This week, The Zimbabwean published an article titled ‘Imprisoned in Their Own Homes,’ describing the lives of Zimbabweans still experiencing the after-effects of political violence, three years after the country’s 2008 elections. The aftermath of political violence in Zimbabwe has a significant impact on women, who are frequently subject to violent retaliation for their own political activity as well as their family’s.
The Zimbabwean tells the story of Martha Matashu, explaining:
“Martha Matashu (not real name) lost her husband to political violence on 29 May 2008 when he was assaulted at his home…” Three years later on, in a Zimbabwe which celebrated 31 years of independence from colonialism, Matashu cannot leave her home, receive visitors or make any contact with people without informing the Zanu (PF) ward chairman of her movements.”
Martha’s experience, and those of many other women described in The Zimbabwean bear striking similarities to the narrators we spoke with in Hope Deferred: Narratives of Zimbabwean Lives. These are women like Alice, a grassroots political organizer who now lives undercover in a neighboring country. To read more of Alice’s story, click here. To order your own copy of Hope Deferred, click here.
