I REFUSE TO OPPRESS MY VOICE

Despite the increased awareness concerning the unfairness and cruelty of our present ZANUPF leadership, many Zimbabweans still lack clear guidelines on what they should do towards one another. My thoughts at this moment are concerned with ethics, morality and values in society. My thoughts are concerned with ethics, morality and values in society so as to enhance the well being of others. When I started this music cum charity work, I felt a conviction and moral obligation that I have to open my heart and hands and do something about the oppressed and suffering masses in Zimbabwe so as to help ourselves. To me a right moral action is that which enhances the well being of others. Moral values in turn can be defined as human caused benefits that human beings provide to others. By way of illustration, one may say that love, kindness and justice are moral goods. That said I am seeing a high level of moral illiteracy fuelled by socio-cultural and political trends that are undermining our moral competence.

My aim today is not to claim and own a version of what is right or wrong. Instead my aim is to claim the very idea of morality-the moral act that we are bound to pursue, with all the limitations imposed on such an act by time, place and ability. The ghosts of the present happenings need not scare us out of making moral commitments that lie ahead of us. We should resist the temptation to reject any type of moral values. The consequences of operating without a set of guiding principles can be grave my brothers and sisters. Let us generate our moral decisions from our rights, values or principles that are or could be agreeable to all individuals composing or creating a society designed to have fair and beneficial practices. The failure by the present government and their supporters to show good behaviour is of great concern and sadness to me, and I suppose most of you feel the same. Their lack of conscience is not a danger to us only but it is also a danger to our future generations who are to born and bred in a tattered nation with only poverty and bad moral values on the table. A hopeless and ruthless nation that will teach our children and grandchildren that in order to survive they have to be selfish and evil to their kinsmen and mankind.

Please bear in mind that good behaviour is that which pleases or helps others, having good motives and interpersonal feelings such as love, empathy, trust and I repeat concern for others. Concern for you and me, concern for your mother, concern for your father, concern for your sister, concern for your brother, concern for your cousin, concern for your nephew, concern for your friend, concern for your family, concern for your pet, concern for yourself, concern for a stranger, concern for the needy and the gift of life that is within us. I hereby reiterate today that as they say family is not about blood but it is about who is willing to hold your hand when you are in need and walk with you through the wilderness. On the other hand some people think giving a family member in need is helping yet no, helping is giving to the stranger in need with no one and nowhere to turn to.

My heart is heavy with principles and it pains me to see our leaders showing no principle worth speaking well of as if they have no hearts. The citizens in return don’t seem to know and understand their moral obligations either and yet in Zimbabwe the experiences of the needy poor, the sick and their suffering are some of our most challenging contemporary moral tests. We are failing the test my loved ones. We are failing our children our future leaders, we are failing humanity, we are failing mankind, we are failing our conscience, we are failing our responsibilities and duties, we are failing humanity, we are failing to love each other as human beings, we are failing to do good to each other, we are failing to help each other, we are failing our values and most of all we are failing to speak with one voice and one agenda thus failing to act against an inhuman leadership in utmost togetherness.

Our lack of moral imagination and one sided pursuit of economic well being are leading to what has been called “social homicide”. Our unwillingness to hear the poor, particularly minority children, the elderly, the physically challenged and the needy blinds us to the moral evil of poverty and suffering and our own role in perpetuating a class divided society. Failure to imagine or understand the experiences of the suffering masses in Zimbabwe prevents us from solving the problems bedevilling our nation and society and yet we have a moral obligation to help each in all times when the need to help arises. Helping is not only about providing finances and material things but it is also about being there for others and offer the smile, the companionship, the time, the thought and the listening ear, thus presence is also a productive moral obligation to the needy.

We must therefore imagine what our brothers and sisters are going through, have gone through and will go through home and away. We need to suffer with them, suffer with each other as failure to be there for each other is failure to understand what humanity is all about. Viomak Charity Music is taking into account these moral obligations in an organised way that also offers alternative models for correcting human rights abuses and violations in Zimbabwe perpetrated by bad leaders who are supported by an ignorant citizenry. I suggest that we resist human rights abuses and suffering through collective socio-political action and philanthropy.

I am also seeing a lot of heartlessness by some citizens. Day and night I wonder why we cannot behave in a responsible and selfless manner and be different from the leaders we despise. We should become involved in contributing to society and helping the next generation face the future in an acceptable way. This is everyone’s responsibility but I am seeing a lot of irresponsibility and fakeness by others masquerading as activists yet they are just fame mongers, awards mongers and money mongers who are in the struggle for personal gain. My brothers and sisters if we are to have good acceptable leadership we need to be serious ourselves and sacrifice whatever we can sacrifice to win this struggle. We need to be patriots who put our nation first and political parties second. I see many are masquerading as patriots yet they are just political party bootlickers. My brothers and sisters, a nation of bootlickers will never prosper. We need to demand good leadership regardless of who is wrong.

My heart also bleeds about the moral compass that has gone astray. We are failing our children in various ways. Sexual immorality has become the order of the day. Morality decisions made today will impact the kind of life and society that our children will face in their futures. Common good or moral vision is shared and defined by participating actively together, to reflect on the meaning of what it means to be human in relation to all living entities and to live in harmony together for the sake and interest of all-a position which engenders hope. Failing this task leads to a sense of meaninglessness in life. That said my brothers and sisters are you prepared to be of good morals or bad morals? As long as we neglect the welfare of the needy Zimbabweans who are suffering under Mugabe and his failed incompetent ZanuPF regime we remain as immoral as the perpetrators of our suffering.

May God bless and guide you as you search for a new and deeper understanding of morality. If there are Zimbabweans and citizens of the world out there who are willing to take part in the bottom up CHANGE: Power in us working actively together for the common good, instead of working for the Top down CHANGE please feel free to write to info@viomakmusic.com or viomakmusic@hotmail.com so we can discuss the best way forward for our nation and ourselves.