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Britain
Zimbabwe Society
Annual
Report from the Chair
November 2001 (Ms Margaret Ling)
2001 marks the 20th anniversary
of the launching of the Britain Zimbabwe Society, not long after Zimbabwe's
independence and in a very different climate as far as relations between the
governments of the two countries at the time were concerned. But the purposes
for which the Society was set up in 1981 - 'to increase mutual knowledge,
understanding and respect' between the peoples of Britain and Zimbabweand
'to promote good relations' between the two countries - remain as important
as ever today.
In our 20th year, the
BZS has sought to continue to do what we think we are best at: promoting broadly
informed debate and discussion about Zimbabwe, bringing people together, keeping
channels of communication open across as wide a spectrum as possible, and
encouraging support for creative initiatives by Zimbabweans which seek to
address issues of peace and justice, poverty and equity, in whatever sphere
of activity it happens to be.
Key areas of concern for
BZS members and reflected in our information and educational programme over
the year have included:
News and information
BZS members with email have continued to receive a top-class daily news service
from the Zimbabwean press via <bzs-information> This is only possible
through the hard work and commitment of our research and information officer
Sara Rich Dorman and all subscribers to the service are greatly in her debt.
The list is open to all subscribers for postings and has also carried a variety
of news and information items from diverse sources including members' own
activities around the UK.The BZS Newsletter and Zimbabwe Review are a further
valuable hard copy source of information for members and thanks are due to
our editor. Marieke Clarke for maintaining the high quality of the service,
with the help of Sara Rich Dorman. Thanks also to Richard Brown who maintains
the Society's website at www.britain-zimbabwe.org.uk
Managing Water, Managing Land, 3 MarchThe threats of repeat
floods and drought in Mozambique and Zimbabwe, coinciding with the anniversary
of the disastrous 2000 floods in Mozambique, prompted a half-day workshop
at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) on 3 March 2001. The
event, jointly organised by the BZS and the Britain Mozambique Society, looked
at the interaction between human activity and natural disasters and what communities
can do to avert and minimise damage. Joe Hanlon, co-author of Mozambique and
the Great Flood of 2000, was joined on the panel by Roger Higman, climate
campaigner for Friends of the Earth. The event was very well attended and
the BZS and BMS are actively discussing a follow-up initiative, looking at
different approaches to the commercial vs small-scale farming options and
how the two can co-exist for mutual benefit and that of the wider community.
2001 Research Day, 16 June - Zimbabwe: Whose Development?
The questions of 'what is development?' and what are the assumptions
underlying development programmes take on a particular significance in the
current political, social and economic climate of Zimbabwe. The 2001 Research
Day at St Antony's College, Oxford, coordinated this year by Diana Jeater
of the University of the West of England and the BZS, examined these issues
with the help of special guests Zephaniah Phiri of the Zvishavane Water Project
and John Makumbe of the University of Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe chapter of
Transparency International. Eddie Cross the MDC economics spokesperson was
also in the UK at the time and able to join the day. Mr Phiri's participation
formed part of a tour of sustainable land use and organic agricultural projects
in the UK, organised by the BZS in partnership with the Bristol and Zimbabwe
Sustainable Agriculture Network (BaZiSAN). John Makumbe went on to address
a particularly lively meeting at the Royal Commonwealth Society in London
organised in association with the Society.
2001 Dayschool, 6 October - People-to-People LinksLinks between
people are central to the Society's activities and were the obvious choice
of theme for our 20th anniversary annual Dayschool. The Stevenage Kadoma Link
Association, the support group for one of the most vital and enduring community
and civic links between Britain and Zimbabwe, hosted and organised the People-to-People
Links Dayschool on Saturday 6 October. Workshops on the nuts and bolts of
linking also sought to look at the wider questions of what are links for,
who benefits and how they are perceived by partners in Zimbabwe. We were delighted
that Molly Clutton-Brock, who with Guy Clutton-Brock the Society's founding
president helped to shape the BZS mission and goals, was able to attend the
day.
BZS Links Directory As a contribution to the Dayschool, the
Society launched the first edition of the BZS People to People Contacts
directory, a listing of links between towns and cities, communities, church
groups, schools, universities and in arts and culture. To the best of our
knowledge, such a comprehensive listing has not been put together before and
we plan to keep it updated and add further links to it as we have the information.
In particular, the directory is being made available to partners in Zimbabwe
to facilitate networking between groups and as a contribution to the wider
debate on future directions for the linking movement. In Britain this is being
taken forward by the UK One World Linking Association (UKOWLA) in which the
BZS is an active participant.
Culture and the arts - the Kusanganisa/Inhlanganiso Festival of Performing
Arts. The Kusanganisa/Inhlanganiso Festival of Performing
Arts, organised by the BZS and Spirit Talk Mbira in August 2000, has led to
ongoing contact with the Zimbabwe College of Music, under its director Dr
Chris Timbe. The College is seeking to organise its own Kusanganisa Festival
in Zimbabwe, based on the same principles of combining performance and workshops
and sharing skills and experience. The link between the College and the School
of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS) in London, which grew out of Kusanganisa/Inhlanganiso,
is being taken forward in various ways including a collaborative research
project on Shona music.
John Conradie and Kushanda Pre-Schools. The Society
has been working with friends of John Conradie, who died in Marondera in 1998,
on ideas for memorial activities in Zimbabwe which will reflect his vision
and work for young children through the Federation of Kushanda Pre-Schools.
A John Conradie Memorial Trust has been set up in the UK which will seek to
take this initative forward by supporting projects in the Marondera area in
particular.
Rhodes House, Oxford. The BZS archives together with papers
from founding president Guy Clutton-Brock are housed in the Rhodes House Library
in Oxford and the Society has been following the debate over the future location
and accessibility of the African and Commonwealth and other holdings of the
Library with interest and concern.
Looking to the future. While it is difficult to predict
the course of events, the process of change and transformation unfolding in
Zimbabwe create new opportunities and will eventually lead into a period in
which issues of reconstruction and regeneration come to the fore. Positive
long-term thinking and planning is needed, as well as immediate responses
to the current political, social and economic crisis. With these aims in mind,
the BZS is working with Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA) and the Commonwealth
Trades Union Congress (CTUC) to convene a networking forum of British and
Zimbabwean civil society representatives in the UK. The Zimbabwe Action Forum
is not itself a policy-making body; its purpose is to promote more co-ordinated
action and deeper understanding of key issues across a broad spectrum of organisations
and sectors.
We have an active Executive
Committee and I am immensely grateful to all its members for their support
and for making my time as chair of the Society so enjoyable and hassle-free.
In particular, I would like to thank our president and vice president Terry
Ranger and Edgar Moyo, and our officers over the past year: vice-chairs Sara
Rich Dorman and Chartwell Dutiro, secretary (minutes and correspondence) Peter
Ashby, secretary (newsletter) Marieke Clarke, treasurer Diana Jeater, membership
secretary Peter Cotton, and information and research officer Sara Rich Dorman.
To those who, besides myself, have decided not to stand for officer posts
again, and to those who have decided to stand down from the executive, thank
you. We hope that you will continue to be actively involved in the BZS in
other ways. I myself look forward to being a 'backbench member' of the Executive
and to focusing on linking and networking activities and the organisation
of events.
[Margaret
Ling, 24 November 2001]