Nqobile Nyathi
The Financial GazetteMay 30, 2002
AS Zimbabwe's government cracks down on freedom of the Press and of expression, the country's civic society is embracing electronic activism to promote openness and debate in an increasingly repressive climate. In use in the developed world for more than a decade, electronic activism uses the Internet, electronic mail (e-mail), electronic mailing lists, newsgroups and newsletters to lobby around specific issues. It has been used by United States-based supporters of the Zapatista rebels in Mexico, Amnesty International and, more recently, to protest against Israel's military intervention in Palestine. In 1999, electronic activists organised a "virtual sit-in" against the World Trade Organisation and electronic activism has also become an important tool for democracy and civil rights groups, as well as lobbyists for the rights of animals, the environment and more focused liberties of women and children. In Zimbabwe, kubatana.net, a central hub for civic society organisations, has been in existence for about 14 months to promote greater public access to information and freedom of expression. "Electronic activism is using the Internet and e-mail to advocate and lobby around specific, focused issues and these can be local government, health or political," Bev Clark of kubatana.net told the Financial Gazette. Brenda Burrell, also a partner in the initiative, said: "In about March last year, we started Kubatana to address the issue of information dissemination within the NGO (non-governmental organisation) and civic society organisation (CSO) communities. "Kubatana is essentially a central hub, a clearing house of civic and human rights information in Zimbabwe."
The driving aim of the hub is to provide Zimbabwean NGOs and activists with another tool to reach and lobby the public and other stakeholders, and to give ordinary Zimbabweans a forum to air their views and access information that will allow them to make informed decisions about issues which affect them. It has gained momentum at a time the government has introduced and is rigorously enforcing legislation aimed at curbing a free Press and limiting freedom of expression.
Several journalists, activists and members of the public have been charged under the draconian Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Public Order and Security Act, which allow fines and jail terms for criticism of the government. "There is no doubt that we live in a very repressive media and information environment in Zimbabwe and Kubatana really exists to challenge that and to empower ordinary Zimbabweans to use the Internet and e-mail to communicate their thoughts," Clark said. "Oppressors thrive on lack of information and we want to address this issue. The more that ordinary people are informed, the more empowered they are. For a long time in Zimbabwe, we have been subjected to misinformation and a polarised Press and we believe that it's a country's right to receive information in order to determine its future and construct a better future."
To meet these objectives, kubatana.net has created a directory of Zimbabwean NGOs and CSOs, with fact sheets on the organisations and links to their websites, some of which have been developed by Clark and Burrell. "We now have over 170 NGOs, CSOs and social justice groups on the Kubatana directory," Burrell said. "A large part of what we do is to publish Press statements, articles and research documents on behalf of these NGOs. What we have been very successful in doing is making Zimbabwe's NGOs and civic and human rights activists more accessible locally, regionally and globally." The website provides breaking news, copies of important legislation, information on the implications of new laws and government policies, has a mailing list and also stimulates debate by inviting the public to send e-mail comments on topical issues.
The kubatana.net site also publishes alerts about issues of concern such as the recent spate of arrests of journalists and invites the public to send written protests to the relevant stakeholders. One of the more successful electronic activism campaigns on the website centred around the Citizenship Act, which was introduced last year and was widely seen as an attempt by the ruling ZANU PF to disenfranchise thousands of voters entitled to dual citizenship prior to the disputed March presidential election. Political activist Judith Todd successfully appealed against the loss of her Zimbabwean citizenship under the Act in a test court case funded by several local NGOs. Burrell told the Financial Gazette: "One of the useful ways that we have integrated a variety of strategies pertains to the whole issue of the Citizenship Act. People found themselves without information and through using e-mail we managed to network with legal NGOs to disseminate advice and get through a very difficult situation. "People didn't feel so in the dark so you can see some of the real results from using these tools."
Another encouraging factor has been the increased use of kubatana.net in spite of limited access to and knowledge about how to use the Internet among Zimbabweans, especially in the low-income groups. The creators of the website say many of their subscribers are from small towns and outlying areas, which have benefited from the mushrooming of Internet cafes and the widespread use by Zimbabweans of free e-mail facilities offered by portals such as Yahoo! and Microsoft's Hotmail. Clark pointed out: "Many Zimbabweans access the Internet and we have seen a flurry of Internet cafes being established. We also have schools that are online. Many Kubatana subscribers come from outlying areas and smaller towns." Burrell added: "The information is not only accessed using the Internet. People can print information and work on it to turn into their own little newsletters for their communities. We have examples of students and factory managers printing out information and putting it up on notice boards at work or school."
To promote access to the Internet and increase the community of electronic activists, kubatana.net is holding a series of free workshops throughout this year to educate NGOs, trade unionists, students and the general public about electronic communication tools. There has already been an overwhelming response from the general public, the creators of the website said. "We have 70-year-olds coming to electronic activism workshops and sitting side by side with 17-year-olds," Clark noted. "We have Zimbabweans sharing experiences about activism and life and whenever they do this, the unfortunate divisions that are being sponsored in this country are breaking down. "In the future, we'll be working with information officers at non-profit organisations to make them more efficient in information dissemination. My real concern at the moment is the youth, who are marginalised in Zimbabwe. "Zimbabwe is part of the global landscape and communication tools like the Internet and e-mail are becoming such standard tools that if we leave our youth out of this learning curve, we will be doing them a great disservice."
Burrell said: "The future for us revolves around making these tools better understood by the general public and established NGOs and CSOs. The main issue is that Zimbabweans must fight self-censorship and question the parametres that constrain them. They have a right to say what they think and make their voices be heard."
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