13 June 2000
African Critic Says Media Coverage of Zimbabwe Crisis Is Slanted
(Ayittey's charges are supported by Zimbabwean reporter) (860) By Corrie A. White Washington File Staff Writer Washington -- Professor George Ayittey, a longtime critic of African strongman rule and government mismanagement, says the international media should work harder to reveal the true cause of economic and political crisis in Zimbabwe, which he believes can be traced to President Robert Mugabe's thirst to retain political power. Ayittey, originally from Ghana, stressed at a June 9 Freedom Forum panel that Zimbabwe's problems are Mugabe-inspired and are not the result of racial divisiveness. Ayittey's view was shared by Mark Chavunduka, a Zimbabwean journalist who recently completed a fellowship at Harvard University -- and who was once arrested for allegedly writing untrue stories about Mugabe's regime. But another panelist, Zimbabwean Ambassador Imbi Veki Mubako, staunchly defended Mugabe's political actions and openness. Ambassador Mubako said Zimbabwe was looking forward to this June's parliamentary elections, in which all the ruling party's candidates will face opponents -- a first in the nation's election history. The only point the three Africans agreed on was that land distribution is currently a central issue in Zimbabwe. They were at odds on the details surrounding black squatters' occupation of some white-owned land and about Mugabe, who has hinted at popular retribution against white landowners unless they relinquish their farms to blacks without receiving compensation. Ayittey, a professor of economics at American University in Washington and founder of The Free Africa Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting democracy, a free media, and economic accountability in Africa, said that he was "very disappointed in the role played by the international media," who have portrayed the problem of violence in Zimbabwe as simply a "black and white" issue. "Of the 28 people killed so far, 23 are black opposition supporters, yet the international media tends to focus on the five white farmers who have been killed," he said. Beyond racial tension, he said, democracy is the real issue in Zimbabwe. "Each time there is an election in Zimbabwe it is preceded by a state of violence; we have seen this before," he said. Ayittey acknowledged that land distribution is a valid issue to be addressed, but he stressed that it is Mugabe's "methodology" that troubles him. Ayittey said that much of the so-called land "invasion" of white farms by poor black squatters amounts to a ruling party smokescreen to hide such disastrous Mugabe schemes as military support for Democratic Republic of Congo President Laurent Kabila. He said Zimbabwe's involvement in the conflict is draining resources needed for Zimbabwe's economic development. According to Ayittey, the international media "is failing to tell the public that a fund was established in 1980, when Zimbabwe received independence, to which the British donated more than $60 million for land distribution." The plan should have been to buy the best land from the primarily white farmers who own the majority of it, and then to redistribute it among poorer Zimbabweans. While the government did purchase land with the money, Ayittey said it was distributed to wealthy Zimbabweans who largely were "Mugabe's cronies." "Also the media is failing to reveal that of all the farms that have been seized, 10 belong to opposition leaders," Ayittey said. Ayittey cited Freedom House's recent report on press freedom worldwide, which concluded that "media freedom does not exist in Zimbabwe." That report, Ayittey said, noted an April 22 fire bombing of the independent newspaper "Daily News," purportedly done by supporters of the ruling party. Nonetheless, Ambassador Mubako vigorously defended his government's actions. Concerning the British money that was used to buy land, Mubako claimed the land was then distributed to more than 90,000 farmers and that its distribution "had nothing do to with 'cronies.'" Mubako does not deny, however, that there was corruption in the government at this time. "There was a great deal. I saw it from the bench, where I was sitting," he said. The ambassador also rebutted charges that media coverage of the current land crisis is slanted toward the government as "totally unfair." He said that "the opposition has more newspapers, and the international media covers only the opposition" rather than the ruling party's candidates. Chavunduka, who worked for an independent newspaper in Harare, said that such a claim by the ambassador was not supported by the facts. "The six opposition newspapers target the middle to upper class income group, and operate mainly in urban areas," he said. "The majority of the population lives in the rural areas. Therefore, the two government papers have a much wider reach and circulation. "President Mugabe has said that the government does support free press, but what we've actually seen is a government which has become increasingly intolerant to what they call the 'opposition' media," he added. Chavunduka was arrested and charged with spreading "false news" after reporting on a suspected coup plot in 1999. Last month Zimbabwe's Supreme Court dropped the charges. (The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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