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| Image used for the narrative. Photo credit: Africaniwa |
When a human dies, there is no helicopter, but when an elephant dies, you see the helicopters hovering around. - Tinashe Farawo (Elephant conservationist).
The first duty of any government is to protect the lives and properties of its people, and if the government does little to preserve its people, the animals, in this regard, the elephants become the decision makers on who lives and stay, in this situation, it only begs for certain questions to be asked.
The narrative above is the situation of the good people of Zimbabwe, Southern Africa. Again, every last Friday, of the month afford the time to listen to a live session of Africaniwa.
Tinashe Farawo took us through his experience as a conservationist, he tells the story of what an average villager face in Zimbabwe in trying to please vested interest and particularly the UK government who are in the business of preserving animals, not entirely wrong but the bad is the part in which a soul had to go to make sure an elephant does not die.
Farawo said: "our hearts are dread".
One can't express by way of writing when you watch what was expressed by first-hand persons on the field and in the village where elephants contend with humans for survival. In a bid for an elephant to live then there is a need to walk miles to find water, and when he finds one he makes sure the humans he meets there who will likely obstruct his access to the pool will be taken down. - that is the principle of the survival of the fittest as read in a biology book.
The Narrative of Blaming Africa
According to Tom Griffiths, the narrative of blaming Africans and congratulating white western saviors is in danger of being repeated.
People treat the issue with political views, while the animals know no political party, animals do not vote, nor participate in the political process. This also talks about cattle rearers and others who face one issue or another and when they talk about it the other tribe or region or opposition party takes it and views it with a political eye.
The International community should understand we (Zimbabweans) are the ones in our fire we know how it burns us. Adelle also put it as "sometimes it is in the mirroring of each other's wounds we find healing."
The Question?
Will the government of the US allow a herd of elephants to walk the street of Manhattan without finding them gun down? No! So why the excessive show of empathy for the animals that kill humans so as for them to survive?
• Why is the international community not paying attention to the issues being faced by villagers who live in these areas?
• Can the international community be more concerned than the people who love these animals?
• Should people relocate from their father's land because of some vested interest and tourists want to see animals in real-time?
• How much will it cost the vested interest to listen to the cries of the people?
The world can do better! As elephant lives matter, so also do Human live matter, Zimbabweans lives matter.
Efforts that can be put in place
• Animals should be seen as an economic value, the values which can be used to send children to school and lift people out of poverty. With the number of ivory in the custody of Zimbabweans, governments of the world who needs them can buy directly from the conservators, instead of buying from the black markets, the poachers.
• International communities can help provide water facilities for the villagers to forgo the natural water from the streams and rivers for the use of animals.
• Policymakers should not make policy without firsthand information from the people who are doing the work in the fields. Instead of getting information from expatriates who spend money on houses, cars, etc, that cash can be expended on the people, the children, and the survival of the community of study.
• If human lives and growth matters to the International community, then the right peg should be placed in the right hole, and attention should be channeled to getting access to water and good schools for the children in the community of the case study.
We can't use the study gotten from country A to get a different result in country B. We are heterogeneous in structure, style, and act, therefore as our case is new, we must think anew, and act anew.
God bless Zimbabwe.
God bless Africa.
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