A half hour documentary on satire and Mugabe.

[barryqwalsh]

 

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Mugabe puts his foot in his mouth at the UN...

Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe gets the wrong kind of laughs for telling the U.N. 'we are not gays'
In his speech Monday before the United Nations General Assembly, longtime Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe noted that "respecting and upholding human rights is the obligation of all states," enshrined in the U.N. Charter. But, he added, that charter doesn't "arrogate the right to some to sit in judgment over others in carrying out this universal obligation."

If you're wondering where Mugabe was headed, he then criticized "the self-anointed prefects of our time," presumably in Europe and the U.S., for prescribing "'new rights' that are contrary to our values, norms, traditions, and beliefs." And in case that wasn't clear enough, he improvised, telling the assembled delegates and world leaders: "We are not gays."

"Mugabe's line earned him light applause and some laughter," notes BuzzFeed's Hayes Brown, who added that Mugabe "has frequently used anti-LGBT rhetoric, including last year when he referred to same-sex relationships as 'inhuman' and threatened to kick-out any diplomats who spoke of LGBT rights." You can watch the beginning of the laugher in the video below, but RT cuts out Mugabe's very next lines: "Cooperation and respect for each other will advance the cause of human rights worldwide. Confrontation, vilification, and double-standards will not."

Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe gets the wrong kind of laughs for telling the U.N. 'we are not gays'

 

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Gives ya some idea of what the Chinese call 'peace'...

Zimbabwean President, Condemned by West, Is Selected for Chinese Peace Prize
OCT. 22, 2015 — President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe has crushed political opponents in his country, and democratic challengers and their supporters have faced intimidation, jail and worse. Mr. Mugabe, whose ZANU-PF party controls the levers of power, has presided over economic policies that have resulted in rampant inflation and poverty. Widely condemned by Western governments, he is considered one of the most uncompromising rulers in Africa.

Now he can claim the honor of being awarded a Confucius Peace Prize, the Chinese answer to the Nobel Peace Prize. A group based in Hong Kong that says it is the official organizer of the prize has selected Mr. Mugabe as this year’s recipient. Among the finalists for the award were Secretary General Ban Ki-moon of the United Nations, President Park Geun-Hye of South Korea and Bill Gates. The Confucius Peace Prize was first established in late 2010 as a rejoinder to the Nobel Peace Prize that was awarded that year to Liu Xiaobo, a dissident Chinese literary critic who is serving an 11-year prison sentence on a charge of subversion. His wife, Liu Xia, is under house arrest.

The Confucius Peace Prize ceremony is scheduled to be held in December. Organizers say the official Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing will be the venue if Mr. Mugabe, 91, agrees to attend. The prize comes with a financial reward of 500,000 renminbi, or nearly $80,000. “The 21st-century interpretation of Confucianism is ‘universal harmony in the world,’ ” Qiao Wei, a poet and the president of the judging committee of the peace prize, said in a telephone interview on Thursday. “Mugabe is the founding leader of Zimbabwe and has been trying to stabilize the country’s political and economic order ever since the country was first founded. He brought benefit to the people of Zimbabwe.”

Mr. Mugabe had his start in politics as a Pan-African nationalist who opposed minority white rule in the former British colony and country then known as Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. The Rhodesian government used brutal tactics to try to suppress nationalist movements, and Mr. Mugabe was imprisoned for more than 10 years, but the country finally achieved full independence from Britain in 1980. Mr. Mugabe became premier and quickly set up an authoritarian system, including managing security forces that on occasion acted as death squads. “As the president of Zimbabwe or the chairman of the African Union, he has always been pushing forward the cause of peace in Africa,” Mr. Qiao said. “He has been working hard even in his 90s. This shows he has ideals in his heart. He has been trying to support the independence of Africa. He has his ‘African Dream.’ ”

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Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe celebrates his 92nd birthday with a $1m televised party...

Let them (the Mugabes) eat cake! Zimbabwe tyrant and wife stuff their faces with a giant dessert weighing a kilo for every year he's been alive as poverty-stricken country marks his 92nd birthday with $1million party
27 February 2016 | Zimbabwean President celebrated his 92nd birthday with a lavish $1million party complete with a huge 92kg cake; Robert Mugabe hosted the event in the drought-stricken Masvingo province, drawing criticism from his opponents; Drought has left three million people in need and prompted the declaration of a state of disaster in most rural areas; 36-year rule is marked by vote-rigging, mass emigration, accusations of human rights abuses and economic decline

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has celebrated his 92nd birthday with a lavish $1million party complete with a 92kg cake as many of his people struggle with drought and widespread food shortages. The world's oldest leader hosted the extravagant televised celebrations in the drought-stricken Masvingo province on Saturday, drawing criticism from opponents who said the festivities were an affront to ordinary Zimbabweans. Thousands of party loyalists, foreign representatives and members of the public watched as Mugabe released 92 balloons in the air and they listened to poetry readings, songs and chants hailing him an African icon and a visionary.

