of these candidates, only two were females. As a young feminist, I acknowledged the gap in women’s participation in politics. My mind had an internal discussion on factors like social media bullying, lack of social support, fear of the unknown, and lack of financial muscle and how all these are stumbling blocks to women’s participation. A lot really had to be done, maybe as LEMHsters, we could start with the root: equipping young women with the VOICE, and the knowledge about their constitutional rights.
Still lost in my own thoughts, my heart sank when I saw many youths spraying graffiti on a local school’s Durawall. Is this really what has become of future generations, to take the risk of imprisonment so lightly? I soon found myself at my workplace. I cleaned the office and for my morning prayer, I asked the Almighty for peace, and protection and vowed to embark on an unwavering agency till women’s empowerment is achieved.
Even on Wednesday when we endured the long queues and voted, I still had the same plea to the Almighty, PEACE. Despite our differences, what mattered most was an environment with political order. I just hope that things will remain the same even after the presidential election results.