Several cakes were on display, including one in the shape of Africa and a whopping 92kg replica of the party venue - the Great Zimbabwe ruins, a UNESCO world heritage site that was built in the 13th Century as the headquarters of the Munhumutapa empire. Many supporters wore outfits emblazoned with Mugabe's portrait and some read 'I love Bob', while others adorned the red, black, green and yellow colours of the ruling party. They feasted on beef and game meat at the ostentatious event. Balloons and cake, however, did little to hide the infighting that has defined the ruling ZANU-PF party in the last year as Mugabe continues to avoid naming a successor, despite his advanced age and recent speculation over his health.

Mugabe, who turned 92 on February 21, has ruled for 36 years during an era marked by vote-rigging, mass emigration, accusations of human rights abuses and economic decline. In a rambling hour-long speech, the president said no-one would starve as a result of a drought which has left three million people in need and prompted the declaration of a state of disaster in most rural areas. But in a characteristic gibe at Western countries, he said Zimbabwe would not accept aid if it came with conditions that the country should accept gay rights. 'If aid, as I understand, is to be given on the basis that we accept the principle of gay marriages, then let that aid stay were it is,' Mugabe said. 'We don't want it. It is rotten aid, filthy aid and we won't have anything to do with it.'

Zimbabwe has appealed for nearly $1.6billion to help pay for grain and other food, but no aid organisation is known to have attached such a condition to assistance. On his actual birthday, state media poured praise on Mugabe's leadership since independence from Britain. In its 16-page special supplement, the Sunday Mail said on its front cover: 'Thank You Bob, We now have a voice, since 1980'. Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa is viewed as the likely next president, but in recent weeks he has been publicly criticised by Mugabe's wife Grace in a sign of growing rivalry. 'Factionalism, factionalism and, I repeat, factionalism has no place at all in our party,' Mugabe told guests including senior party officials, government ministers, foreign diplomats and representatives of ruling parties from Angola, Botswana, South Africa, Namibia and Tanzania. 'It should never be allowed to exist... We should remain united and use proper channels to solve our differences.'

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Mugabe's 92nd birthday party criticised
Sat, 27 Feb 2016 - Zimbabwe's ruling party throws a lavish party for President Robert Mugabe's 92nd birthday in a drought-stricken area, drawing criticism from the opposition.

Zimbabwe's ruling party has been criticised for hosting lavish 92nd birthday celebrations for President Robert Mugabe while swathes of the population face food shortages. The event reportedly cost almost $800,000 (£575,000). The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) called the celebrations "obscene". Mr Mugabe has dominated Zimbabwe politics since independence from the UK in 1980. The event, which was televised and featured schoolchildren reading poetry about the president, was held in the drought-stricken south eastern city of Masvingo.

Birth of a Mugabe dynasty?

The elderly leader, accompanied by his wife Grace, released 92 balloons to kick off the event at the Great Zimbabwe monument, with tens of thousands of people attending. In a speech, Mr Mugabe attacked Western donors, and said he would not accept "rotten, filthy" aid if it was contingent on Zimbabwe accepting same-sex marriages, the government-owned newspaper the Herald reported. But the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said the celebrations were "ill-conceived". Money used for the event should be used to import maize "to avert the impending starvation" in Masvingo and other areas, said Obert Gutu, a MDC spokesman.

Eddie Cross, an MP for the MDC said: "The obscenity of this particular exercise is that he throws this bash not just based on public funds... but he does it in one of the worst-affected drought-stricken parts of the country." The UN's World Food Programme said food production had fallen by half compared to a year earlier, because of severe drought. The government said about three million people were food insecure and earlier this month it asked for nearly $1.6 billion in aid. Mr Gutu said the ruling Zanu-PF "should be utterly ashamed" for hosting the costly celebration while "more than 90 %of Zimbabweans are wallowing in grinding poverty".

However, a youth leader for the ruling Zanu-PF party defended the birthday celebrations. "Money is not the issue here," Pupurai Togarepi told the Reuters news agency. "You cannot put a price on the contribution of President Mugabe to the history and development of this nation. All these things are worth more than money." Zimbabwe has faced severe economic challenges in recent years, which critics blame on policies including the seizures and redistribution of white-owned farms in 2000. Hyper-inflation left its currency worthless and required the use of foreign currencies for most transactions. Mr Mugabe has blamed his country's economic troubles on Western meddling.

Who is Robert Mugabe?